SASA! A Film about Women, Violence and HIV/AIDS
now availiable!

Sasa is a Kiswahili word, meaning now. Now is the time to begin thinking differently about preventing violence against women and HIV/AIDS. This 30-minute documentary film tells two women’s personal stories of violence and HIV/AIDS.

Mama Joyce lives in Mwanza, Tanzania. She had ten children with her husband before he decided to take a second wife. When his new relationship began, he became increasingly violent and hostile towards Mama Joyce. Because so many women in her community experience physical violence from their partners, Joyce believed for a long time that men had the God-given right to use violence against their wives. When Joyce’s co-wife fell sick with an AIDS-related illness, her husband abandoned both women.

Josephine lives in Kampala, Uganda. She was married when she was only 18-years-old, because her parents could no longer afford to send her to school or to support her. Her husband was very violent and was not monogamous. Fearing possible exposure to HIV from her husband, Josephine attempted several times to leave him, only to be forced back to him each time he demanded the return of the dowry he had paid to her parents. When Josephine discovered that her husband had infected her with HIV, she kept her diagnosis a secret from him, fearing more violence. After he died, his family took custody of Josephine’s children.

Shocking as these stories are, they are all too typical in Sub-Saharan Africa. Domestic violence greatly increases women’s risk of HIV infection. Conversely, HIV infection increases women’s risk of experiencing domestic violence. In order to effectively prevent HIV infection, we must also recognize and work to prevent the violence that many women experience in their intimate relationships. Violence against women is fueling the epidemic – it is both cause and consequence of HIV infection.

Mama Joyce and Josephine’s stories highlight the need for awareness, the importance of support and the urgency of action. Through their experiences, both women have been moved to become activists in their communities. They work to support women experiencing violence and those living with HIV/AIDS. They work on issues of prevention and are catalysts for change in their communities. This film is an inspiring look at two women’s lives and a call to action for everyone to begin working to prevent violence against women and HIV infection now. SASA!

SASA! also comes with a Screening Guide. Everyone can be an activist! The SASA Screening Guide is designed to help you use the film as an education and advocacy tool in your efforts to prevent violence against women and HIV/AIDS. The guide includes tips for how to use the film through public screenings, trainings, presentations or advocacy sessions as well as in-depth discussion guides full of questions to help facilitate active discussion around the film.

This film is one of the many resources developed by Raising Voices as a part of an Activist Kit on violence against women and HIV/AIDS. Also called SASA!, the kit provides a conceptual framework and useful hands-on resources for VAW and HIV/AIDS organizations looking to address the link.

The Activist Kit was written by Lori Michau and developed by Raising Voices.

The film was produced by Chanda Chevannes and Lori Michau, directed by Chanda Chevannes and shot and edited by Nathan Shields. It was co-produced by Raising Voices and The People’s Picture Company, with funding from: HIVOS, The Ford Foundation and the Sigrid Rausing Trust.

To learn more about the development of SASA! contact us.

SASA! has been screened at numerous film festivals around the world, including:

Montreal Human Rights Film Festival, Montreal, Canada, March 2007.
Stories From The Field, United Nations Documentary Film Festival, New York, NY, April 2007
Amakula Film Festival, Kampala, Uganda, May 2007
Moondance Film Festival, Hollywood, CA, September 2007
People's Film Festival, Bhubaneswar, India, October 2007
Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya, October 2007
Girlfest Hawaii, Honolulu Academy of Arts, November 2007
Columbus International Film and Video Festival, aka The Chris Awards, The Film Council Of Greater Columbus, November 2007
2nd Annual Event In Memoriam of the Montreal Massacre, Toronto, Canada, December 6th 2007
Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, February 2008
“We the Peoples” Film Festival, London

SASA! has also won several awards, including:

The Chris Statuette -- the highest award possible from the 'Chris Awards' ! 55th Columbus International Film & Video Festival, Film Council of Greater Columbus
Columbine Award, for Short Documentary at the Moondance Film Festival in Hollywood, CA

To order your copy of SASA! and the accompanying screening guide, [click here]
Or to download:
• Long 30-minute version (33MB)
• Short 6-minute version (6MB)

Other SASA! links:

The SASA! Approach

SASA! In Action

The SASA! Study

Download The SASA! Activist Kit