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August 31, 2007
'YOU'RE FIRED!' IN SOUTH AFRICA HAS WORLD AGHAST
deputy minister of health
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Protesters support Madlala-Routledge on Wednesday Credit:Faizel Slamang |
More than 1,500 South African AIDS activists gathered Wednesday at a Cape Town cathedral to protest President Thabo Mbeki's unjust firing of Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, the now former Deputy Minister of Health and to demand that the government still implement National Strategic Plan (2007-2011). There is deep concern that the loss of a sane voice in the South African government on AIDS policy will undue the steps forward in recent months .
Legendary Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) leader Zackie Achmat, marched the group to Parliament to hand over a letter demanding Madlala-Routledge's reinstatement. The letter was denied.
"This is a deep, deep tragedy for the country, for democracy and above all for HIV-AIDS," Achmat said of Madlala-Routledge's dismissal.
The South African government claims Madlala-Routledge was fired because she didn't receive express permission to attend an AIDS conference in Spain, and she is now being asked to reimburse the government an estimated $70,000 U.S. dollars for the conference and other petty costs.But the idea that Madlala-Routledge was forced out because she over spent her travel stipend doesn't make sense, since it is not uncommon for high level ministers to go to conferences without getting an okay. It is widely presumed that Madlala-Routledge was canned because she stood up to Mbeki and his AIDS denialist health minister Manto Tshablala-Msimang in laying out real steps to address the AIDS crisis. (For a full description of what unfolded check out TAC's website)...
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SWIMMING LESSONS
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C2EA hits the Yellowhammer State! |
Two-year-old Caleb Glover is sometimes scared of the water, but maybe after he jumps into the Wales West RV resort pool with dozens of frolicking activists from the Campaign to End AIDS (C2EA) on Monday, the HIV-positive toddler will learn to love to swim. Caleb, his foster mother Silvia and some of his foster brothers and sisters will join some 150 C2EA activists for a "family reunion" at Wales West on Labor Day in Silverhill, Alabama, in order to call attention to AIDS stigma. Caleb was banned from the Wales West pool and showers in July because he has HIV. The C2EA contingent will be swimming, barbecuing and enjoying the holiday in bathing suits that say "HIV Positive."
Wales West owner Ken Zadnichek outraged the country when he barred Glover from the pool, showers and other common areas of his resort until he could verify that Glover wouldn't transmit the virus while using them. The incident gained national attention when it was showcased on Good Morning America. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded HIV can't be transmitted through casual social contact, such as in a swimming pool or through use of toilet. The ACLU recently sent a letter to Zadnichek in which it pointed out that he had no right to ask for medical information related to Caleb and was responsible for knowing that the little boy was not a transmission risk.
In an interview on National Public Radio's News & Notes program two weeks ago, Zadnichek said of the C2EA event, "We equally welcome everyone." When the host asked Zadnichek if the fact that Caleb is black had anything to do with the decision not to allow him in the pool, Zadnichek said, "We have colored people, mixed couples. I'm a businessman. The only color I see is green..."
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CLEVELAND ROCKS
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Johnson (left) and Demetra Tennison share a lighter moment at Women and AIDS Institute |
The AIDS movement needs new leadership—particularly women and young people. That's why at last week's National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) Staying Alive conference, in Cleveland from August 23 to 26, left the old guard breathing a sigh of relief, when a handful of young people and women emerged as fresh voices to help move the fight against AIDS forward. No one crystallized that sense better than a woman named Nisha, who received a standing ovation for her stirring speech at the lunch plenary. "I talk to people and I hear there's been history with some organization or a beef with that organization," she said, to chuckles of agreement among the crowd. "Well, the new kids on the block don't have that beef, so use us. We can't tear each other down and expect to build a movement."
Nisha set a productive tone and Staying Alive had meeting, plenaries, and sessions on every AIDS-related topic imaginable. One well-attended event was the "Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Care and Services Legislation" sponsored by NAPWA and the Campaign to End AIDS (C2EA). The forum was the first of what will be many meetings the next year that is seeking to elicit input from people with HIV/AIDS around the 2009 Ryan White CARE Act reauthorization process—and avoid the putting regional interests before those of consumers that occurred in 2005. Ted Kennedy's office, which is overseeing the planning process, values consumer input. "We want to hear what's going on with the people living in the neighborhood," Connie Garner, a Kennedy advisor has told the Update. "They may not have the sophistication of the lobbyists, but at the end of the day they are the ones that can best show what they need."
"I was very, very pleased with the session," said Christine Campbell, Housing Works director of national advocacy. "It's a great beginning to a national dialogue. Decrease some of the angst and fighting that happened around the last one. Hopefully. We'll see..."
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