Art against aids

Young painters increase awareness on hiv/aids as a reality in Guatemala

Although Guatemala, Belize and Honduras are the Latin American countries with the highest percentage of their population infected with HIV, awareness of the disease as a reality is low. According to the director of the Infectious Diseases Department of the Guatemalan Social Security Institute, in Guatemala City not a single person has come with an explicit request for an hiv test. People come when they feel ill and on occasion doctors recommend they take a test. Others find out they are infected when notified upon donating blood. It is estimated that at present some 84,000 persons of the total Guatemalan population of 13 million are hiv positive.

How can awareness regarding hiv be raised among young people?

The Christian Youth Association (ACJ), where I work as a short-term development worker, is carrying out an educational process by which youth learn about and discuss the ways in which the infection can be acquired, but above all the fact that the virus is transmitted more easily when we are unaware of the risks and expose ourselves through behaviour that make us more vulnerable.

Working with us was a Danish graphic designer, Ole Morten Nygaard, who has lived with hiv for 22 years by taking antiretrovir.

Berta Chirix with her contribution to the exhibition titled “Art against AIDS”. Photo: Kirsten Madsen.

At ACJ some volunteer youths are very good painters. We provided materials for them to express their feelings and questions regarding hiv/aids. The result was a very impressive exhibition, with ten large paintings, a number of photos, and computer presentations.

At the beginning of the exhibition four panellists that live with hiv told us of their existential realities, connecting these with the art. A particularly strong impact was caused by Carmen, 53, who told us how it was her husband who infected her. She knew he was unfaithful, but feared confronting him because he was prone to violence. She thus exemplified the relation between “machismo” (male chauvinism) and hiv. “My life with hiv is much better than life with my husband”, said Carmen.

Many pointed out that cases such as these are very moving, because they could also happen to persons who are as close to us as our mothers.

We would like to invite more youths to paint and want to exhibit the works already produced in other places, as we believe that through this sort of activity we are taking yet another step on the road to increasing awareness among youth that hiv/aids is a real danger, also in Guatemala.

* Kirsten Madsen, short-term MS development worker, is active with ACJ on issues of  hiv/aids and reproductive health in Guatemala.