07 Dec 2015

Paje youth were in tatters as they watched the movie titled Wa' N Wina translated as sincerely yours on Friday.

In their quest to reach out to young people, the committee spearheading the 16 day activism against gender based violence decided to host a movie night.

The peace corp volunteer in Paje  Keeshma Richardson said the movie targeted youthful people aged  between 14- 30 years.

Filmed by South African Dumisani Phakathi under Steps for the Future productions the movie is based on life in his old neighborhood. 

With a camera on his shoulder, he engages with friends to discuss relationships, sex and love. 

There were strong characters in the film such as Pumla and Timothy who exposed their emotions as they talked intimately about the realities of their street. 

The characters also shared the choices they had been forced to make.

The movie demonstrated a roller coaster journey that revealed the gaps between everyday life and the AIDS campaign. 

It was in recognition of the people's will to survive in the era of AIDS. 

Ms Richardson said the choice of movie was influenced by the fact that HIV and AIDS was a contributing factor to gender based violence. 

She said Wan’n Wina, also raised some of the myths common amongst people such as refusing to use a condom which is a sign of promiscuity.

“It is also established that some women resorted to social ills such as drug abuse because of the stress and hard times that men put them through,” Richardson added.

A 17 year old Pumla in the movie fell pregnant on her first sexual encounter. 

The man who impregnated her decided to dump Pumla.

 She therefore struggled caring and providing for the baby as either she or her mother were working. 

Pumla narrated that the man who impregnated her refused to use a condom and somewhat forced her to have sex.

During the discussions, after the movie, the audience could relate well with the movie as was evidenced by their comments.

The story line, according to the audience matched well with the reality of life in their village.

They came to a consensus that emotional abuse was apparent in the movie due to the fact that Pumla always had negative thoughts as a result he resorted to alcohol.

The audience somehow felt women lacked responsibility for their actions that at the end of the day it made them suffer. 

This was raised after a realization in the movie that some women characters were reluctant to using condoms for varied reasons.

A 15 -year -old Sethunya Gaopalelwe was very captivated by the events of Wa’n Wina. 

In her response to the movie she said as a human being one needs to have a stand in order to achieve their dreams. 

She said that being raped and falling pregnant did not indicate the end of life. 

“It is for you to put emotional trauma aside and focus on the future,”  Gaopalelwe said.

The 15- year -old urged young people especially girls to refrain from juvenile delinquency in order to curb things like teenage pregnancy which may result in contracting sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and AIDS.Warona Ramaribana, a programmes officer at Tselakgopo Community Based Organisation in Serowe who was also a part of the audience said the movie could be of great help as it depicts what violence is. 

He said the movie is an eye opener to some who are already experiencing some gender violence. “It could also help people on ways of tackling violence should they experience any.”

Ramaribana said the movie was relevant to the community as juvenile delinquency shown in the movie was present in the village.ENDS