While researching pictorial languages, I came across the book Afrikan alphabets : The Story of Writing in Afrika by Saki Mafundikwa. I am captivated by the powerful forms whose meaning transcends such wildly different cultures (such as my own and the Bantu people). The way these simple symbols communicate despite cultural differences is intoxicating, informing my understanding of the purpose of a symbol.
HIV/AIDS
How is HIV/AIDS visualized?
As I dive into exploring and researching the visualization of HIV/AIDS, I felt it would be necessary to document the progression of my research. Through creating a visual narrative of my findings, I hope to of capture the depth and broadness of this heavy topic.
Affirmation ➔
After spending hours upon hours studying statistics, I can’t express how greatly this story of success in HIV prevention in Zimbabwe encouraged me. Attributed to prevention programs and resulting shifts in sexual norms, the HIV infection rate has gone from 26% to 14% according to a survey by UNAIDS over the last twelve years. At the end of the article, UNAIDS stated “22 countries have reduced the rate of new infections by more than 25% between 2001 and 2009. These include several other countries with the region’s highest prevalence, including South Africa and Zambia. And in many cases, it is young people who are leading the ‘prevention revolution ‘and changing their behaviour by deciding to delay sex, having fewer partners and using condoms.” Reading the article was so affirming, lately I’ve been overwhelmed by the magnitude of my research. Learning about the success of people actively fighting against such a powerful epidemic reminds me of the possibilities and hope in the face of HIV/AIDS, and of the hope in my role and responsibility as a designer.
botswana
Reading about Botswana is heavy, with one quarter of all adults 15 and over infected with HIV, the second highest percent in the world next to Swaziland. Oscar Motsumi (program officer in Serowe) stated that “This country has been bombarded with HIV messages, but there hasn’t been a change in behaviour.” In an effort to combat the deteriorating situation, education surrounding HIV/AIDS is focused on the upcoming generation, and I was struck by the communication through art festivals, dramas and group discussions. I’m really intrigued by the way different cultures educate the population on HIV/AIDS. Through an interactive AIDS educational program (“Talk Back”) all primary schools were equipped with a television, video recorder, satellite dish and decoder. It’s a live program giving teachers and students the opportunity to comment on panelists and interact through call ins, email or letter.
read more about Talk Back on NLM Gateway and about Botswana on ‘HIV and AIDS in Botswana’ by AVERT
This 1991 poster designed by Gran Fury addresses a fundamental social misunderstanding in the nineties. Over half of all people with HIV are women, according to the 2009 WHO census. Women specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean have a significantly higher chance of being infected with HIV. Approximately three quarters of all women infected with HIV live in Sub-Saharan Africa, and because of the sex trade young women are 2.5 times more likely to be infected than young men.
-photo from Gran Fury media by AVERT
-read more about this topic in ‘Women, HIV and AIDS’ from AVERT
During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Brazil and South Africa worked together through creative arts such as humor, dance and visual art to bring awareness and promote prevention. The way Brazil has set the bar nationally and internationally is incredibly moving, and the joint efforts of two countries that don’t even reside on the same continent is equally moving.
-read more on ShoutAfrica
