Global village vibe reminiscent of 2010
Durban puts on a professional, polished show
WHILE the world’s leading scientists, celebrities and philanthropists brought the attention of the world once again to HIV/Aids, the Global Village at the International Aids Conference was a melting pot for sharing ideas and knowledge from around the world among researchers, activists and donors as well as grassroots community representatives this week.
The village, which was open to the public, was a hive of activity throughout the week with an almost tangible energy to take on the HiV/ Aids pandemic, which has particularly ravaged the African continent.
The Independent on Saturday tested out the Park & Ride option from Moses Mabhida stadium to the Global Village which worked like a well-oiled machine with rows of gleaming taxis ferrying delegates across the city. The Durban feel-good vibe from the 2010 Soccer World Cup was definitely back in action.
The first stand we passed – “Condomize” – shouted out the lesson which was very much part of this year’s Aids conference and visiting local, Tabhile Zondi said it’s time for South Africans to take responsibility for their own actions.
“My message to young girls is to wait and if they can’t wait, they must use condoms,” said Zondi.
Spotted at the ViiV Healthcare/Positive Action Network stand, primary sponsor for the Global Village, was the head, Michael Joyner who described this year’s Village as “the most vibrant we have seen in several years and captures the flavour of South Africa”.
He added, “This part of the conference is important as it allows delegates to see how science translates into community action and intervention, while the plenary sessions of the conference are played every morning.”
And it was vibrant, including protesters marching in solidarity against the pharmaceutical industry’s exorbitant price of medicines, while there was also a march by ‘’gogos’’, many of whom are at the very coalface of HIV/Aids, looking after grandchildren and great-grandchildren when parents die.
The village had a number of networking zones, panel discussions, debates and presentations going on throughout each day, covering issues from woman empowerment and child protection to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights and the relevant impact of HIV/Aids, as well as a host of illnesses such as TB and Viral Hepatitis related to the virus.
There were also quirky stands such as the Aids Solidari Tree where you could tie on a red ribbon with a message in any preferred language. The journey of the tree began in Lesotho where it was fashioned out of papier mâché.
Overseeing the ribbon tying was Eva Schoel from Germany. She said, “Over 300 orphaned and vulnerable children in Lesotho wrote messages for the tree and then it was taken to Mamelodi where high school learners painted it before it was brought to the conference. We want to raise awareness against discrimination when it comes to HIV/Aids. We will donate the tree at the end of the conference, so it will live on,” said Schoel.
The Truth Booth was also attracting attention, where Zimbabwean Heeten Bhagat said the goal was to give people a voice.
“Every day we pose a different question and do a short video clip. You can be completely anonymous if you like, but we are looking to build a diverse set of opinions around issues. We edit all the clips into soundbites and are sharing them on social media.
The Women’s Networking Zone held a number of debates and the message was loud and clear – what women want is education and safe sex, while the Children and HIV Networking Zone highlighted teenage pregnancies and issues being dealt with by teenage mothers.