Over the course of the last few weeks, we have gradually decided to use the township of Atlantis and the radio station there as the focus of our film because it ties together so many of the themes that we have been developing during our time here—the movement to confront stigma, the importance of localized messages about HIV/AIDS, and the power of local, grassroots media to engage in dialogue and initiate change in areas where the government and national education programs often fall short. On Thursday we spent some time visiting the homes of Shane, Alex, and Rosaline, (the three HIV positive volunteers at the radio station who we have had the opportunity to get to know over the last few weeks.) We got some really valuable footage of them interacting with their families, friends, and neighbors, and going about their daily routines. We also interviewed another volunteer at the radio station, a young man and emerging musician and DJ who spoke about music and educational and community programming with equal passion. Friday, we spent some more time just filming the daily activities of the radio station, the various shows that go on the air, and all of the behind the scenes activity. The station manager Rachel Visser also took us to one of the many factories that employ the people of Atlantis, where they play Radio Atlantis constantly, we got to film the workers listening to Radio Atlantis as they worked and speak with them about the many ways the programming has effected their attitudes and practices, both in regards to workers rights and as community members. In our last few hours at Radio Atlantis we found the tables turned on us yet again, when we were interviewed on air about our project and our impressions of Atlantis and South Africa as a whole. It was a really cool experience, and as testament to how many people are tuned in to Radio Atlantis, when we stepped out afterwards to grab some food, the shopkeeper recognized our voices from the radio, and asked us how the documentary was coming!
We are packed and in little more then an hour we will be headed to the airport and beginning our journey back home to New York. We are sad to be leaving Cape Town and the friendships that we have formed, but are looking forward to really starting the editing process and making this documentary something that both our friends in South Africa, and us at La Lutta can be proud of.

Thank you all for reading and for your continued support.

--Briana and Lynchy