Four black women living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto had their lives filmed to create the documentary The Woman I Have Become.
The film is included in Black History Ottawa’s list of events that showcase the history of African and Caribbean cultures.
Félicitié Murangira, co-founder of the African Caribbean Health Network of Ottawa (ACHNO) and the Global AIDS Ottawa Link initiative, says she hopes the film will spark more discussion of HIV/AIDS in the capital.
“This particular film will empower people and bring the message of hope and of courage,” she says.
“It can show how the community has to give the maximum support to help women with HIV/AIDS live a long life.”
She says she believes that after experiencing the lives of the four women in the film, the Toronto-based documentary will encourage audiences to be tested, and treated if necessary.
But HIV/AIDS service providers in Ottawa insist that we are more than a step behind cities like Toronto and Montreal in addressing the reality of living with this condition.
Murangira, who takes monthly trips to Toronto for her work with HIV/AIDS, says the problem may lie in Ottawa itself.
“Toronto has a tendency of just being about Toronto. They forget we exist, and that we are different from them,” she says.
“But their advantage is awareness. Toronto has more than 14 different organizations working specifically for the African Caribbean community. They’re focusing on HIV and they’re spreading knowledge. In Ottawa we’re just starting to touch on it.”
Haoua Inoua, a community support worker for the AIDS Committee of Ottawa (ACO) says the problem isn’t a financial one, but a lack of advocates.
“There is a gap we have to fill,” she says.
“We have all the resources and we have all the facts, but the community doesn’t get it because there are not enough people to do this job.”
Inoua says that viruses like HPV and H1N1 are openly discussed, and information is not only readily available but widely publicized.
She says though the ACO and other affiliated organizations do what they can, more awareness about HIV/AIDS needs to be raised.
“When you go for a walk down the street, how often do you see homeless people like you do in other Canadian cities? It’s not that homelessness isn’t a problem here in Ottawa, it’s just hidden. HIV/AIDS is no different in this community – the public doesn’t see it. But not talking about the problem doesn’t make it go away,” Inoua says. Murangira was invited to work with Black History Ottawa this year.
She stresses the importance of seeing this film, especially for people living in the capital.
“I’ve been living here for 23 years and I love this city. I want to make sure during this month we’re talking about all the issues that affect the black community, good or bad,” she says.
Bella, an HIV-positive black woman living in Ottawa, agrees that the stigma in Ottawa makes it difficult for her to be open about her status.
She asked that her real name not be used to protect her partner and children.
“It’s hard to carry it on my shoulders all the time. I want to be free. But sometimes there are barriers and I have to accept the way people see me,” she says, adding that she commends the women in the film for their strength.
“Believe me, I would go to the top of the Himalayan mountains and scream it out loud if it would change someone’s life. It’s brave what those women did in that movie and I wish I could too. One day the time will come when I can do the same thing.”