SA AIDS Oral History Project

“If you don’t know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don’t know the stories you may be lost in life”

Siberian Elder

The story begins in the mid-1980’s with early hints of an HIV epidemic and ambiguity on the part of the government’s response. Fast forward and you have a lost decade of which some refer to its implications as a holocaust. AIDS denialism at senior government level is estimated to have resulted in the untimely death of 340 000 South Africans during the period from 1994 until 2004; now referred to as “the lost decade” by former Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. The progress of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa has been obscured by nationalist, scientific, medical, political, economic and ‘securitized’ discourses.

Memories of the lost decade are vivid in the minds of people who lived and worked with the devastation caused by this epidemic. These individuals fought to change this reality. The lessons learned during this time deserve to be remembered. Furthermore, the key individuals who contributed to ensuring that South Africa now has the largest AIDS treatment programme in the world needs to be acknowledged. The South African AIDS treatment programme was started thanks to their brave efforts.

The Oral History Project acknowledges that the lessons learnt are best conveyed by the human experience, in human voices by those who witnessed and experienced the events. Through this website you will be able to access the repository of stories, be reminded of the reality that swept the country and learn from the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

Visit the Talking Back website: http://www.talkingback.dirasengwe.org/

Awards

The Dira Sengwe Board decided to institute this Leadership Award in order to recognize exceptional contributions by individuals or organizations in the country in the response to the HIV epidemic. It is quite clear to us that there are numerous persons and groups doing excellent work in a difficult field often under challenging circumstances, most of then unknown to their country and unrewarded.

Once again we wish to offer an opportunity to these unheralded people to tell their peers and their fellow South Africans how they made a contributions so that their expectations can become lessons and their courage or determination an inspiration to others. Our view is that the country suffers from a serious crisis in the absence of a sufficient number if individuals to serve as guides, as ethical beacons and leaders,whom the young can emulate.

Leadership in many walks of life and in massive number of public and private institutions, is dreadfully scarce. We have therefore, by this tiny effort, tried to encourage leaders of the future through this award.