Baltimore Sun Examines HIV/AIDS-Related Literature, Art in South Africa
The Baltimore Sun on Sunday examined the "new genre" of AIDS-related art and literature in South Africa, which "is unabashed in its effort to raise consciousness about the virus, in the same way that 20th century anti-apartheid writing was often explicit in its efforts to show the evils of that racially repressive system." Writers and artists recently have created HIV-positive characters who are "recognizable and surprising, different from one another and believable," including businesswomen, commercial sex workers and truckers, according to the Sun. Some of the pieces are "subtle" in their attempts to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS, while others "treat the virus as a powerful, but beatable, enemy," the Sun reports. The genre can "sometimes seem repetitive and unremitting," challenging the writers and artists to be original and at the same time "reflect the mass devastation crippling South Africa," according to the Sun (Hanes, Baltimore Sun, 10/23).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.