The impact of South Africa’s unprecedented mining boom on the labour camps that support the industry is told through the brutal realities facing women in these communities. Freedom Park squatter camp, situated in the Northwest province, accommodates a migrant workforce that mines the world’s largest single source of platinum. The women in this community service the needs of the male miners as a means of basic survival. A group of HIV-infected former sex-workers have created a network called Tapologo and have learnt to be home-based care-workers, transforming degradation into solidarity and squalor into hope. As we learn each woman’s story, we come to understand how she herself was transformed—from someone who had lost hope into someone who decided to help others in the same situation. An inspiring and emotional tale, TAPOLOGO shows how one’s own experience is often the best source of help for others.
Filmmakers Gabriela Gutierrez Dewar and Sally Gutierrez Dewar in person
Presented in association with ActionAid, www.actionaid.org.uk