Unisa online - Theatre spreads the HIV/Aids message

Prof Jimmie Perry with Jane Abrahams and Burt Davis (Lecturer at Stellenbosch University’s Africa Centre for HIV/Aids Management).

Irene Mohasoa (Health and Wellness Practitioner-Student Social Development) lights a candle to commemorate those lost and living with HIV/Aids.

Unisa hosted the 29th Annual International Aids Candlelight Memorial Commemoration on 18 May 2012. The initiative is a project of the Global Network of People Living with HIV and the theme of the event was “Promoting Health and Dignity Together.”

Phumza Makanya-Ojowuro, Director of Employee Relations and Wellness, was adamant that the commemoration was not just another day. She encouraged staff and students to become HIV/Aids ambassadors.

The guest of honour was Prof Jimmie Perry, Director of Educational Theatre and Creative Arts at Stellenbosch University’s Africa Centre for HIV/Aids Management. Stellenbosch University has pioneered an HIV/Aids programme in which students can enroll. It offers HIV training and capacity building to managers and labour leaders and now, also presents a master’s programme.

Prof Perry serenades the crowd with a song.

Prof Perry was tasked with creating a theatre production that not only captivates, but effectively communicates facts about HIV/Aids to the public. These include preventative measures and encouraging people to know their status. He’s optimistic that the play will be a resounding success. “One of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the infection rate to zero by 2015. We’d like to think that our message will have something to do with a lower infection rate.”

The audience was treated to an Educational Theatre Presentation, “Lucky the Hero,” produced and directed by Prof Perry. It focuses on a farm called “No Problems” in the heart of the Boerland, where HIV/Aids is a taboo subject. The protagonist, Lucky, finds out that he is infected and must contend with the stigma and shame that society places on him for having the disease.

Jane Abrahams, who is in charge of community interaction at the Africa Centre for HIV/Aids Management, says they’ve so far managed to reach  around 25 000 people. “When we go to a community, we see peoples’ faces light up. We are getting the message out,” she said.