Ex-BBC journalist helps produce Malawian film
A partnership between a Malawian community drama project and a former BBC journalist has come up with an innovative interactive film shot on location in rural Zomba.
Tom Gibb, a former war correspondent in Central America’s El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala then Cuba and Brazil, is in Malawi where he has helped with technical support in producing Make Art/Stop Aids (Masa) interactive film designed to mobilise communities in the fight against HIV.
“The Masa play, upon which the film is built, is one of the best community based initiatives I have seen in Africa. It is homegrown and captures all the creativity of a Malawian community to come up with their own solutions. Making a film just adds another layer. It was an obvious step to try to make the benefits of the initiative more widely available to many more communities,” said Gibb.
The film concept was developed by a local arts based organisation called Art and Global Health Centre Africa (AGHCA) also based in Zomba.
AGHCA programmes director Sharifa Abdulla says the film concept was motivated by the impact of the Masaprogramme which brings together people living with HIV, community artists and local community members in a creative process culminating in a community wide performance that addresses contextual barriers to prevention, testing, treatment and care.
The film was born as a tool for intervention with the hope of reaching a wider audience.
“The film package will trigger a community-led dialogue on HIV-related issues and encourage the development of local solutions to address these barriers in order to improve/increase access to prevention, testing, treatment and care. It will also provide education on the HIV-related services available at the community level,” says Sharifa.
