Soul City Series 11

As with previous series, Soul City 11 is designed to educate, inform, and entertain, focusing in this eleventh series on HIV/AIDS. The series also deals with mobilising communities and building community organisations in a positive manner in order to protect rights, challenge unfair, corrupt, or discriminatory practices, and remove other barriers to community involvement and development. The series intends to demonstrate how organised communities can more fully participate and work with local government.

Soul City 11 is set in an underdeveloped community where services are limited. Sis Noni, a community health campaigner, is the thorn in the side of local councillor Philani, always demanding improvements. When Sis Noni's dilapidated clinic burns down, tensions rise. Smokin Joe's, the local boxing gym owned by Sis Noni's husband, Malusi, becomes the venue for a temporary clinic. Here, Sis Noni continues with the work of PMTCT. Her parent support group introduces viewers to parents who are fighting the battle against stigma and ignorance. The PMTCT theme portrays the complexities of HIV and AIDS and the questions of stigma and silence that are often underlying.

Sis Noni’s other passion is encouraging young men to undergo male medical circumcision (MMC) to protect them from getting HIV. Here she runs into a wall as her husband insists their two sons, Mandla and Sam, undergo traditional circumcision instead. The drama unfolds as it captures the debate about MMC versus traditional circumcision as an HIV preventative measure.

The third theme of the series is understanding and managing one's personal finance, imparting knowledge on how South Africans can provide for their future and take responsibility for their finance. This theme is carried by Grace and her daughter Nkosazana who have fled from their home to escape debt collectors.

Click here for an episode synopsis.

According to the Soul City Institute, the messaging is carefully intertwined in the drama. By incorporating real-life stories, Soul City is designed to be authentic and real to its viewers. The topics addressed undergo broad research and review by health and communication professionals, producers, and writers to ensure that the information is accurate and scientific. The audience is engaged in the development process in order to ensure that the story remains real and does not give any unintended messages.

HIV/AIDS, Economic empowerment

According to the Soul City Institute, prevention of new HIV infections remains a major public health challenge for South Africa, and Soul City advocates that no child should be born HIV-positive when there is a clear and available programme to ensure this. Soul City also encourages MMC in order to reduce the risk of HIV infection. The institute would like to see a coming together of the rites of passage of the traditional male circumcision and the full MMC.