Santa Catarina, Sao Tome and Principe: UNICEF Brings Education and Entertainment Through a Mobile Open Air Cinema

Santa Catarina is a small fishing village on the northern shore of São Tomé, where UNICEF's mobile cinema vehicle makes regular stops as part of an island-wide education and entertainment circuit. With only one permanent cinema on the island, the mobile unit is warmly received: upbeat music draws crowds, who then watch popular films followed by short educational features on malaria, cholera, and HIV/AIDS, with a question-and-answer session afterward.

On one visit, the Santa Catarina premiere included a special guest: Xinha, a well-known Sao Tomean singer who volunteered to perform and speak about malaria prevention. An advocate for children's rights, Xinha had worked with UNICEF for three years, using her platform to popularize child survival issues across the island.