By George Orido

The US-Kenya Cinema workshop that brought together Kenyan and US filmmakers drove home the reality of life in the US away from the Hollywood grandstanding, gadgetry and ‘happily ever afters’.

"Washing toilets and cleaning the kitchen is not rehabilitation; it is slavery to me," are the opening lines by an inmate in a US documentary, Empowering the Yard, by Erin Persley.

This 15-minute documentary looks at HIV and Aids prevention from the perspective of incarcerated women who are using peer education to empower themselves, their families and their communities.

The collective DVD album, Documentary for Health and Social Justice, shown recently at the Prestige Plaza, is as mind-blowing as it is eye opening.

Another short documentary in this collection, Living Positive, exposes the depth of stigma that follows those infected by HIV like a shadow in the US. For an epidemic considered a sub-Saharan African disease, it is shocking to learn from this piece that knowledge, attitudes and behaviour are as bad or worse than they are here.

zero understanding

"I have friends that I would not tell I am have HIV because I know their understanding level will drop to zero and they will push me away," says one interviewee.

Yet, the documentaries achieve so much in helping audiences to understand the facts about HIV.

What’s more, the efforts by filmmakers to have subjects testify on camera with confidence and sincerity is a big leap toward solving the problem of stigma.

If more Kenyans came out on national television and shared their experiences in public, the country would gain a lot of ground in dealing with stigma.

Other American filmmakers at the event included Prof Asante Jr and Scott Galloway who have produced more than 650 television programmes for networks such as ABC, A&E, Court TV and the Travel Channel. Galloway’s 78-minute film, A Man Named Pearl, graced the official opening.

The film is about Pearl Fryer who, with sheer determination and creativity worked on flora in his yard to create amazing images with nature.

It offers an upbeat message that speaks to respect for both self and others, and shows what one person can achieve when he allows himself to share the full expression of his humanity.

The event, co-hosted by the Kenya Film Commission and the US embassy, also featured workshops on screenwriting, production and directing.