‘There are those who take their own initiative, roll up their sleeves and get to grips with the daily life of HIV and AIDS. There are those who are using whatever resources they have to make life easier for those living with HIV and AIDS. These people are South Africa's trailblazers and can be seen on a new television programme Masupatsela on SABC2 Tuesdays at 21h30 starting on 7 August' explains Jo Neethling, commissioning editor at SABC Education.
‘Masupatsela loosely translated ‘the ones who point the way' is not another AIDS education programme, it is a programme about individuals, communities, organisations and companies who, even if not infected by the disease are facing the challenges of the pandemic and are not allowing defeat. These trailblazers are triumphing over the disease in small and large ways.
The ingenuity and compassion of these people is what SABC Education wants the rest of the country to see and be inspired by. The motivation for Masupatsela comes from the urgency to turn the tide of the pandemic; our stories do not focus on the disease but on how people are helping others. Masupatsela features ideas that have turned into successful solutions to help others live healthier and more compassionately, we find out what motivates these people who work tirelessly and often without financial reward' concludes Jo.
The weekly Masupatsela radio talk shows inviting listeners to call in and interact with guests will begin in the week of 27 July on 10 radio stations. These are: Lesedi FM, Thobela FM, Ukhozi FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Munghana Lonene FM, RSG, Phalaphala FM, Motsweding FM, Ligwalagwala FM and Ikwekwezi FM in languages; Sesotho, Sepedi, isiZulu, isiXhosa, xiTsonga, Afrikaans, tshiVenda, Setswana, siSwati and Ndebele.
Radio broadcast dates and times will be available on SABC Education's website www.sabceducation.co.za/trailblazers, which goes live on 27 July. The web will compliment the television and radio shows by providing contact details of the organisations featured in each episode. Viewers and listeners can share stories about other trailblazers doing worthwhile work in the field of HIV and Aids by emailing outreach@sabc.co.za. These heroes may even feature in coming episodes or appear on the website.
Funding of Masupatsela is provided by Johns Hopkins University. Free Range Films produced the 13 television episodes for SABC Education.
