Chris spent a month in the North East of Brazil, working to develop a new communications campaign for an HIV/Aids NGO called Gestos, with their host agency Mart Pet. The brief from Gestos was to: ‘Create a communications plan for the launch of their 15th anniversary in 2008’, as well as to come up with ideas on how Gestos will get the funds to create and run it.
Chris found the placement challenging, daunting at times, but overall extremely rewarding. He discovered more about the world of development, learned how to approach communications for HIV/Aids, stretched himself from a professional and personal point of view and created some fantastic work for the organisation.
42. “ Life shrinks or expands depending on one’s courage” Anais Nin
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Editor's Notes
Bumping into Philippa when I was out for a drink with Anuraag and first hearing about it Kate asking me to do it
Upon receiving the devastating news that you are HIV+ and you think your life is over, Gestos have offered hope to those marginalised, stigmatised and discriminated against and show them how to rebuild their lives and live again. They let people know their human rights offering counselling and legal support to those who have been mistreated by employers or society at large. - What I learned from spending time with them - research with Activists
Not that I stereotype….but on the face of it Brazilian culture is open, tolerant, without prejudice and accepting of all What I felt about the problem… How I thought I would tackle it before I came out It’s probably worth mentioning how I thought I was going to tackle the project before I came out because I had been gently mulling it over for the preceding months. Brazil as a county has a great reputation for managing the AIDS pandemic, they give everyone diagnosed free antiretroviral drugs and they have a programme to give away free condoms to anyone who asks. In the 1980s The World Bank predicted that Brazil would have 1.2million people living with AIDS by 2000, the figure in 2007 is around 600,000 and reasonably stable. This is good news; Brazil is a country with great social activism where they have embraced democracy following years living in a dictatorship. The people demanded the healthcare and they got it. So I felt that any effort we made in prevention would at least be embraced. So my rather pragmatic and simplistic view was that even before we found a cure or vaccine for AIDS, solving the current crisis wasn’t rocket science: Get people, especially those not in long term monogamous relationships that are having sex to use condoms, and get intravenous drug users to stop sharing needles. Fixed.
Talk to Activists and Gestos… Discrimination and prejudice is rife. There is discrimination throughout society towards women, sex workers, racial and those with a sexual orientation and lifestyle other than heterosexual: Men who have sex with men, transsexual & transgender. Women often suffer and live with domestic violence on them or a culture of violence around them, which makes them vulnerable and unable to assert control on situations that might put them at risk of HIV & AIDS. Married men being promiscuous is considered ‘normal’, and often homosexual men marry, living in denial and will be violent towards their spouse, enter into other relationships with women, men or sex workers which put them and their spouse at risk. The reality is that Brazilian culture is littered with prejudice and discrimination although know one would ever openly admit it. An interesting learning from being out here was that in this state no one considers or wants to consider themselves as having prejudices. Or phrases like ‘It’s ok to be homosexual, but not next to me’ or ‘he’s negro, but he’s nice’.
When it comes to AIDS there have been some pretty hard hitting images that have helped shape the way people think.
Cazuza – famous singer and general heart throb
People were shocked when they saw this picture – even heavily made up, and tanned people were shocked by how gaunt and ill he looked… With high profile images like these AIDS was considered a sentence. Your life was over. Although this was many years ago and there have been huge leaps in the treatments available, the images and the stigmas have stayed. Consequence of an immoral life. Verified by the sense that there are some ‘innocent victims’ children…people who have had blood transfusions etc. Reality is that no one deserves AIDS
The thing about Stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations is that they are interrelated. They create, reinforce, and legitimize each other. Stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS are among the greatest barriers to preventing further infections, providing adequate care, and alleviating suffering. The stigma surrounding sex, sexuality, and intravenous drug use has stopped people from talking openly about it which has prevented millions from receiving information about HIV, how it is transmitted, and how to protect themselves. This has led to climate of silence in which people are unaware that they may be at risk. Discrimination has also prevented people with HIV from being open about their status and getting access to treatment as well as suffering on a personal level at a time with they have to copy with being infected. People with, or suspected of having, HIV have been denied employment, shunned by friends and colleagues, divorced from their spouses, and even murdered. Fear of HIV & AIDS is accompanied by ignorance, resentment and ultimately anger. To control HIV, we must first admit the problem belongs to all of us. So I wanted to channel the brief into making people think about the way they discriminate against those infected or affected by HIV and AIDS by making them confront their stigmas and prejudices. Don’t talk openly – lack of information Climate of silence Discrimination – not being open about your status…preventing people getting treatment…thought that you can’t live a normal life
If the key to tackling the pandemic is ‘Early detection. Early response.’ it becomes vital to remove all these barriers to getting tested, knowing your status and then living a responsible life. I therefore wanted to channel the brief into making people think about the way they discriminate against those infected or affected by HIV and AIDS by making them confront their stigmas and prejudices.
Consequence of poverty People here don’t give to charity although they are often asked
There are lots of people asking for money….and not just from outsiders like me. Children selling sweets to passing cars when they stop at traffic lights, busking, begging, performing, cleaning car windows. This leads to a culture when people think that either they just need to give money if they want to help, or conversely that those who are poor or in need just want money. Neither is satisfactory. Although they are frequently asked, the general populace in Brazil don’t donate money to charities, even collection boxes. To a large extent this is due to it being a poor country where charity needs to begin at home. This assumption, that all charities and NGOs want from you is your money, leads to the expectation that those the charity or NGO are trying to help just need money. This is problematic, especially when tackling issues like discrimination, stigma and prejudice. When people think those living with AIDS just need money, it further suggests that they are no longer independent and that they rely on state or handouts and that they can no longer contribute back to society. Gestos fights to help them regain their independence and human rights. People living with AIDS are not charity cases. They are strong people who have had to confront the HIV virus and rebuild their lives overcoming prejudice and discrimination often from those closest to them. Together with Gestos they are getting their self esteem back and rebuilding their lives. We needed to show that this was about more than money. Gestos fights to help them regain their independence and human rights… People living with AIDS are not charity cases. They are strong people who have had to confront the HIV virus. Overcome prejudice and discrimination often from those closest to them. Together with Gestos they are getting their self esteem back and rebuilding their lives.
Rights based Approach Tonality – People with aids aren’t victims. Present them as strong. They are proud and don’t want your pity Points of tension: Gestos still needs the money Vs people who aren’t asking for it… You can live with AIDS, but we don’t want to undermind the prevention message Production costs: low! Scalable: don’t have to do all of it…but it could also grow and be huge! Spread all over Brazil…and world! An international audience: this should be a separate project – next TIE candidate?
We could have musicians, acrobats, artists, actors etc. We can arrange concerts and plays all with the same idea. The important thing is to use activists who are vital and full of life, so show that those living with AIDS look no different to everyone else and they aren’t condemned to see out their days in a hospital bed.