New Show: I AM - We Are

SABC1 will air a four-part show called ‘I AM, WE ARE!’, which is a documentary series, produced by Airtime Artists, commissioned by SABC Factual, to commemorate women’s month 2012.

PRESS RELEASE:

Every Tuesday in August between 9-10pm catch an appointment with historic women, champions of gender parity, women with a worldview and females heading households.

I AM WE ARE is a visual diary and story about South African women milestones in an international agenda – this is a midpoint between the individual within a collective.

For the first time we highlight the thought-life of femaleness by actualising it with factual experiences of women’s everyday live/s.

This is not a women’s story told to validate the narrative of females by juxtaposing them in a man’s world. The documentary is not a political gender agenda; aside with struggle narrative or equality activism, this is not a campaign for inclusion versus exclusion – enough with social commentary or the so-called ‘women issues’ that are far too common or fatigued.

The documentary is not about discrimination, the plight of women, abuse, rape, etc. Although important to highlight as they are; these do not dictate our focus area/s.

‘I AM WE ARE’ acknowledges the roots of women’s origins as originators. We debate gender parity through leading ladies occupying the echelons of power. Women living with disabilities are mainstreamed as ambassadors and commentators through their work in the arts. We open and close the documentary series with a family portrait of mother/s and daughter/s by zooming in on women’s legacy and juxtaposing past versus present times.

Episode 1 (7 August 2012) is a 100-year photo-essay documentation of South African female firsts by local women with an international agenda. These are a select few anecdotes of little-known factual narrative about well-known women to magnify footnotes into headlines.

Neo Ntsoma & Bongiwe Gumede – Photographers

Charlotte Maxeke – Mother of Black Freedom

Patricia de Lille – Cape Town Mayor

Dr Mary Malahlela-Xakana – first Black-female medical doctor

Helen Suzman – Parliamentarian

Helen Jospeh – Activist

Angie Motshekga – ANCWL President

Mary Burton – Black Sash Trustee

Penny Coelen – South Africa’s one & only Miss World

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngquka – former SA Deputy President

Nadine Gordimer – Africa’s only female Nobel laureate in literature

Phethiwe Matutu & Mamokgethi Setati – Mathematicians

Vuyo Mahlati – President of IWFSA

Nathalie du Toit – Athlete

Lulama Mokhobo – first female SABC GCEO

Episode 2 (14 August 2012) is a roundtable meeting of leading ladies to review gender parity as interpreted by Professor Pumla Dineo Gqola representing the academy, Advocate Thuli Madonsela at the legal fraternity and Ipeleng Mkhari from the business front.

Episode 3 (21 August 2012) profiles the worldview and experiences of female artists living with disabilities. Through their work and/or thought-life we incidentally get a glimpse of their commentary as South African women ambassadors. This story features: Shelley Barry a paraplegic filmmaker / poet, Rhulani Baloyi a blind journalist, Mbali Nkosi Miss Deaf 2011.

Episode 4 (28 August 2012) is a family portrait of female-headed households and the work-life legacy being inherited or passed down by mothers to their daughters i.e. women as family custodians. The film stars: media darlings KG & Dineo Moeketsi, global citizens Thandiwe January-Mclean & Naima Mclean plus Kholeka, a professional nurse, and her daughter i.e. doctor Vuyelwa Baba.

Overall, the documentary series is appointment TV viewing that uses history to highlight her story. ‘I AM, WE ARE!’ is a juncture for humans or society to introspect, reflect and project on the trajectory of women’s lives within our motherland; the earth I know is a woman.

END