Published December 2, 2008

HIV/AIDS is defined by people: their complex lives, their bravery, their fear, their sadness, their need, their laughter, their inconsistencies--basically, their rich humanity. LiveHopeLove looks at the universal problems faced by people with HIV/AIDS, through the specific lens of Jamaica, where almost no one is unaffected by the disease. What are the unique realities of this small island state that set its HIV/AIDS sufferers apart from those in the rest of the world? Poet and writer Kwame Dawes travels to Jamaica to explore the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS and to examine how the disease has shaped their lives. Dawes' poems, inspired by their stories, take this documentary into deep realms of the heart.

"Live Hope Love" was produced by Stephanie Guyer-Stevens and Jack Chance for Outer Voices. It features the poetry of Kwame Dawes and original interviews drawn from the multimedia reporting project Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica, produced by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Original Music: composed by Kevin Simmonds
Sound Recordists: Nathalie Applewhite, Stephen Sapienza and Doug Gritzmacher
Mixing Engineer: Jack Chance

Major Underwriting for LiveHopeLove provided by the MAC AIDS Fund and The Public Radio Exchange.

Special thanks to Annesha Taylor, Dr. Peter Figueroa, Rosie Stone, Jon Mazourca, Ruth Janke, Carla Legister, Winsome Keane-Dawes, and Tanya Shirley.

Visit the related site livehopelove.com which weaves the poetry, photography, video documentaries, voices from the field, and the music of Kevin Simmonds into an interactive whole.

Go to PRX to listen to the documentary

Project

Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica

Poet and writer Kwame Dawes travels to Jamaica to explore the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS and to examine the ways in which the disease has shaped their lives. The journey brings him in touch with people who tell their stories, share their lives and teach him about resilience, hope and possibility in the face of despair.
February 10, 2012 / BusinessDay

Stephen Sapienza: The Man Behind The Camera

by Jennifer McDonald
Stephen Sapienza crafts simple but compelling narratives, chronicling the lives and plights of everyday people, from the cities of Bangladesh to the streets of Sierra Leone, writes Ameto Akpe.
December 15, 2011 / Guernica

Guernica Interviews Kwame Dawes

by Kwame Dawes
Pulitzer Center grantee Kwame Dawes reflects on his work in the Caribbean and his journey as a poet and documentarian.
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