SASA! A Film about Women, Violence and HIV/AIDS 30 min, HDV, 2007 Produced by: The PPC, In co-production with Raising Voices

Sasa! is a Kiswahili word, meaning now!  It is a call to action – Now is the time to make the connection between violence against women and HIV/AIDS. This 30-minute documentary film tells two women’s personal stories of violence and HIV/AIDS.

Mama Joyce lives in Mwanza, Tanzania.  She had ten children with her husband before he decided to take a second wife.  When his new relationship began, he became increasingly violent and hostile towards Mama Joyce.  Because so many women in her community experience physical violence from their partners, Joyce believed for a long time that men had the God-given right to use violence against their wives.  When Joyce’s co-wife fell sick with an AIDS-related illness, her husband abandoned both women.  Mama Joyce shares her painful journey with us, but her story is also one of hope. Despite the violence and her HIV positive status, Joyce now strives to reach out to other women and men in her community so that others don’t have to experience similar hardship.

Josephine lives in Kampala, Uganda.  She was married when she was only 18-years-old, because her parents could no longer afford to send her to school or to support her.  Her husband was very violent and was not monogamous.  Fearing possible exposure to HIV from her husband, Josephine attempted several times to leave him, only to be forced back to him each time he demanded the return of the dowry he had paid to her parents.  When Josephine discovered that her husband had infected her with HIV, she kept her diagnosis a secret from him, fearing more violence.  After he died, his family took custody of Josephine’s children and rejected her. Yet today, Josephine stands strong. She lives with her children, a non-violent and HIV positive partner and works as an aroma/massage therapist touching the lives of others.

The stories of Mama Joyce and Josephine demonstrate an all too typical experience of women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Domestic violence, a violation of women’s basic human rights takes on a further dimension in the era of HIV/AIDS – for many it is a death sentence. Violence against women is fueling the epidemic – it is both cause and consequence of HIV infection.

Yet the stories of Mama Joyce and Josephine also bring to life the resilience, power and determination of women who refuse to be defeated. Their stories highlight the need for awareness, the importance of support and the urgency of action.  As a result of their experiences, both women have been moved to become activists in their communities. They are catalysts for change in their communities – and call on us to do the same.  This film is an inspiring look at two women’s lives and a call to action for everyone to begin working to prevent violence against women and HIV infection now.  SASA!   

This film is one of the many resources developed by Raising Voices as a part of an activist kit on violence against women and HIV/AIDS.  Also called SASA!, the Activist Kit provides a conceptual framework and useful hands-on resources for VAW and HIV/AIDS organizations looking to address the link. 

The Sasa! Activist Kit was written by Lori Michau and developed by Raising Voices with the support of Hivos and The Ford Foundation.

The film was directed by Chanda Chevannes and shot and edited by Nathan Shields.  It was written and produced by Chanda Chevannes and Lori Michau and co-produced by Raising Voices and The People’s Picture Company, with funding from Hivos and the Ford Foundation

For more information on the activist kit or the film, please visit www.raisingvoices.org

Screenings of SASA!:

- Montreal Human Rights Film Festival, Montreal Canada at 9pm on March 24, 2007

- Stories from the Field, United Nations Film Festival, New York, USA on April 21-22, 2007

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