Growing stronger

The crew uses non-invasive techniques and the result is an intimate, open and inspiring story of two women. One is a famous beauty queen who was in a trans-racial relationship before she and her husband both tested HIV positive. The husband did not wish their status disclosed. He left the marriage, leaving the woman with a newly born child in addition to her own from a previous relationship. The beauty queen now runs an NGO called Public Personalities Against Aids Trust (PPAAT) which advocates for “Know Your Status” campaign especially for those who are in the public life.

 

The documentary informs on how an infected person can live positively. It carefully goes through the daily lives of these two women from the start of the day to evening and shows that despite one’s circumstances (one affluent and the other less so) those infected can live productive and normal lives. This is important since people have been known to commit suicide once they tested positive leaving behind orphans often with no income.  

 

Exercise 1:

a)     How can the media contribute in making public personalities disclose their status?

b)     Describe the steps you would take to popularise a “Know Your Status” campaign.

 

1. Gender and HIV and AIDs: A Training Manual for Southern African Media and Communications