Siyabonga
(Xhosa with English subtitles) As a child, Siyabonga’s stepmother discouraged him from going to school, so he found support from another family member. Later as an HIV activist, Siyanbonga was the subject of gossip and criticism in his community, but he continued the work anyway. Now a peer educator, Siyabonga shares what he has learned […]
Nombasa
Nombasa shares her anguish over the problems plaguing her rural Eastern Cape Province community, as she talks about how little voice women seem to have and about watching friends succumb to drugs, crime, and apathy. She wonders whether she and her friends will achieve their career goals and dreams of making her home safe for […]
Thuliswa
(Xhosa with English subtitles) As a girl, Thuliswa narrowly escaped abuse. When she began developing into a young woman, her mother responded by trying to restrict her independence. Thuliswa soon left Eastern Cape to live life on her own terms in Johannesburg. Sickness brought her home to her parents. She tested for HIV and found […]
Sonwabo
(Xhosa with English subtitles) After his wife passed away, Sonwabo became a single parent. He soon noticed his own health declining, but he struggled with the thought of seeking medical care at the nearby clinic. When he decided to get help, he discovered he was HIV+. Now in a healthy relationship and active in his […]
Mlungisi
(Xhosa with English subtitles) Mlungisi grew up without a father. As a young man, he drank and caused pain to his family. He first noticed that he was not healthy when he began losing weight. With his sister’s support, he tested for HIV and found out he was positive. As a way of dealing with […]
Anonymous male
Anonymous has crossed the Zimbabwe-South Africa border many times. He is one of many Zimbabweans who, every day, face starvation, dangerous animals, the Limpopo river floods, thugs, cruel farmers, and the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, all in an attempt to make a living for themselves and their families. Special thanks to […]
Anonymous
The dangers of township life for women in South Africa are exposed by Anonymous’ recounting of her rape and revelation of her HIV+ status. Because her partner was not able to be supportive after the attack, she continues to have mixed emotions towards the two younger children she has with him. Her ongoing struggle with […]
Tapiwa
Tapiwa grew up in Zimbabwe, watching his father manipulate and control his mother. Wondering why women and men are not equals, he joined a gender club while in secondary school and eventually became an activist. Tapiwa is happy that over the years his father has changed and begun to speak out against gender violence and […]
Christine
Christine was drawn to work with youth at the Rape Crisis Centre in Cape Town, South Africa as a way of understanding and confronting her own difficult past. As a child, she was sexually abused; as an adult, she continues to live in an unsafe environment. Her goal is to help young people turn away […]
James
James lives with his wife and children in Khayelitsha, South Africa. He struggles to understand the lifelong bullying behaviours of his father, who abused him and his mother for years. James realises that times have changed drastically in the wake of apartheid, and regrets that his father, who lives alone on the outskirts of a […]
Malusi
Malusi educates men and boys about gender issues in South Africa. He came to this work as a result of losing access to his young daughter. When he and her mother broke up, he was prevented from seeing her and slid into a pattern of drinking and drug use. Eventually, Malusi saw that his only […]
Kath
Kath, who lives and works on sexual assault issues in South Africa, wonders if her story of rape is “worth telling”, because to her it seems so normal, so every day. A friend of her boyfriend’s raped her years ago while they travelled overseas. Kath realises that the tragedy of what happened to her is […]
Zithulele
Zithulele s a writer and performer from South Africa. He ponders the meaning of fatherhood in his life, past and present. As a child, he was regularly disciplined and beaten by his father. As an adult, he loves his father dearly and thanks him for making him the person he is today. In the end, […]
Elizabeth
Elizabeth lives in Zimbabwe, which, like many parts of the world, faces big challenges with HIV stigma and violence towards women and girls. Her young niece was orphaned and subsequently abused by family members. Ultimately the niece’s case was taken to court and she regained her property and rights. Special thanks to the Open Society […]
Paul
As an out, gay, HIV+ minister, Paul constantly stands up against stigma and discrimination. His journey began at a young age, when he and his peers challenged the apartheid regime’s Group Areas Act to visit gay bars in Johannesburg. He subsequently took part in South Africa’s first-ever official gay pride march, which brought gay men, […]
Sediapelo
Sediapelo is an HIV+ woman from Botswana. She spent years in denial of her status, having unprotected sex with multiple partners and struggling with substance use. But after her father passed away she realised the preciousness of life and worked hard to overcome self-stigma and embrace a life of living positively. Special thanks to the […]
Mhlangabezi
As a young boy growing up during the apartheid years in South Africa, Mhlangabezi rarely saw his father, who worked in the city to support the family. When his father passed away, life got even harder, and Mhlangabezi had to give up his dream of tertiary education. While he finds glimpses of happiness, he wonders […]
Jules
Jules is an gender activist and HIV educator living in South Africa. She grapples with the fact that one of her most trusted male friends attempted to rape her several years ago, wondering if he viewed her as “an easy target” because she had told him about her childhood sexual abuse. Ultimately, she challenges him […]
Thoko: growing up without a Father
Thokozile and her friend were both living without their fathers. While Thokozile’s father died in 1993, her friend’s father went to work in Joburg. Neither had the love and support they craved. At fourteen years old, Thokozile watched her friend turn to an older boyfriend for the comfort she was missing. Her story exposes the […]
Motsamai
Motsamai was forced to drop out of tertiary education in South Africa when his father, a miner, was retrenched. He sought employment in Johannesburg with a group of his peers working in theatre. The women in the group faced sexual exploitation, when all they wanted was a safe place to stay in the City of […]
Sibongile
Sibongile, from Swaziland, lost her home and possessions as a result of gender discrimination and poverty. When her husband died of AIDS, his family forced her and her children out of their house. After struggling to survive, she found a job as an AIDS activist and now works to secure the equal rights of women […]
Morapedi
Morapedi is a young South African man who is eager to continue his education. He mourns the loss of his sister-in-law and regrets that he was unable to challenge is older brother who abused and beat her. Eventually, Morapedi’s brother began sleeping around and infected the sister-in-law with HIV, which led to her death. Morapedi […]
Dawn
Dawn is from South Africa. She grew up watching her father beat her mother and went on to live in abusive relationships herself for many years. After finally fighting back against her husband, she understood that she didn’t want the kind of power he had been wielding over her. She left him and sought help […]
