PBS’ ‘Wide Angle’ Examines Role of Angolan Military in Fighting HIV/AIDS
PBS' "Wide Angle," a weekly series of one-hour international documentaries, tonight will focus on the Angolan military's "bold attempt" to fight HIV/AIDS, which poses a "dire threat" to the region's stability. The episode, titled "AIDS Warriors," examines whether Angola's steadily increasing HIV prevalence rates are related to the return home of refugees and soldiers following the end of Angola's civil war. Although the war kept Angola isolated from the regional threat of HIV/AIDS, the country was also closed off to HIV prevention campaigns. However, with the end of conflict, Angola has the potential to "become a testing-ground for AIDS education, military reform and civic openness," according to PBS. The program's Web site includes an introductory briefing on HIV/AIDS in Angola by South African journalist Khadija Magardie, a photo essay, an interactive map with facts about HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, a quiz testing viewers' HIV/AIDS knowledge and a list of related online resources. Check local PBS listings for show times ("Wide Angle" Web site, PBS, 7/23).
A video preview of the program is available online in RealPlayer.
New York Times Reviews Show
The New York Times today reviews the show, calling it a "no-frills documentary" that focuses on the role of the Angolan military in both fighting and spreading HIV. The Times says that although the film "tries to sound an upbeat note," one cannot escape "the sense that while the stakes are grave, the odds are long in reversing a crisis that threatens to destabilize the nation and destroy its social fabric" (Veale, New York Times, 7/24).