The Anti Neo-Democracy Theorist

The International Student Org organized numerous activities for Int. Week this year.

One of the highlights was the special speaker we got for the Int. Week who was Kgomotso Matsunyane.

Kgomotso graduated from Carleton in 1995. Since then she has worked as an intern in Washington D.C, produced numerous films and directed many television programmes. She was a director at Youth Network TV, Video Diagloues Productions and was the commissioning editor of Drama at SABC 1, which is South Africa’s largest channel.

She directed many films and television programmes. Among those were Heavy Traffic, The Moon in my pocket which she kindly showed last friday. And of course, she is currently the editor of the Oprah Magazine in South Africa.

She gave a really thought provoking talk on the HIV-AIDS debate, sharing with us how it is the problem of AIDS is not the lack of awareness (90% of South Africans know how the HIV virus is transmitted) but rather the misinformation and the proliferation of quakes on how to cure AIDS. Basically, when you are stricken with AIDS, sometimes you might just want to try other stuff like taking vitamins or some other cures that purported to cure AIDS. With such quakes increasing in S Africa, the problem of AIDS becomes exaceberated. I also learnt a lot about African view of youth relantionships and some many myths that surround HIV and AIDS. I also learnt that America’s aid to S Africa on this issue is mainly to abstinence group, which is kinda ridiculous.

She also made several movie and documentary about politics and social issues. One is Heavy Traffic (Google if you want lah),

HEAVY TRAFFIC (26 min)

by Kgomotso Matsunyane

26 minutes, South Africa

Shot in Soweto, Heavy Traffic shows the lives of two very different funeral parlour operators and the people who work for them. We meet Caps Pooney, who has been in the business for 50 years, and Lulu Somthumsi-Mabusela, the boss of one of many smaller operations which have proliferated in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. Uncle Caps, Lulu and their employees experience a busy week of cleaning bodies and looking for more business. Then comes Saturday and at the cemetery traffic is heavy. After each funeral, both our parties move fast. There is another body to fetch and bury.

Well, she presented a lot of thought provoking issues and I was glad she came.