| HIV/AIDS: Using art as a prevention tool |
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| Escrito por Dixie Edith | |||||||||
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Teresita was abandoned by her mother when she was a small girl; she was repeatedly raped by one of her uncles, and was later often abused and beaten up by her husband. This Dominican young woman was HIV-positive-diagnosed a few years ago. She had been infected by her husband, the man of her life, as she used to say, but she did not give up. Her story was reflected in a play that was staged in Havana last month by The Young for Ever Project. The monologue clearly shows that family violence places women in risk situations, including infections such as HIV/AIDS. Project manager Odeisi Delgado told SEMlac that all the stories they show are based on true events and are supported by the Alliance to Fight HIV/AIDS (ASOLSIDA). "Most of our plays are related to a research work that was conducted by the United Nations Population Fund in the Caribbean," she added. Backdrop María Medina is the actress who plays the part of Teresita. She really shocks the audience into awareness. The monologue was staged at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Latin American and Caribbean Workshop on HIV/AIDS Prevention from a Cultural Perspective (SIDACULT). The event was organized by UNESCO's Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, other United Nations agencies, and Cuban institutions like the Ministry of Culture, the National Prevention Center for STIs, HIV and AIDS, and the National Center for Sex Education. "Our goal is to promote the role of culture in the social response to HIV/AIDS, formulate innovative prevention strategies, and establish partnerships to face the pandemic in a successful manner," said Herman van Hoff, director of the Regional Office. The workshop was attended by journalists, artists, filmmakers and broadcasters who are actively involved in community projects. The list of artists on hand included theater people, puppeteers, soap opera producers and directors, and video-clip and documentary makers. The current conception of culture covers not only artistic creation, but also lifestyles, traditions, beliefs, social standards and practices, and even the portrayal of health and disease. Participants in the event highlighted the need to combine esthetic rigor and prevention education. The Dominican play (Faces) was one of the good practices advanced at the workshop. "The play opened on November 25, 2008 and has been staged at events like this one and in theaters," Delgado indicated. Don't you take it to local communities?, SEMlac asked. "No, we do not. We have other projects intended for communities. They focus on HIV/AIDS prevention actions and always make room for discussion, especially among young people," she answered. "Most audiences react in the same way," she stressed. "Many women identify with our plays because they have had similar experiences. As Teresita says: Silence poses a major problem in violence cases," she concluded.
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