Do you know that ...

More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981. There are about 14 million orphans globally and Africa has 12 million AIDS orphans (mainly in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa). By December 2004 women accounted for 47% of all people living with HIV worldwide, and for 57% in sub-Saharan Africa. Young people (15-24 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide - more than 6,000 become infected with HIV every day. 2.1 million children worldwide are HIV positive. 1, 900 children are being infected daily. Of the 6.5 million people in developing and transitional countries who need life-saving AIDS drugs, fewer than 1 million are receiving them. 660,000 children under 15 years need ARV drug but only 15-20,000 have access. In some countries HIV rates among pregnant women is 10 %. *

When we focus on HIV/AIDS we should not only think about the disease itself, but also the causes for its spread such as poverty, infant-feeding/mother-to-child transmission, drug addiction, the sex industry, and human trafficking. The magnitude of the pandemic in various regions around the world may differ, with highest cases in Sub-Saharan Africa (including AIDS orphans), though the prevention methods and solutions worldwide are similar:

- an integrated approach (supportive policies, socio-economic and health development),
- education (creating awareness and helping to reduce risky behavior); and
- the access to protective materials, drugs, as well as vaccines.

As Art4Development.Net we believe each and every one of us can make a difference -- it only requires determination! As arts groups, organizations, artisans and artists, together with development specialists, we can help create awareness on this global pandemic, educate our peers on preventive methods, and hold key decision-makers accountable for the promise they made in year 2000!

Our collaborative efforts:

• World AIDS Day Event - '05 Commemoration , '06 Online Advocacy Campaign, '07 Online Advocacy Campaign
• Peace Tiles Project and press release
• Peace Tiles Washington DC Workshop

  ---

  News | Articles | Links:

- Orphanage and Dance Company Unite for AIDS Awareness - a strategy for drawing on children's participation in the performing arts to communicate AIDS messages. In mid-October 2005, members of the National Song and Dance Company of Mozambique, with UNICEF support, began working with 35 children aged 8 to 16 from Arco Iris orphanage. The dancers had 45 days to choreograph and produce a 45-minute musical called "Window of Hope" to commemorate World AIDS Day (December 1) at Maputo's national theatre. Source: UNICEF

- "Ancestors Never Die" Radio Drama in Honduras is an entertainment-education (EE) radio drama designed to provide information to Garifuna youth (aged 15-24) about HIV/AIDS and to model preventative attitudes and behaviours through the lives of the characters. Source:JHUCCP

- "Dreams of Change" Documentary by Peter Sloth Madsen includes an example of the interactive forum theatre method being used for creating debate and dialogue on HIV/AIDS issues such as stigmatisation,
domestic violence, HIV testing and sexual abuse. Source: Theater in Education

- mtvU and Kaiser Family Foundation Launch Search for Best Video GameConcept to Reduce Spread of HIV/AIDS. Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

-" The Black Tigers" Comic Book is a 26-issue comic book series produced by the March Project of the National
Defense Force of Ethiopia (NDFE), an initiative that aims to encourage behaviour change among the armed forces in Ethiopia to prevent the transmission of HIV. Source: AIDS Resource Center

- VIHdeo America is an initiative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to disseminate 198 television spots about HIV created and produced in 24 countries of the Americas between 1995 and 2005. The resource is meant to serve as a learning tool for communicators. Source: Development Gateway

- Magnet Theatre in Eritrea, Uganda, and India encourages community dialogue around HIV and AIDS, consequences of early marriage, and TB prevention and treatment. Source: PATH

- HIV Positive Voices film shows the devastating effect of what it is like to live with HIV and cope with the social stigma, rigorous treatment regimen and related health problems. It also shows that it is possible to live a productive and positive life even if you are HIV positive. The film is accompanied by a discussion guide that helps viewers understand and process the various aspects of the film. Each of the four people profiled in this Emmy Award winning documentary represents a different mode of HIV transmission. They have courageously chosen to speak out about their HIV status, and become positive voices for awareness, compassion and prevention.

- Project Njabulo by Clowns without Borders (CWB)-South Africa aims to provide psychosocial relief to both vulnerable children and their caregivers in Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland)
who are affected by poverty, disease, and HIV/AIDS. Source: CWB and art'ishake

- WHO's photo and video contest, "Images of Health and Disability" aims to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring healthier environments (incl. for children and adolescents) through powerful images, illustrations, stories and video clips. Source: WHO

- AIDS Drives Plots on TV:With a specific focus on the American -"Hollywood" - context, the article begins by describing "a broad shift in the way health experts convey information to the American public on a range of diseases, particularly AIDS"... Source: Communication Initiative

- Under African Skies The Imagination Of Poetry & Storytelling In the HIV/AIDS Pandemic - an HIV/AIDS Poetry Festival In Nairobi-Kenya. Source: Art4Development.Net eCommunity Member PAMELA ATEKA

- Tuberculosis is 25-minute long documentary film about tuberculosis (TB) and TB/HIV that was produced through a global partnership and broadcast to BBC World TV's 260 million global viewers in 2004. The purpose of the initiative is to reach out to the global public with informational and activist messages about TB, in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease. Source: Stop TB

- Jasoos Vijay, in India, is an interactive detective television drama that aims to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.Source:Jasoos Vijay

- International HIV/AIDS Cartoon Exhibit by 50 graphic artists from around the world... The cartoons, grouped into the themes of prevention, treatment and human rights, represent a unique artistic reflection on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and create a vibrant mosaic that enables the audience to approach this serious subject through the lens of humour and art. Source: CIVICUS

- '3 Needles' Film on HIV/AIDS by Thom Fitzgerald tells the captivating stories of people struggling with the AIDS pandemic in South Africa, China and North America. The film stars Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels), Shawn Ashmore (X-Men United), Oscar nominee Chloë Sevigny ...Source: 3 Needles

-Arts coalition against HIV/AIDS, ActALIVE

- Kaisay Kahoon (How Shall I Say It) drama in Pakistan premiered with a launch of a clinic-based programme that counsels newlyweds on a wide range of health topics, including reproductive health, family planning, and maternal health. Source: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center CCP

- DramAidE uses drama, peer education, and participatory media development in an effort to critically engage
young people to communicate effectively about issues relating to sex, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS... Source: Commuication Initiative

- Performing Medicine is a programme of courses, workshops and events which use the arts to provide training to medical students and practising health professionals.

- Puppet Power Team project in Namibia uses puppets and performance to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS in an informal and often humourous way. Source: Red Cross

- Quiet Storm Film presents the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in South and North East Asia. The film aims to pay tribute to the "indomitable will of millions of people living with HIV/AIDS, who fight stigma and discrimination on their own terms and lead the campaign against the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the forefront." Source: UNDP

- GHIVA.org provides information/links on all kinds of visual and performing arts around the world that focus on HIV/AIDs

- US Jazz Group Spreads AIDS Prevention Message in India. Source: The Hindu

- The Global Health Council's Photography Contest is dedicated to draw attention to health issues that have a global impact. Source: Global Health Council

- "Yesterday," film presents a moving and beautiful depiction of a Zulu woman struggling to understand the impacts of her own illness. Source: Global Envision

- Establishing puppetry as an artistic and cultural medium in Eastern Africa. Source: ArtMatters

- Make Art/Stop AIDS Conference and Workshop in Kolkata, India included many leading Indian film and folk media artists. Source: UCLA International Institute

- A Closer Walk is the first film to depict humankind’s confrontation with the global AIDS epidemic. Source: Closer Walk

- "This is My Sister", produced by the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), premiered at the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (ICASA) in Abuja. The film calls for more resources and projects to be aimed at strengthening the family unit in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Source:AMREF

- Jasoos Vijay (Detective Vijay) programme that utilizestelevision entertainment as a means of conveying intensively researched messaging on HIV/AIDS. Source: BBC

- AIDS drives plots on TV is an article Steve Sternberg who highlights American TV dramas including HIV/AIDS content. Source: USA Today

- HIP HOP for Africa to benefit the HIV/AIDS projects of Canada Africa Partnership on AIDS (CAP AIDS) and Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. Source: CAP AIDS

- Kids Say 'No' to HIV/AIDS Through TV Show. In addition to talking about HIV/AIDS in their live performances, the kids also talk about other topics such as keeping the environment clean, the importance of breakfast and self-esteem. Source: Adventis

- Playing for Life: Performance in Africa in the Age of AIDS is a survey of African performance that uses the focal lens of AIDs performances to examine performance more generally on the African continent. Author: Louise M. Bourgault, Northern Michigan University (2003) Source:Media for Development International

- Studio de Arte Social de Adriana Bertini, Brazilian artist working on HIV/AIDs prevention

- The Lives in Focus Project documents the lives of Indians affected by the AIDS epidemic and the challenges that stigmatized AIDS patients face in India. The project uses video, audio and photographs to present the voices of those who are rarely given space or time in traditional news media. Source: Lives in Focus

- MTV - The Staying Alive Foundation to encourage young people to take concrete action in protecting themselves and their communities against the multiple threats posed by the spread of HIV and AIDS, and to fight discrimination faced by people of all ages living with HIV and AIDS. Source: Staying Alive

- The Creative Challenge: Engaging Culture and Creativity in HIV/AIDS Prevention Source: Development Gateway

- Art AIDS Africa based in USA

- Visual Culture and Public Health online exhibit on public health posters in the twentieth century: "Posters have been a powerful force in shaping public opinion because propagandists have long known that visual impressions are extremely strong. People may forget a newspaper article but most remember a picture." Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine

- India Steps Away from the Old Song and Dance - A Bollywood film, "Phir Melenge" (We’ll Meet Again) deals directly with HIV/AIDS and the stigma surrounding the virus. Source: Washington Post

---

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

If you are interested in sharing information, write to us at info@art4development.net.

* Figures based on UNAIDS, WHO, AIDS Channel reports as well as http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm.