Shuga Naija tells the story of different Lagos youths and how they deal with love, sex and relationships. Sophie is a campus "RunsGirl", who comes from a poor background and tries to sustain herself by sleeping with rich men; her sister also comes to visit her from the village and tries to adjust oddly to the city environment. Sade is an over-protective adoptive mother of a son who's HIV positive. Femi returns from Nairobi and tries to make a fresh start. Ekene is a casanova who is a boyfriend to Foye, an on-air personality and disc jockey. Solomon is an, who's HIV positive, and sleeps with young girls without protection. Malaika is married to Nii, a man who constantly beats and violates her.
In June 2013, It was officially announced that the new seasons of Shuga will now be produced in Nigeria, as the previous seasons had been shot and produced in Kenya. At the unveiling event held at the Wheatbaker Hotel in Lekki on 25 June, it was stated that the new series will have a whole new look; with new predominantly Nigerian cast and crew. Ikubese Emmanuel and Nick Mutuma are the only actors from previous seasons who returned to the new season of the series. Speaking on the transition, Alex Okosi, the Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa says producing the project in Nigeria will help the realization of the series due to Nigeria's flourishing entertainment industry. According to Business Day, "When it is a Nollywood production it tends to get more recognition and embrace for people, both locally and internationally". The Head writer, Kemi Adesoye comments: "In bringing Shuga to Nigeria, I hope that we embrace it. I hope young people will learn, be entertained and ultimately change their lives. I would like Shuga to help start conversations between friends and families about issues relating to certain taboos, talk about HIV and about teen pregnancy". Bandele reportedly chose to work with Adesoye after seeing her screenplay for Kunle Afolayan's acclaimed film Phone Swap. In August, the cast of Shuga Naija was officially revealed and Tiwa Savage was revealed as one of the main casts in the season; this is Savage's first experience as an actor. Principal photography by Hein de Vos and Adekunle "Nodash" Adejuyigbe also commenced in August 2013; the series was shot mainly in Lagos State. As of September, rapper Ice Prince, musician Iyanya and previous Shuga seasons' actor, Nick Mutuma had also been associated with the project. The public were also allowed to vote for their two bests to be given a role out of six actors posted on Shuga website in August 2013. The season was produced by MTV Staying Alive Foundation, in conjunction with Nigeria's National Agency for the Control of AIDS, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other aspects introduced in the new season of the Shuga campaign includes: a radio drama series, a peer educator programme, a comic book in hausa and English languages, a mobile information service, campaign on social media and a range of digital platforms.
Music and soundtrack
The title soundtrack, "Sweet Like Shuga" was written and produced by Del B, and performed by Flavour, Sound Sultan, Chidinma, KCee and Professor. The music video for the soundtrack was directed by Clarence Peters; it premiered on MTV Base in mid-November 2013 and was released on YouTube on 4 December. All other songs featured in Shuga Naija, like in the previous seasons, are independently produced.
Track listing
Release
The third season of Shuga premiered on 26 November 2013 at the Silverbird Cinema, Victoria Island, Lagos. A promo trailer was uploaded on YouTube on 27 November, and the show started airing on MTV Base on the 1 December 2013, World AIDS Day; it was subsequently broadcast on other MTV networks, and also available for online streaming via MTV Base' YouTube channel and on iROKOtv. The season was also broadcast by Nigerian terrestrial televisions and other third party television networks around the world. The season was broadcast via a total of 88 television networks, and have reportedly aired to more than 550 million households across the world. Shuga comic book, published by Kachifo Limited, was also launched in January 2014.
Reception
The show was mostly well received by the general audience. Azeezat Fadekemi Sulaiman comments: "All the complexities of relationships are explored in this poignant drama that will force you to confront common preconceptions and prejudice about HIV/AIDS. Cheating, parenting and adolescence are all delved into in great detail. Shuga, directed by Biyi Bandele is a must watch for every African seeking to understand the intricacies of living with HIV". Bisoye Babalola of YNaija commends the character of Sophie and comments: "Shuga Naija is an educational yet captivating TV programme..... it paints a realistic picture of what situations and problems that young people in Nigeria or around the world encounter. The show is very inspiring and I would recommend it to people of all ages around the globe". Actress Beverly Naya comments: "Bringing Shuga to Nigeria is a very smart move as youths in Nigeria need to take the importance of sexual health seriously and using this medium to push this message as well as using Nigerian acts to create real life situations is a smart move".
