This workshop was a collaboration between the Center for Digital Storytelling and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA). This workshop brought together people whose lives are affected by HIV and AIDS to tell their stories.
HIV and AIDS is a devastating epidemic in South Africa. By 2000, nearly 58 million people had been infected, and 22 million had died. Each day, more than 15,000 people are newly infected. The HIV epidemic thrives on stigma and discrimination related to people living with the virus and to other marginalised groups, such as sex workers, lesbian/gay individuals, widows, and orphans. Unfortunately the most marginalised groups are also the most stigmatised and have the least access to basic health, HIV, STI and other services. Marginalization means that certain people are excluded from accessing and enjoying the same benefits and claims of others in that society. The exclusion may be conscious and unconscious, and it may also be part of the system or inflicted by individuals, groups, communities and societies in general.
One of the main pillars of OSISA’s HIV and AIDS programme is amplifying the voices of marginalized groups by helping protect and promote their rights in order to prevent new infections and to mitigate the impact of AIDS within these groups.
The stories produced in this workshop have been compiled into a DVD accompanied by a facilitator's guide, so the stories can be used to promote community action in Southern Africa. The stories will also be shown on local television through a partnership with the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and featured on the OSISA website.
