Pili

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions most affected by the AIDS/HIV pandemic in the world. Nearly 70 per cent of people living with AIDS/HIV globally are local to sub-Saharan Africa, with two-thirds of new infections occurring in the region despite increasing efforts around prevention and treatment. Women are disproportionally affected by AIDS/HIV, yet the risk factors and mechanisms of infection in relation to gender inequality are poorly understood. The 2017 film Pili, directed by Leanne Welham and produced by Sophie Harman, provides profound insight into the everyday cultural, social, economic and political effects that further influence the gender disparity of AIDS/HIV. Pili visualizes the physical and emotional toll of living with AIDS/HIV while being constrained by the socio-political and socio-economic structures that define everyday life. Shot on location in the Pwani region of Tanzania, the film's narrative is based on insights derived from 85 interviews with local women. The audience follows central protagonist Pili (Bello Rashid) as she navigates difficult circumstances over four days. When Pili is given the opportunity to rent a market stall—a highly prized alternative to her labour in the field for less than US$1 a day—she struggles to come up with the deposit while trying to keep her HIV status secret from her community. Pressured by kiosk owner Mahera (Nkwabi Elias Ng'angasamala) to come up with the money or risk losing the rare chance to run a market stall, Pili must undertake desperate measures to secure her tenancy. As time passes, Pili faces an increasingly stark choice between her health and the future financial security of her family. From the opening credits score of insects and nature, tension is built incrementally throughout the film, which helps constantly remind the audience of their anxiety about Pili's situation and isolation

Biology · Development economics · Economics · Everyday life · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV · Narrative · Pilus · Political science · Politics · Sociology · African history and culture studies · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gender Studies · Immunology · Law · Medicine