What do you get when you cross the swag of Rihanna with the grind of Beyonce and sprinkle with Bongo Flava? Shaa! I have been sat on some exciting news for a couple of weeks waiting for everything to be signed off but am delighted to say that the QUEEN of Bongo Flava – Shaa … More QUEEN of Bongo Flava Shaa
The character of Pili is made up of a number of stories from real women living with HIV in Pwani. There is no one person who represents Pili as ‘Pili is everywhere.’ Pili is the name we gave to the lead character in the film as it was a common name among the women Director … More Who is the real Pili?
The World Health Assembly kicks off next week in Geneva – for those not familiar with the global health world this is the annual shindig where member states, bureaucrats, a few NGOs, experts and big ole philanthropists get together to discuss and strategise the big issues in global health. The big ones this year will … More World Health Assembly and Future of AIDS
A watched kettle never boils and a refreshed inbox does not produce a first cut yadayadayada, but if you were told you were going to be sent the first cut of your film this week would you carry on writing an academic article or keep refreshing the inbox? Exactly. But the wait is over and … More 1st Cut is here – eeekk!
Sad news from Miono, Juma Nasoro Malema – aka the snake/njoka man of Miono, and possibly the hardest person I’ve met – has died. His reputation as a man who could calm and catch snakes, and treat those with snake bites extended beyond Miono to most of Tanzania. People in Miono tell me he was … More RIP Snake/Njoka Man
December 2015 – January 2016 were not the best times for this project. I was stuck in the biggest patch of Film Board mud incapable of getting anywhere with the permit I had applied and paid for. As my partner put it at the time, this was stressing me out as it was testing … More Unseen Heroes
Editor Kant, Director Leanne, and Translator Kwame are speedily working away on the edit, which means I need to turn my attention to new things-i-didnt-envisage-me-doing-this-time-last-year (an occasional series) but need to get on with – music for the film! We need a bangin bongo flava tune for the film, so… Are you an … More I need some FLAVA!
My whatsapp started pinging early this morning with messages from Jackson posing in pictures with two of the women in the film (Jackson was in the centre, of course). Having been back in the UK a month it was good to see them. However what I really wanted was an update on how everyone was … More What happens next for the Pwani Players
Not Another AIDS Film 