Movies: “Everyone’s Child” and “Yesterday”

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These two movies highlight issues which are faced by many people in Africa. ‘Everyone’s Child’ is a film shot in Southern Africa that shows the lives of four siblings who are devastated by the death of their parents.

This movie highlights struggles which children, who get orphaned by AIDS, have to go through every day to survive. ‘Yesterday’ is a movie set in rural and urban South Africa that focuses on the effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on a young Zulu woman.

The movie details the struggle she has to go through after contracting the virus from her husband. The movie is set in a rural area of South Africa, where strong traditions and culture influence the way people live.

These two films reveal the way HIV/AIDS issues in Africa have been portrayed through the media (Hodes 154). This paper will discuss cinematic representations of AIDS in these films and how they strengthen stereotypes, which exist in many parts of the world about Africa.

The movie ‘Everyone’s Child’ brings out the suffering which many African children have to endure after their parents pass away due to HIV/AIDS. The movie follows a trend set by other movies which focus on heavy social themes to create more awareness about different issues.

The movie’s producers were mainly motivated by the desire to inform masses on the impacts of HIV/AIDS in families, communities and the society at large.

The movie uses children to put across strong arguments, about how vulnerable people in the society are made to suffer consequences of other peoples’ mistakes. The movie manages to resonate with many viewers because it makes AIDS one of the main agendas that need to be tackled.

As a result, the movie brings into focus some of the major issues which relate to AIDS on the African continent. It shows how children are left without anyone to care for them, which exposes them to an uncertain future (Hodes 156).

The movie is a representation of the way children in Africa take on roles that are normally performed by adults as a result of HIV/AIDS.

The movie ‘Yesterday’ documents the struggles an illiterate rural woman has to go through after contracting the HIV/AIDS virus from her husband, who works in mines in the city. The movie brings to light difficulties faced by women in Africa because of the virus.

The main character in the movie is shunned by her husband who is still in denial that he is infected with the virus. The movie is a strong illustration of how strong cultural attitudes make it difficult to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and how they influence people’s perceptions regarding the disease.

The movie reveals how married women in Africa take responsibility for all failures in their homes, even though some of these failures are caused by their husbands (Hodes 158).

The movie focuses on the resilience of a woman who is ready to take care of her daughter alone, despite her weak physical status, to enable her to become a more responsible citizen.

These two movies highlight the way HIV/AIDS affects all in the society regardless of their status, gender, age or cultural affiliation. They portray a breakdown in social order caused by HIV/AIDS on the continent.

The pandemic has caused many people in Sub-Saharan Africa to lose their lives, and this has redefined traditional gender and societal roles which were observed in the past.

These movies manage to show the implications of HIV AIDS on African children and women, who bear the largest burden of responsibility as a result of the disease. Women and children are left to fend for themselves after their husbands and parents succumb to the virus.

As such, they are exposed to the harsh reality that people living with HIV AIDS are shunned by society because of the stigma which is associated with the disease (Hodes 160).

The two movies are educational because they reveal how HIV AIDS makes some people helpless, which deny them an opportunity to live normal lives.

The two movies are influenced by various stereotypes about Africa, which reveal the way Africans are perceived by Western countries. Some social analysts have argued that these movies reinforce negative stereotypes about Africa and people living on the continent in general.

The film ‘Everyone’s Child’ documents struggles which children who have been orphaned by the HIV AIDS scourge, have to face in their lives. The characters played by children in these movies are used to represent millions of other children in Sub-Saharan Africa, who are AIDS orphans.

The film is used to strengthen existing stereotypes about the way sexual promiscuity causes people to contract the disease. The movie portrays how social programs in many countries on the continent are not working as a result of poor planning by different governments.

It strengthens the notion that urbanization has weakened communal values, which used to bind many African societies together in the past (Hodes 161). This makes orphaned children responsible for them because no one cares about their welfare.

HIV AIDS has largely been portrayed by Western media as an African issue. These movies have strengthened the stereotype that Africans are more responsible for spreading the virus compared to other racial groups.

‘Everyone’s Child’ reinforces images of suffering, emaciation, and desperation, all of which are stereotypes that have been used to describe people living in Africa.

This makes other people outside Africa get a perception that many Africans are living hopelessly and do not have the means to get themselves out of this suffering (Hodes 163).

It makes some critics question the true motives of the film because it gives more prominence to negativity and suffering. However, the movie takes an interesting perspective and highlights the breakdown in communal values in Africa which expose women and children to exploitation.

The film ‘Yesterday’ captures real issues which women in South Africa have to face. The movie’s main character represents millions of African women living in the country and beyond, who become objects of ridicule due to their husbands’ mistakes.

The movie brings out stereotypes about the inferior role of an African woman, who has to stay at home and take care of the children, as her husband fends for the family.

It highlights how men who migrate to the city in search of employment are unable to control their libido, which drives them to engage in extramarital affairs. The movie strengthens the view that African men are highly promiscuous.

This reinforces the stereotype that many African males show their masculinity by having sexual relations with multiple female partners. However, this stereotype is not entirely true because all men on the continent do not have multiple sexual partners.

The contrast between urban and rural settings in Africa is described in the movie. The main female character cannot access vital drugs in her rural home in KwaZulu Natal province (Hodes 165).

This is used to show the way HIV AIDS resources are unevenly distributed on the continent, which makes it difficult to prevent the disease from spreading.

Yesterday reveals social issues which post-Apartheid South Africa continues to face in the 21st century.

Some critics have argued that the movie does not capture the true nature of life in rural KwaZulu-Natal because it shows the protagonist as an isolated figure, who has little contact with relatives and friends.

This strengthens the stereotype that people living with AIDS in Africa are ostracized by other people in their communities because of their status.

The movie reinforces the view that victims of this disease are isolated and lack support systems, which can help them to cope with their status easily (Hodes 167).

Therefore, it shows that rural areas are mainly inhabited by women whose husbands live and work in urban areas and have been left alone. It reinforces the stereotype that many Africans who reside in rural areas lack access to basic health services, which makes them more vulnerable to diseases.

In conclusion, the two movies have managed to bring out various issues which face Africa. However, they reinforce different stereotypes about the continent which make many people outside the continent have different perceptions about people living there.

They describe issues related to HIV/AIDS in a manner that highlights their suffering, which represents how people who have the disease on the continent live.

Works Cited

Hodes, Rebecca. “HIV/AIDS in South African Documentary Film, c. 1990- 2000.” Journal of Southern African Studies 33.1 (2007): 153-171. Print.

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Movies: “Everyone’s Child” and “Yesterday”

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