Energy, colour and a strong sense of joyful celebration were injected into the opening ceremony of ICASA 2011 thanks to the dramatic and musical dancing displays of our Ethiopian hosts. Civil society, current and former heads of state, people living with HIV, NGOs, UN agencies and renowned scientists joined together in Millennium Hall to enjoy the energetic Ethiopian dancing and its unique focus on the seductive and frenzied gyration of the shoulders. Yet, in the views of many conference participants, the vigor and urgency of this opening performance was sadly not reflected in the plenaries, sessions and satellites over the ensuing days.
Several Consortium members were represented at the 11th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa and had the opportunity to share good practice and knowledge with colleagues from all over Africa. Yet, when I enquired as to their overall impressions of the conference, many felt that key aspects of the current HIV/AIDS context were lacking. “Where is harm reduction?”, “where is palliative care?”, conference delegates asked. One woman with a disability said of the conference; “our non-inclusion in the whole process is reflected at a higher level as programmes are not adapted to suit the specific needs of people with disabilities.” My personal rhetorical question was “where are the key populations?” Upon arriving in Addis, I picked up an English-language Ethiopian newspaper to read whilst experiencing my first taste of the famed local coffee. The front-page story focused on the ICASA conference, which it described as “about men who have sex with men”, and went on to state that 97% of Ethiopians believe that homosexuals should be “rejected by society”. This, coupled with derogatory comments about MSM made by fellow conference delegates, once again highlighted for me the need for an urgent focus on tackling discrimination against, and stigmatization of, key populations. Therefore, the lack of visibility of these groups at ICASA was highly regrettable and of strong concern.
A possible exception to the lack of inclusiveness and energy characterized by the conference was, in my view, the Community Village. This was a platform for NGOs and community-based projects to showcase their programmes, services and best practices, and was by far the most dynamic space within ICASA. Every day, visitors to the village were treated to a packed schedule of dance and music performance highlighting arts and traditions from across Africa, as well as traditional coffee ceremonies, henna tattoos, chats with life-sized condoms, fashion shows of clothing designed and made by women living with HIV, the chance to participate in “graffiti walls” hosted by networks of young people affected by HIV and endless interactive workshops led by the various booths. People with disabilities were literally centre-stage giving artistic performances and dance and music interpretations, sexual minorities had the space to challenge discrimination and women living with HIV promoted dialogue for African action on their rights, dignity, leadership and safety. It truly was a space for sharing, learning, thinking and action.
The Community Village was my “home” for the week, as the Caregivers Action Network (CAN) had a booth within it. It was a pleasure to host this space along with our Care and Support Working Group Chairs and a network of African caregivers. We held workshops with caregivers, hospices, UNICEF, the World Bank, the World Food Programme and several other organisations working on care and support. The resounding message of the CAN booth was reflected in the question that one visitor asked: “Could someone tell me where the HIV response would be without communities and community caregivers? The funding may go, the policies may change, NGOs may leave but the communities will remain!”
The Community Village was also the location for a larger event on the Code of Good Practice for NGOs responding to HIV/AIDS, which I hosted in partnership with UNAIDS and the International AIDS Society. There was a consensus that the Code of Good Practice, in these times of reduced commitments from donors and engagement from governments, is more relevant than ever, and there was much enthusiasm from participants in supporting it to move forward. Yet there is much to do to reinvigorate the Code. Self-assessment checklists require updating, a global advisory group must be formed and we strongly need a robust communications strategy. We hope that our members will galvanise around these tasks and take this opportunity to showcase their expertise on an international level!
Finally, the last day of the conference arrived. In stark contrast to its opening, ICASA closed with a somber, silent march, reflecting the mood of disenchantment created by recent news of the Global Fund crisis. One hundred activists marched through the plenary during the Global Fund’s Deputy Director Debrework Zewdie’s speech carrying signs demanding that African governments and donors take ownership of the AIDS epidemic, and asking international donors, “where is the money?”. Like many other questions asked during the onslaught of this conference, this question as yet remains unanswered. Perhaps global leaders, governments and donors need a few shots of Ethiopian espresso.
