LTAS Introduces New Drama Series

2009 ushers in new things for the LTAS show. A potent addition to the radio show is the new 5-minute weekly “Let’s Talk About Sex” drama series that will portray real life issues that affect the young people of Liberia.
Drawing a cast of some of the finest up-and-coming young actors and actresses in Liberia, the LTAS drama series has a line-up, which includes Yadel Nimley, Bookman Muapoe (acted in Liberian movie “Juetey” as the village prince), Raisa Mathies, Janice Pratt (produced her own movie), Mahmud Johnson (acted in Liberian Movie “Complex Decision”), Emmanuel “EJ” Gittens, Kula Fofana, gospel singer Princess Pitman, and ace Liberian writer and actress– and now the LTAS Coordinator- Lydia Nimley.

From focus group discussions and surveys done, the LTAS crew has found out that a larger portion of our audience enjoys and understands the “Myth vs. Reality” segment, which was a one minute colloquial drama on the show. Hence, that segment has been expanded into a full series that will be aired in weekly episodes.
Watch out as LTAS gets bigger and better each passing day!

BDOTC Comes Live with LTAS!

Friday, January 30, 2009 was another day of fun and experience sharing for the LTAS hosts, as they were the official guests at the General Assembly of the Business and Domestic Occupational Training Center (BDOTC) along the ELWA Road. At the Center, the Hosts talked to the audience about the show, and got a lot of good responses. They also performed role-plays along with the participants on issues of HIV/AIDS transmission, condom use, and abortion.
The hosts used the time to talk to the audience, which also consisted of older women, on the importance of sex education between parents and children. As the hosts left the premises, it was evident that they had indeed made an impact, as the attendees of the program could not stop congratulating them and asking about the show. A riot was almost caused when the hosts began to distribute their HIV prevention brochures.

The center is a vocational training institute sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which trains young women in areas of pastry, hotel management, tailoring, computer science, et al.

“And Still I Rise” ~ LTAS Hosts Glow At National Women’s Concert

Lights. Camera. Action! It was entertainment at its peak at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion on Saturday January, 31, 2009, and LTAS Hosts Janice Pratt and Bookman Muapoe, and PSI/ SmartChoice® Outreach Intern Princess Pitman were at the center of it all.
“And Still I Rise,” adapted from a poem by the highly-acclaimed African-American poet and actress, Maya Angelou, was the title of the women’s concert, organized by UNMIL in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism, PSI-Liberia, and other organizations.
The evening, which brought together women and young girls from all sectors of the Liberian society- ranging from market women to H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf- was one of pure bliss, as local female artistes lit the stage performing hit renditions of songs from the 70’s and 80’s such as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” “Invincible Woman,” etc, as well as contemporary hits such as Whitney Houston’s “On my Own,” Beyonce’s “Listen,” Julie Endee’s “Jigga, Jigga,” et al.
Performing a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “On my Own” was SmartChoice® Outreach Intern Princess Pittman. The Liberian gospel music icon who now works with the PSI/Liberia, wowed the audience and received a standing ovation.
The night was also lighted by a live drama performance. The star of the drama was LTAS host, Janice Pratt, who gracefully played the role of Lovetta, a promiscuous young woman, who later turns into a good girl. Janice who is known as the “quiet one” amongst her co-hosts stunned everyone, including her PSI colleagues with her compelling delivery of her character.
With the LTAS show gradually taking over Monrovia, more and more people are becoming fans of the show on a daily basis

LTAS Hosts Participate in Virtual Dialogue Videoconference

On Thursday, January 22, 2998, the four LTAS co-hosts, Janice, Mahmud, Kula, and Bookman, joined sixteen other prominent Liberian youths in what was the first edition of a three-part series of virtual dialogues aimed at engaging women and young people on issues pertinent to women’s leadership and empowerment. It was a pre-event of International Women’s Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security, which will be co-covened by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and President Tarja Halonen of Finland.

The dialogue, which brought together women leaders, youth activists, and students, joined Liberian women leaders and youths to their counterparts in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Tanzania, Egypt, and Sierra Leone via a videoconference.

Moderated by Counselor Yvette Chesson Wureh of Liberia, who is the Manager of the International Women’s Colloquium, the videoconference started off with the introduction of various moderators in the other participating countries, amongst which were Dr. Leila Takla, Board Member of the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement in Egypt; Ms. Sri Danti, Deputy Minister for Gender Mainstreaming Affairs, Ministry of Women Empowerment in Indonesia; Mr. Ayoub Rioba, veteran Tanzanian journalist, who is now a lecturer of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Dar-es-Salam; and Dr. Neela Gunasekera, Chairperson of the National Committee on Women in the Ministry of Child Development and Women Empowerment in Sri Lanka.

After the introductions, Cllr. Chesson-Wureh interviewed President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on a wide range of issues relative to women’s leadership and empowerment. Thereafter, the various countries formed breakaway groups to have discussions on what actions need to be put into place to ensure that women are able to genuinely compete with their male counterparts.

The youths identified factors such as early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, male chauvinism, tradition, and illiteracy as major impediments to women’s empowerment and leadership. Their ideas and recommendations were documented in a two-page paper that was presented to the Colloquium Manager for deliberations during the International Women’s Colloquium, which will be a meeting of women from all around the world who would be coming together to share success stories and best practices on women’s leadership, empowerment, and security.

At the end of videoconference, the Liberian youths had the opportunity to interact one-on-one with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, as Cllr. Chesson read each person’s brief biography and the work that they do. LTAS Host Mahmud Johnson used the opportunity to present the PSI/ LTAS IEC packet to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Written by Mahmud Johnson

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