Themba: a boy called hope movie screening in Chicago

The Chicago Cultural Center will host a free movie screening of the South African Film, Themba: A Boy Called Hope, at 6:30p.m. on June 15.

The movie is based on a true story that examines the stigma and challenges of HIV in South Africa. Themba follows a young boy whose mother is HIV-positive as he travels across South Africa and deals with the harsh reality of HIV/AIDS. Themba is a gifted young man from the Eastern Cape province who has hopes of becoming a soccer player. Is it possible or are his realities too much to overcome?

After the film viewers will enjoy hearing from a group of four panelists who will discuss the film. The guests include Dr. Nomonde Xundu, Health Attaché at the South African Embassy in Washington, Ms. Magugu Davis, principal partner of Thanda International, Dr. Fatima Mncube-Barnes, Library Director, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee and Judge George Maluleke, South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg.

I’ll be there – who wants to join me for the movie screening?

~Megy

Women of Islam – Photographs by Rania Matar

The Chicago Cultural Center hosts an exhibit of photographs by Rania Matar this month and through the end of March. I checked out the exhibit this week and found the images interesting, exciting and haunting.

Matar is a Boston-area photographer but she was born and raised in Lebanon where she repeatedly returned in pursuit of images of her war torn homeland and its people. The photos at this exhibit are all in black and white and they tell the stories largely of women in Lebanon today, with a specific focus on Muslim women and the very volatile issue of the head scarf in Islamic society.

Matar’s striking images combine an unusual skill at composition, very strong contrast in tone, and a sensitive approach to her subjects that brings their humanity into sharp focus by getting up-close, “intimate” shots.

There’s a photo called “Playing with the Doll” that really made me stop. You can see the photo on Matar’s Web site: http://www.raniamatar.com/portfolio/warAftermath/index.html. It’s the picture of a little girl playing with a little doll. The girl can’t be much older than 3 or 4 years old. A woman, perhaps her mother or someone taking care of her, sits idle along the wall – she just sits there. She sits next to this large gaping hole in their home. The hole was most likely the result of a rocket bomb. What struck me was the fact that this family just went on living – despite the fact that they had this big gaping hole in their home and a war is going on. The girl just wanted to play with her doll.

If you have a chance to check out the exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center, I highly recommend you take the time and look at the images. It definitely makes you stop and wonder what life is all about.

You can also check out the images on Matar’s Web site: http://www.raniamatar.com/.

Until next time,

Megy Karydes, Founder
http://www.World-Shoppe.com