Staff Spotlight: Seruwooza Yunusu

We spoke to Seruwooza Yunusu this month about his acting career with Population Media Center and his love for the performing arts.

What is your name, position, and how long have you worked for PMC?
My name is Seruwooza Yunusu and I am an actor at Population Media Center-Uganda. I’ve been with PMC for two years now.

What is a normal day for you at PMC?
Things typically are very smooth and go as planned. For example, we typically work on recording episodes of our show or practice running lines. When we end an episode, and it sounds good, I feel at peace.

What is one of the biggest challenges of your job?
Keeping it in mind that I’m working to encourage social norm changes, sometimes I feel like I haven’t done enough in the studio, and I blame myself if a listener out there doesn’t connect to what I’m trying to communicate. You know, I am the voice of the character, and my messages matter. It’s not easy to get used to, but as an actor, I always prop myself up and do my best to achieve what we’re trying to do in-studio. Sometimes, it is not easy to communicate with anonymous people. We’re just speaking into microphones and we can’t see our audience, so I thank our PMC team for making all our work happen effectively.

Why did you decide to work for PMC?
The PMC motto that says, “Acting for Change,” encouraged me to work with PMC. I love using the performing arts as a method to carry out behavior change communication in communities. Through performances, people can easily relate to the circumstances in the dramas, reflect, take action, and eventually change.

Tell us a little about your childhood, family, or favorite things to do outside of PMC.
I was born in a rural area, and through primary education, I fell in love with the performing arts. My parents are so supportive of what I do. Things I love doing outside of PMC include theater for development, community theater, and directing and acting for screen.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your work?
I am a professional performing artist with a bachelor’s degree in drama and film. I volunteer with different organizations that work with communities, primarily for behavior changes. I also love working with young people, they’re always so inspiring.