March 2007, the Sonke Gender Justice Network partnered with Silence Speaks to coordinate two digital storytelling workshops focused on the issues of gender, violence and HIV and AIDS in South Africa.
Working with a team of trainers, men and women participants shared their own stories with one another; wrote and recorded first-person voiceover narration; collected and generated still images and video clips with which to illustrate their work; and gained the computer skills they needed to edit these materials into short digital videos.
The stories recount hardships and celebrate achievements related to every day struggles with memory, identity and the search for safety, acceptance and dignity.
Our hope is that those who view them will come away with great compassion, as well as an awareness of the courage it takes to confront the past and forge a vision for a different kind of future.
