'Dithunya Tsa Rona' Docudrama Battles Child Abuse
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday July 5, 2021 16:02
This docudrama came at the right time as this is Youth Month and recently, Botswana joined South Africa in commemorating the 30th annual International Day of the African Child, which is commemorated on June 16 annually. The campaign was created in 1991 to honour people who participated in the Soweto uprising on June 16, 1976, in which hundreds of students were injured and killed while protesting racial discrimination and injustice in the South African school system.
In a quest to commemorate that significant campaign, SSI premiered live streaming of the docudrama recently. The docudrama film is about a social worker investigating an increase in teenage pregnancies in a community in Botswana. Teenage pregnancy had and remains a big problem in the country where many young girls drop out of school due to pregnancy.
However, things have gotten worse following the recent COVID-19 outbreak where the country recorded high numbers of child abuse including sexual abuse in households. The 45-minute film’s narrative is interjected by a 15-minute documentary-style disclosure that provided viewers with information and practical tips on how to practice positive parenting.
The production is in the capable hands of award-winner, Jenny Ledikwe who developed several films on societal issues in Southern Africa. The cast includes famous actors and actresses in the likes of Kgomotso Tshwenyego who took part in The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency and many more local dramas, as well as Mbali Kgosidintsi, a local comedian, musician Jujuvine, and actor Donald Molosi.
Ledikwe is an epidemiologist who has spent the last 15 years working to strengthening the health system in Botswana. Formerly, an associate professor of Global Health at the University of Washington, she is the author of over 50 scientific publications in scholarly journals. Jenny moved into the film industry three years ago. Recently she was recognised as the Best Emerging Filmmaker at The African Film Festival in Houston, Texas in the US and Dithunya Tsa Rona was her passion project. All of her time on the project was an in-kind donation. She served as a writer, producer and co-director.
“Our vision was to create an entertaining film, with engaging characters going through common struggles. This creates a ‘mirror’ in which viewers can see themselves and relate to the characters, it also creates a ‘window’ to envision change. Our interest is in developing work that highlights the beauty of Botswana from the people, the culture, and the environment, but also sometimes the harsh realities of life here,” she said.
Isaac Marumo is a writer and director in both film and animation at Quihaba Pictures. He began his career in academics with almost 15 years of experience in teaching, training, and mentoring young people to take leadership roles in the technology and film industries. This includes a decade at Limkokwing as a lecturer in the areas of animation and multimedia. Several members of the cast and crew were his former students.