All quiet on the Aids front…
By Matthew van Onselen
15 January 2008 | AIDS Politics
The combination of the quiet festive period and the focus on the ANC’s party conference at Polokwane has meant that there has been scant focus on the AIDS question and the issues that surround it. This is disappointing to report, since the drop in AIDS reports seems to have started directly after World AIDS Day, on December 1st, on which the AIDS benefit concert – the Nelson Mandela 46664 concert – was held.
Are we then to assume that having the attention shifted to AIDS on that day led to the feeling that the issue had been dealt with, and had received enough media attention for the time-being? Perhaps the view is not so cynical, but it does raise questions as to the value of having an "AIDS day". Does the event allow the media, and people in general, to focus their attention on one day, and then discount the AIDS question thereafter, having "done their bit"?
There was, however, one noticeable exception, when the story "HIV+ dancer sent back to SA" was printed on 18 January. This concerns an unnamed dancer that was set to perform in the U.S.A in the popular "African Footprint" production, only to be told by U.S. authorities that he is forbidden to enter the country on account of having "a communicable disease", or more specifically that he was HIV positive.
It seems that, although the U.S.A seems to constantly remind us about democracy and human rights, it is lagging behind South Africa in its policies regarding HIV and AIDS sufferers. While it is pointed out by the producer of the show, Richard Loring, that the dancers have to use sticks during the performance leaving them susceptible to cuts, one must ask whether the implication is that all HIV positive dancers are to be similarly barred, since cuts are a realistic eventuality in any dance routine. The line has been clearly drawn by the U.S. foreign office regarding this dancer, but what are the implications for HIV-positive performers across the world?
It appears, at least, that the reporting of the incident on our shores indicates surprise at the exclusion of the performer. This suggests a more accepting and less stigmatised view on HIV and AIDS sufferers.
