FACES of HIV

Young and old.
Women and men.
Rich and poor.
The 34 million people living with HIV are in every region of the world and from all walks of life.
After 30 years, the AIDS epidemic has many faces.
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Greg Louganis | Olympic Champion Diver | USA

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Svetlana Izambaeva | Miss Positive | Russia

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Tokugha Yepthomi | Doctor | India

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Micaela Cyrina | Student | Brazil

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Richard Berkowitz | Writer | USA

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He Tiantian | Teacher | China

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Chris Smith | Former Secretary of State | United Kingdom

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Edwin Cameron | Constitutional Court Justice | South Africa

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Prudence Mabele | Activist | South Africa

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Suzana Murni | Pioneering HIV activist in Indonesia

Together building hopeA poem written by Suzana Murni, 1996

Tonight
A candle is lit
For you,
For friends with shared feelings
And for them who have already preceded us.
They have already passed away in order not to surrender.
And for friends that have taught us that pain and despair
Obviously can resurrect strength
That which during this time we’ve been unaware of.


If, of course, this problem is the virus,
That destroys the human immune system,
Tell me,
Why do I feel pain more mentally than physically?
And why must I be prevented
From giving you a parting kiss
At the final moment of your life?
At this moment I see
How you are inhumanely isolated by people in your community.
I witness in my mind’s eye
As your body is wrapped in plastic
While your soft blanket that I recognize
Is thrown into a hot flame
That glows of strong rejection of yourself
After much suffering
Because of the virus.
And I,
Through all of this, am close with you
Accompanied with sadness and emptiness.
All will soon become like this
Without time to hope that help will arrive,
Without hope for a future.
And I, myself, still don’t know
That which I am hoping for will arrive tomorrow or not?
Tonight
I light this candle for you
For all meaning that I have already gotten
About life and love.
For the soft touch and sincerity
That isn’t limited by nationality and language.
For friends that have already fought
And those that still firmly resist.
This candle radiates, my friend.
Our hope knitted together will illumine tomorrow’s
Morning sun
And send forth melodious song
That still wishes us to hear.
Warmth steadily returns
Because love never ends
Radiating its rays to the Earth.
Embrace love, which makes us feel strong
And willing to face all challenges
Love’s miracle that lives on
Because life is indeed precious.
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Taia Suslova | Activist with the organization FrontAIDS



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Godfrey Sealy | Trinidad and Tobago playwright and activist



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Tamara | Mother, cook and co-founder of an HIV support group in Lebanon



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Nkosi Johnson | Child activist and co-founder of Nkosi’s Haven in South Africa



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Ryan White | An early public face of AIDS in the United States



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Source:
UNAIDS
30 years into the AIDS epidemic
30 milestones, thoughts, images, words,
artworks, breakthroughs, inspirations
and ideas in response


JaKe Positive. BE SAFE! +)