EFFECTIVE TITLES F FOR TANZANIAN TELEVISIO DRAMA SERIES

Effective means “producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect” (Definition.net, 2019). Anything to become effective or regarded as effective, it should fulfill the expected results to achieved. Macquarie posits effective as “Serving to affect the purpose; producing the intended or expected results”. This means any work begins with a purpose and that purpose can be driven by the degree of effectiveness so as to produce the intended results. On the other hand, the term “Ineffective” can be defined as something that is not achieving the desired or intended results or outcomes or does not work as intended. This suggests a lack of efficiency, capability or success in achieving a particular goal. The term “title “may have different meanings depending on the context. But in general, a Title refers to a name given to something so as to identify or designate it. Therefore on the context of a movie/film, the term Title can simply be defined as the name of the work that helps identify and distinguish it from others. For example a Television Drama titled “JUA KALI” is quite different from “HUBA” because of their distinctive titles. Therefore, an Effective title can be referred to a tittle that captivates and intrigues the audience, summarizing the essence, or mood of a play or movie. This discussion is based on the Tanzanian Television Drama specifically in Dar es Salaam, by looking at their effectiveness and ineffectiveness. But before jumping into that discussion, let us look a little bit on some few criteria as guidelines of identifying whether a film is effective or ineffective.

Effective title should express the story in some metaphorical ways. By definition a “metaphor” “is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but it helps explain an idea or make a comparison” (Morr, 2021). This simply means that, something can be presented in a way that is creatively and the meaning is not direct. Therefore, Effective Television Drama title should employ the use creative language, so as to give a hint about the story without directly revealing everything to the audience. Instead of giving a straightforward description, the title should use metaphors or symbols to add depth and mystery. Through the application of some metaphors or symbols, it is very crucial towards the audiences in making them being captivated or being curious to watch a particular film or Television Drama. A good example based of Tanzanian Television Drama that involved the use of metaphor is” SIRI YA MTUNGI”.

A Picture from IMDB

An effective Television Drama Title should be memorable and distinctive. Based on this discussion we see that, for the Television Drama to become successfully in its title, there is a great need of the title to be simple and the one that could be easily remembered by the audience, and on top of that it should also be the one that is very unique not similar to the present titles of several Television Drama. For the title become effective can be measured towards the audience perspective that is the one which is easy to be remembered, also a good title or an effective title should be unique or distinct through which it can make a TV drama apart from others and making it easier for the viewers to recall. Therefore, on the other hand if the Television Drama or do not fall in this criteria, in one way or another based on this discussion it could be regarded as having ineffective title. An example of a Television Drama that its title is effective based being memorable and distinctive including, “JUA KALI”

A picture from DSTV

An effective Television drama title should have a concept. A concept means a general idea derived, or inferred, from specific instances or occurrence. A concept on the other way, is something that is formulated by an individual in his/her mind. An effective title for TV drama should be the one that reflect the content of a particular Drama that is reflecting the main theme or storyline of TV Drama. This also means that it should provide audiences or viewers with a clear idea of what to expect, and this is psychologically generated based on the minds of that audiences who have heard or seen the title of a particular film and make sense or get interpreted. A god example of a Television Drama is “SALUNI YA MAMA KIMBO”

A picture from Sinema zetu

An effective Television Drama Title should be capturing audience attention. According to John Ratey (2001), attention is more than just noticing incoming stimuli. It involves a number of processes including filtering out perceptions, balancing multiple perceptions and attaching emotional significance to these perceptions. This means that, an individual should be encouraged to focus on a particular thing even if there are many other things. Therefore, an effective TV drama title should immediately grab the audience's attention and stand out from other options. It should make viewers curious about the story and compel them to watch. This can be achieved by using attention-grabbing words, intriguing concepts, or unexpected combinations. For example, “HUBA”, “JUA KALI” and “KAZA MOYO”

KAZA MOYO

An effective television drama title should set mood and anticipation. In analyzing effectiveness of the Television Drama title, it should be remembered that, this is based on the audience’s perspectives on that Title. This simply mean that, the tile should set a good mood of the the film or TV Drama as well as creating suspense for the audience being curious to know what is within the film. Therefore, a strong TV drama title should create a specific mood or atmosphere, getting viewers excited about what they are about to watch. By using words or phrases that convey emotions or reflect the genre, the title builds anticipation. Here there are good TV Drama as examples, “HUBA” and “SIRI ZA FAMILIA”.

It should reflect the Genre. The title of a Television Drama should be related to the genre, implies that tittle acting as a potential tools for communicating with audience and provide hints at the central theme aligns with audience expectation. This on the other way it implies that, the title being reflective to the genre of a particular Television Drama it could enhance in attracting audience and adding more credibility to that film or TV Drama, this is due to the fact that even Managers and Producers are always being impressed with good tittles of the film. A good example, of Television Drama in Tanzania that its title reflect the genre including, “SALUNI YA MAMA KIMBO” and “HUBA”.

A Picture from Sinema Zetu

An effective Television Drama title should be simple. This should be known and clearly understood that audiences do not prefer difficult and complicated things that could require them to think more in order to understand what is going on. Based in this discussion for the TV Drama title should be simple for the audience be able to easily understand. An effective TV drama title should be easy to remember, pronounce, and understand. It should not be overly complicated or confusing. A simple title increases the chances of viewers remembering it, which can lead to more engagement. For instance, the title “JUA KALI” is one of the good example of simple title.

A picture from DSTV

Apart from that detailed discussion about the criterias of factors for effective Television drama titles, the following is the detailed discussion about some of effective and ineffective Tanzanian Television Drama.

JUA KALI. The film leaves a lasting impression on viewers due to its memorable content. Whether it’s the characters, storyline, or emotional impact, “JUA KALI” manages to stay with the audience long after the credits roll. The simplicity of the title JUA KA is straightforward and impactful. “JUA KALI,” which translates to “Hot Sun” in Swahili, immediately captures the attention of the audience. It evokes images of intensity, struggle, and resilience themes that resonate throughout the film. The film is relevant to the culture of Tanzania. While it refers to the Hot sun, it metaphorically symbolizes the challenges faced by the characters. The Swahili-speaking audience can instantly connect with this concept, enhancing their engagement with the film. Themes of Struggle and Hustle: “JUA KALI” goes deep into the lives of ordinary people the working class whose daily struggles mirror the harshness of the sun. A good example in this includes characters like Anna, Ndiba and Profesa.

A picture from DSTV

KOMBOLELA. Kombolela is a Tanzania television drama series produced by “Kisimani Films” and directed by “Majag”. The Kombolela TV series was aired in 2021 on the Sinema Zetu channel on Azam TV every Friday to Sunday at 7:00 p.m.With the logline from the film “Civilization is buried, they have neither job nor money, they eat what they get. Kikala's Family with full of Dramas are extensively full at home, the house is never enough to shelter them both” the title “KOMBOLELA” qualifies to be effective and efficient as it is catching up audience`s attention and audience`s expectation as well. Also, the title is effective because it is cultural complexity that it reflects the Tanzanian culture through the name itself “KOMBOLELA” and what is going on in the community. Not only that, also the title KOMBOLELA is effective due to its reflection towards the genre of the Television Drama itself, which is the Drama genre.

Picture from AZAM Media

SALUNI YA MAMA KIMBO. This title, “SALUNI YA MAMA KIMBO” is one the most effective television drama titles in Tanzania as it qualifies through being memorable to the mind of the people especially audiences who were watching this TV series, also this title is simple and unique in that is why it is memorable and differentiated from other TV programs. As well as being simple the title captures the attention of the audience. Furthermore, through the film presentation featuring comedic scenes and tension-blowing scenes, the director has made the title SALUNI YA MAMA KIMBO unforgettable for the audience.

A Picture from Sinema zetu

KAZAMOYO. The film has implied the use of comedy in the presentation of its theme, like the use of the ironic character “BONGE”. This contributes to the film MTAA WA KAZAMOYO being more effective as its memorable through humour and laughter by the audience, also the title has diversity, the set of the film being in both higher residential areas and uswahilini which completes its diversity effectively.

Apart from the discussion of effective Tanzanian TV drama, the following is the discussion about ineffective TV drama in Tanzania.

LOLITA. Among the reasons for disqualifying the title LOLITA from being an effective uniqueness factor, is because back then the title was used by “STEPS ENTERTAINMENT” in 2014 in the feature film and Majuto was a starring, yet the film Lolita does not meet the qualifications of being effective because it’s not a unique title. Before the release of the television drama LOLITA already there was a feature film by Majuto called the same name, this poses a challenge to audiences when in need of it from a different platform.

Cultural complexity. A successfully television drama title in Tanzania should embrace cultural complexity, reflecting the Tanzanian life and speaks to local sensibilities. The title should relate the title with their day to day life, this will easily grab the attention of audiences and create curiosity to watch the television drama. An example is a drama title like, Siri Ya Mtungi made audience to easily relate with the title. This is because in Tanzania the words ‘Siri Ya Mtungi’ in Swahili language means ‘A secret in the pot’, and within the Tanzanian context there is also a proverb which states that ‘Siri ya mtungi, aijuaye kata’. So this makes a clear and concise point that an effective should embrace the culture of the audience.

Therefore, effective Television drama titles may catch up or may attract audiences to become a part of a story world by considering them as a part of your story. This is through the nature of conflicts driven in that film, characters that are being used in a that television drama settings and other visual aspects which prepare audience`s minds to watch that television drama. Also effective television drama titles, it prepares audience now to decide either to watch it or to avoid it.

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