Abstract
Family planning communication programmes in Africa play a key role in the promotion of family health (especially child and maternal health) and national developemnt. Yet the implementation of these programmes has been met with mixed fortunes across the continent. Many studies referred to in this study have pointed to a number of sociocultural factors that impede the success of these programmes in various parts of Africa. This study is a humble attempt at exploring the sociocultural factors that affect the adoption or non-adoption of family planning innovations by men in Zimbabwe, basing on a case study of a male motivation campaign conducted at a particularsite (Gutu-Mupandawana Growth Point). The study analyses the approaches used by the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council in this campaign in light of various theories related to communication campaigns and persuasion in general. The central argument fostered in this thesis is that family planning communication should be multicutural, that is, it should be designed in such a way that it accommodates the multiple cultural orientations of individuals in their different communities. Instead of condemning other people's culturally approved beliefs in the efforts to change their behaviours, it is necessary to analyse these beliefs and design campaign messages from the point of view of the culture that we seek to change. Further, this study also points to the need for going beyond family planning in terms of creating policies that are supportive of family planning programmes in Africa.