Driving from Nairobi, Kenya down to Johannesburg South Africa, projecting live World Cup football games on a retractable screen along the journey, the Africa Goal team will encounter a diverse range of audiences and peoples along a route that encompasses key localities in the region with the highest HIV prevalence in the World.

Every afternoon or evening throughout the duration of the tournament, with the help of Digital Satellite Television and a projector, speakers, and a DC/AC inverter, the team will screen the live 2010 World Cup games. In the spirit of the World Cup, the Africa Goal vision is to harness the energy and passion of the games to promote increased awareness about the HIV epidemic which has impacted upon the region so dramatically. Before every live game the team shall screen HIV and AIDS awareness media supplied by UN-AIDS and, when possible, by local NGOs. Taking into account cultural sensitivities, the videos will vary depending on the countries and the demographic structure of the audience. While the educational videos will be watched by all the football fans, the largest sector of the football audience is people aged between 15 and 49, correlating with the age sector most severely affected by HIV and AIDS. Indeed, within Southern Africa, AIDS is now the leading cause of death among both men and women aged between 15 and 49.

Prevention of HIV must be considered within the broader response continuum that includes care, treatment and support – all of which are highly inter-related and most effective when addressed collectively. Prevention, however, must continue to be placed at the forefront of the response to HIV. The Africa Goal project will focus mainly on HIV prevention, taking a holistic definition of prevention to include the promotion of knowing one’s HIV status; safer sex practices; positive prevention and acknowledging ART as a component of prevention. With the majority of the audience not having seen live World Cup matches on a big screen before, the occasion will be a highly memorable one and HIV information disseminated at the games will, therefore, imprint on the memories of the viewers and serve as a vital reminder as to how each and every person must play their part in reducing HIV prevalence in the region.

Technology
The South African based Multichoice Network with its Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) covers all the countries that the team will be traveling through, while the South African based sports channel, Supersport, is broadcasting all of the World Cup games live from South Africa. Using a small portable satellite dish and a PVR decoder, every village and town from Kenya to South Africa can receive clear, live football coverage. Together with a laptop computer, audio speakers, a microphone, a specialized USB TV adapter, a digital projector, a retractable screen and a DC/AC inverter, the car can be transformed into a true mobile football experience.

The PVR decoder makes it possible to rewind and record matches. If for some reason there is a technical hitch which whereby the set up takes longer than expected, the team will be able to use this feature so that they can still screen the full match. The inclusion of a microphone as part of the equipment will be useful for presentations and roadshows to be facilitated by local partners. Another major development since the last tournament is the widespread availability of 3G / GPRS technology in Southern Africa. Together with the satellite phone, the team will be able to update the web blog and upload short videos and photos from the field. Current Web 2.0 applications will also allow the public, including the local audience watching the games, to participate in the online dialogue using short text messages, voice and video recordings.

Timing of Games
The 2010 World Cup games will be broadcast live from South Africa at 16:00, 18:00 and at 21:00 from the 11th of June until the 11th of July 2010. The late afternoon / evening start of the games makes for ideal light conditions for the projection of the matches and gives adequate time for the team to set up the “stage” and coordinate with local partners. The team will draw on the connections and partnerships formed during the 2006 trip, visiting many of the same localities, which will further aid collaboration. Nevertheless, in order to allow for ample time to prepare before the live transmission of the games, the team will cover relatively short distances during the first half of the tournament when the games are shown on a daily basis.

Documentation and Exhibitions
A key component of the campaign will be its documentation. The team shall be traveling with two digital video recorders, several cameras, a laptop, a portable hard drive and a satellite phone. Throughout the journey, the team will document, through still and moving images, the experience of each match day. In addition, portable media devices will allow for dynamic broadcasting from the audience of match reactions, HIV awareness messages and anything else regarding the campaign that the viewers might want to share with the world. The project’s website (Africagoal.com), using various web2.0 platforms, will act as the portal for this discussion and discourse. A travel-blog will be updated and photos and video will be uploaded to the site as the trip progresses. The team will promote the ideology of Africa Goal, using media to harness the popularity of a great sporting event, as a means to addressing HIV, at two prominent African exhibitions. Prior to the World Cup 2010, the team will exhibit at the Harare International Arts Festival and after the World Cup, there will be a second exhibition at Grahamstown, Durban, South Africa. Both exhibitions will be utilized to disseminate HIV information as well as to encourage artists to promote HIV awareness amongst the followers.