August IWMFWire
AWMC Program on HIV/AIDS

Positive and Proud CD Challenges Stereotype of “AIDS Victim”

In March, six women radio journalists from Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia took an advanced workshop on reporting on HIV and AIDS sponsored by the African Women’s Media Center. The result is Positive and Proud, a CD made up of six radio shows, one reported and produced by each of the participants. Each of the stories challenges the stereotype of the “AIDS victim” as the journalists take listeners on a journey deep into the lives of HIV-positive individuals.

Stories include a visit with an HIV-positive radio talk show host and her family in Cape Town, South Africa; a visit to a project in Soweto, South Africa where HIV-positive people make “memory boxes” as part of their legacies; and a tribute to a woman living with HIV and making a difference for her community in Zambia.

The AWMC and ABC-Ulwazi, a Johannesburg-based radio production house, were co-producers of Positive and Proud. The program was made possible by grants from the AOL Time Warner Foundation, The Coca-Cola Company and ChevronTexaco.