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October 9, 2007
Congolese TV Series to Examine AIDS Stigma
A Congolese filmmaker is directing a television series about HIV/AIDS to be broadcast in the country’s most widely spoken language, Lingala.
Director Djo Tunda Wa Munga says he was inspired by the stories of HIV-positive people he saw in a program on Congolese television. In 2006, he tracked down some of those same people to include in his television fiction series, My Story.
The pilot episode, entitled “Papy,” was inspired by the story of a policeman named Papy Ilunga who was rejected by his family after they found out he was HIV positive.
"During the screenings organized in Congo, the first episode seemed to have grabbed the public…what I hope above all [is] that people will embrace the series," Wa Munga says.
”Papy” will be shown on Congolese stations this month and then on TV5 Monde, an international station.
