UNCLAS HARARE 007068

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO PREL SOCI ZI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR COMMISSIONS HIV/AIDS WALL IN HARARE
FUNDED BY THE U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION
UNCLASSIFIED


PAGE 02 HARARE 07068 270942Z


1. ON DECEMBER 13, THE U.S. MISSION HELPED CELEBRATE THE
ROLLING OUT OF A NEW HIV/AIDS INITIATIVE IN ZIMBABWE. THE
"AIDS WALL: HEALING THE COMMUNITY" IS A Z-SHAPED WALL
COVERED WITH CERAMIC TILES PAINTED BY LOCAL ARTISTS FROM
RUWA, ZIMBABWE. THE AIDS WALL STANDS IN THE OUTDOOR
SCULPTURE GARDEN OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY IN DOWNTOWN
HARARE. THE TILES DEPICT IN FRANK, POIGNANT BUT ALSO
HUMOROUS WAYS THE IMPACT THAT AIDS IS HAVING ON BOTH URBAN
AND RURAL COMMUNITIES IN ZIMBABWE. APPEARING ON ONE SIDE
OF THE WALL ARE THE NAMES OF THE ARTISTS, CDC ZIMBABWE AND
THAT OF AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD AS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO
THEIR COLLECTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS
IN ZIMBABWE. THE PROJECT WAS CONCEIVED BY JOYCE KOHL, A
FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR, IMPLEMENTED BY ROS BYRNE POTTERY FACTORY
AND THEIR ARTISTS, AND FUNDED BY THE U.S. CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) AS PART OF CDC'S
EFFORTS TO COUNTERACT THE RELATIVE INVISIBILITY OF THIS
OVERWHELMING BUT SILENT EPIDEMIC, TO PROMOTE MOBILIZATION
OF COMMUNITIES TO ADDRESS THE EPIDEMIC.


2. THE UNVEILING ALSO PROVIDED CDC AND ZIMBABWEAN
OFFICIALS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE DEPARTING AMERICAN
AMBASSADOR, TOM MCDONALD, FOR HIS UNTIRING COMMITMENT TO
THE ERADICATION OF AND ADVOCACY ON HIV/AIDS. UNVEILING THE
WALL, AMBASSADOR MCDONALD REITERATED THE UNITED STATES'
COMMITMENT TO ASSIST THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE IN THEIR BATTLE
AGAINST HIV/AIDS, DESPITE POLITICAL PROBLEMS AFFECTING THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. DR. DAVID
PARIRENYATWA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE,
APPLAUDED THE U.S. EMBASSY, THE ARTISTS, THE FULBRIGHT
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 HARARE 07068 270942Z
SCHOLARS PROGRAM, AND THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ZIMBABWE FOR
THIS INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION. THE DEPUTY MINISTER STATED
THAT HE HOPED AND BELIEVED THAT THIS WALL WOULD BECOME PART
OF A PROCESS OF BREAKING THE SILENCE AROUND HIV/AIDS IN
ZIMBABWE, THE FIRST STEP TO FINDING SOLUTIONS TO STOP THE
EPIDEMIC.


3. IN ZIMBABWE, CDC WORKS PRINCIPALLY TO STRENGTHEN
BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS IN PREVENTION AND
CARE FOR HIV/AIDS, BUT ALSO WORKS TO STIMULATE EDUCATION,
AWARENESS, AND SOCIAL MOBILIZATION THROUGH TARGETED
COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS THE AIDS WALL.

MCDONALD

UNCLASSIFIED

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