August 12, 2010
Annie Lennox will appear at two events at the Scottish Festival of Politics this month – Annie Lennox and The SING Campaign – One Year On (Thursday 19 August), and Power of the People (Wednesday 18 August), where she will form part of a panel.
Lennox will provide an update on developments of The SING Campaign one year on. Those in attendance will find out about the positive impact SING and the Treatment Action Campaign continue to have on people living with HIV/AIDS. Annie will also act as a panel member, alongside Martin Bell and Mark Thomas during Power of the People, a session examining how people who are not professional politicians can have a significant impact upon the political landscape, and how this affects parliaments and government.
She recently gave the organizers of the Festival of Politics (FoP) a special interview about what she will talk about during the event:
FoP: You’ve recently visited South Africa again to see how the work of SING and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is progressing. There seems to be some very positive results, as can be seen from the video you posted on the SING website showing the considerable improvement in the lives of the four brothers who were orphaned as a result of AIDS.
AL: The most significant development is that the South African government is finally responding appropriately to the situation. Since the launch of the National Strategic plan in April of this year, they are scaling up their response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. They aim to halve infection rates, and double levels of treatment, and seem to be very committed to making a real difference, although the challenges are enormous. The South African Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, and the Health Minister, Aaron Motsaledi, both attended this year’s International AIDS Conference recently, and what they said was enormously encouraging.
With regards to the boys, TAC members in their area are visiting them regularly and are monitoring their progress, which is reported to be very good. They have access to a supportive grant and are all attending school. The situation with so called “child headed households” all over Sub Saharan Africa is really dire however, which is one of the reasons I campaign for HIV positive pregnant women to receive access to medical intervention, so that they can have anti-retroviral treatment to keep them alive, and their babies have a very good chance of being born free of the virus.
FoP: The SING Campaign is obviously making a difference, but there is still work to be done, particularly in relation to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Another recent video posted on the SING site told the awful story of a woman who took her own life and those of her youngest children, as a result of being persecuted by members of her community who thought she had AIDS. How widespread is this form of prejudice in South Africa, and what can be done to address it?
AL: Stigma isn’t only prevalent in South Africa, stigma is EVERYWHERE… including Scotland, or even possibly in you, dear reader!
People are afraid of HIV/AIDS. The issue is loaded with misleading myths and misnomers. Fundamentally we need decent education, so that people understand clearly how the virus is passed on, and how it’s not. It needs to come out of the closet, and be demystified, and understood, just like any other virus.
FoP: You’ve recently been made a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Programme on AIDS, and a Special Envoy for the Scottish Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Congratulations! How might these new roles influence your work in relation to HIV/AIDS?
AL: Becoming a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador recently has strengthened and broadened my platform. Michel Sidibe, the director of UNAIDS is a real visionary, who has a very clear and innovative directive as to how he wants to lead the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic (especially with regard to women and children) and has made it an objective to have zero mother to child transmission of the virus by 2015. I’ll be going to the UN in New York in September to take part in a high level conference, drawing together the major players from around the world. The dialogues that arise from these events will hopefully lead to decision making policies which should have a real long term impact. We want the millennium development goals to be reached, and as an advocate, I have the opportunity to send out the right messages to influence those who have the power to make the changes that are so desperately needed to save millions of people’s lives.
I am very much looking forward to working with the Scottish Parliament in my new role as a special envoy to the Scottish Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). This will allow me to regularly update Members of the Scottish Parliament on developments in the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly with regard to women and children.
To read the entire interview and find out more about the event, click here.
3 months ago
“WORLD AIDS DAY” ©
by Kal Elias
Do you remember the 80’s? Going out clubbing, dancing, laughing and listening to the music of Madness and Status Quo
Meeting people and making friends and hanging out with people you didn’t really know
Living and loving, not just life but each other
When one night stands weren’t seen as a bother.
Do you remember the 80’s? “Let’s go back to my place”
Just a quickie encounter, they didn’t always play safe
Staying with the trend, or sometimes pressured into drug taking
Little did they know what mistakes they’d be making.
Do you remember the 80’s? And a shock news review
“HIV & AIDS are here and the victim could be you”
There is no cure this virus is fatal
It can infect anyone, even the ante-natal.
Remember the 80’s? When rumours where rife
If you’re a man, with a man, it’s the end of your life
Panic and fear ran through everyone’s mind
Thinking back, had they slept with the kind
Of person who said “Don’t worry I’ve only slept with you”
Ashamed to admit he’d already slept with two
Who unknowingly to him had shared needles with four
Who failed to admit that they’d slept with lots more
And so this new virus was taking its toll
News flashes exploded “It’s out of control”
So the Government decided it must advertise
That this deadly virus was on the rise
TV programmes aired “Listen to what’s being said”
Use precautions or you’ll be dead
And leaflets were delivered to every household
Stating clearly “Now you’ve been told”
But that was the 80’s, not this new generation
Isn’t it time that we gave them an explanation
Of the advice and the facts that we’ve learned through the years
To take away the stigma and some of the fears
Prevention, treatment, support and care
They need to know it’s all out there
That this virus isn’t related to just one type
Years ago it was all just hype
But we’ve studied and gained knowledge the whole world through
And you, the people in power know what you should do
Get out there in the community, youth clubs and schools
Advise that this virus has no rules
But it can be controlled to a certain extent
But we must make it clear and be hell bent
On getting the message out there to everyone
Before more of this tragically, uninformed generation are gone.
It’s a beautiful world out there that we all should embrace
A world with so much to offer no matter what your race
Encompass it and hold it and take it as your own
For life is too short as some of us have known
A short poem simply called “If Only”
“If Only” ©
If only I’d have looked into his eyes
I’d have seen the pain upon his face
If only I’d have listened more, I know for sure
He could have found some solace
If only I’d have dared to hold his hand
I’d have felt the trembling of fear
If only I’d have had more understanding
That I could have held him near
If only I’d have been made more aware
It was ok to let his lips touch mine
I could have given him comfort
Before he ran out of time
But I didn’t have that knowledge! Nobody told me!
If only she’d have known there were people
That she could go to see
To talk it through, who would understand
And accept what she’d turned out to be
Somebody who wouldn’t condemn
The reason she was there
But introduce her to others
With whom her problems she could share
Somebody to council her
And help relieve her strife
To tell her about the treatments out there
That could have prolonged her life
But she didn’t have that knowledge! Nobody told her!
If only they’d have listened
To help them understand
That HIV is spreading fast
And on a scale so grand
If only they had realised
It can happen to anyone
Your mother, your father, sister, brother
Your new born baby son
If only they’d have learned the facts
And kept the stigma away
That prevention, treatment, support and care
Can keep this virus at bay
But they didn’t have that knowledge! Nobody told them!
Our generation has a human right
To know what’s going on
With a universal access
On all that can be done
Don’t just talk amongst yourselves
Get out and spread the word
Shout it clear from far and wide
And let your voices be heard
No time to pause, let’s fight this cause
And keep the promise true
Do everything you possibly can
That said, it’s now down to you
You have that knowledge! Tell them!
Hope you like it and I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience
Kal Elias
Mob: 07930104711
over 1 year ago
To all of us who are positive stay strong and don’t let anyone put you down, life is not a rehearsal it is here and now so live the best way you can. Check out PositiveFishes.c o m, You can know many inspirational story here!You are not alone.
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