AIDS Today: Tell no lies and claim no easy victories
10 October 2014 - AIDS Today: Tell no lies and claim no easy victories is the first edition of our new biennial publication that presents the global state of the civil society response to AIDS. The report aims to spark a timely debate about the global AIDS response: what it has achieved, what it can teach others fighting for health and justice, and what remains to be done to bring about a sustainable end to AIDS.
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Edited by South African writer and activist, Sisonke Msimang, AIDS Today contains nine powerful essays from leading figures in the AIDS response from Latin America, Africa, Europe, America and Asia. Each of the nine essays are meditations on winning and losing in the HIV response, for example the story of how Uganda went from being “the darling of the AIDS world to its pariah”. In another, the author concludes that through “strategic blunders, complacency and a focus on other issues that also require attention and activism,” activists have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to drug prices and trade barriers blocking drug access. Msimang said: “In reaching out to a group of thoughtful, tough and astute activists, we have inadvertently tapped into a raging counter-narrative that seemed to have had no formal outlet until now. Taken together these essays represent a wail against complacency, a battle cry in defence of human rights in an era of jargon and statistics. “Collectively these essays teach us that movements only succeed when they are tough, smart and light on their feet, and when they remain committed to speaking truth to power.” According to Awo Ablo, Director of External Relations: “Sometimes it’s a good idea to crowdsource analysis and solutions to complex challenges. AIDS Today aims to do this in its own small way. The authors are not shy in stating what they think should be done. We hope community leaders, activists, programme managers, donors, policy makers and government officials will read the essays and that the debate sparked will benefit the future of the AIDS response.” The event at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) was recorded. Click here to watch or listen to the event in full. (International HIV/AIDS Alliance 2014) |