Asia - Africa InterAction on AIDS

The idea behind the initiative is to use personal, face-to-face interactions to foster the transference of knowledge and experience between Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast/South Asia in an effort to strategise about how to prevent HIV/AIDS and to care for those impacted by it. The intercultural exchange of expertise among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers is meant to be a tool for strengthening health and development programmes in both Africa and Asia.

One key communication strategy involves intellectual exchanges of ideas. For example, the programme was initiated with a September 2002 study visit of experts from sub-Saharan Africa to Cambodia and Vietnam. Following the visit, a workshop was held in Bangkok to examine the ethical complexity of HIV/AIDS research and treatment in resource-poor settings. Topics discussed included current ethical guidelines and their effectiveness, integration of women's reproductive rights into mother-to-child transmission (MCTC) programmes, and volunteer counseling and testing.

More intensive and diverse types of exchange were explored at the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok (July 2004), where the Asia-Africa InterAction on AIDS launched two major series of events focusing on cultural exchanges as well as experiential learning. These series drew on art and music to communicate about AIDS, also involving children in the effort:

1. AFRICASIA Cultural Exchange
   
   • As part of "Shangilia Mtoto Wa Afika - We Are Stardust", 12 Kenyan children from a large orphanage in Nairobi traveled to Thailand for 12 days to interact with Thai children from the Camillion Center in Rayong. Thai composer Kittipong Khanthakarn worked with the children to prepare them for a performance at the conference.
   • A concert was held in which performers from Africa and Asia gathered to "celebrate, sing, dance and reflect the pain and hope of communities living with HIV/AIDS".
   • African and Asian artists shared their talents and creations with each other and the public in workshops. Artists also performed at other key sites throughout the conference venue at lunchtimes during the week.
   • As part of Com.Passion - which organisers describe as a "celebration of life" - African and Asian artists performed for the public in musical collaborations. Some of these artists included Meeting Point (Kenya), Zamaleo ACT (Kenya), TASO (Uganda), Peace Warriors (Burma), Sapphire Creations (India), Gaya Nusantara (Indonesia) with Mercy Circus, Ratree Yodkaewreung, Prasert Dechaboon and New Life Group from Thailand. Com.Passion events, discussions, and films continued each night during the conference, with a special 'Children's Day' as well.
   • At the Hualumpong Train Station, a number of African and Asia artists performed for the Bangkok public each day at 4 pm.
2. Africa-Asia InterAction on AIDS Discussions (theme: "Closer to Home") - In addition to performances and "positive sharing" sessions, this element of the series included lectures such as "AIDS as a Metaphor for Inequities in the System" (Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa) and "Asia and Africa as Teachers about HIV/AIDS Programming" (Nafis Sadik, UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Asia"). In the words of organisers, the theme "Closer to Home" recognises the importance of family, kin, and community (in all their broad manifestations) to prevention, care, and treatment and mitigation efforts. They explain that this theme provides a lens through which to explore cultural and structural factors contributing to HIV vulnerability; to identify sources of support and care; and to move forward in reconceptualising how to tap and strengthen this core social institution in creating more equitable and robust systems.

HIV/AIDS.

According to organisers, Asia and Africa, two of the continents hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic, are also the locations of some of the most creative and effective responses to HIV/AIDS. Over the 20 years since HIV was identified, community organisations and art groups on these two continents have worked to deal with the challenges that AIDS presents in community settings that are economically disadvantaged and where health systems are insufficient. Despite this long history, organisers say, few opportunities exist for the people of these regions to share their experiences and learn from each other.