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Commemorating World Aids Day, and rounding up the newly-established Mind the reading series, UJ Arts & Culture, in partnership with the UJ Institutional Office for HIV & AIDS (IOHA), presents a reading of The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer.

Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart

World Aids Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the Aids pandemic, to stand in solidarity as a nation that is affected and infected by the disease. Head of UJ IOHA, Rainny Magcai, concedes that, “It is vital that we as the UJ community stand united as we break down barriers that have been created by stigma and discrimination. Let’s create a safe zone within our community, where students and staff are not defined by circumstance.”

This largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. Ned prefers loud public confrontations to the calmer, more private strategies favoured by his associates, friends, and closeted lover Felix Turner. This difference of opinion leads to frequent arguments that threaten to undermine their mutual goal.

This compelling play will be directed by professional actress and upcoming director, Kgomotso ‘MoMo’ Matsunyane. MoMo attended Wits University and completed an Honours degree in Dramatic Arts, Film and Television in 2011. She has performed in various productions namely, Betrayal, Random Acts, The Core, Sarafina!, Have You Seen Zandile?, Crepuscule, and in the mini-series Shakespeare in Mzansi, to name a few.

Acting UJ Arts & Culture Head, Grace Meadows adds, “As key role players within the arts environment, it is important to identify with, and act upon, the responsibility we have to our direct environment and society at large. It is thus crucial that we become a resounding voice of solidarity by working with organisations such as IOHA to address all issues surrounding various types of stigma. As UJ Arts & Culture, we couldn’t have chosen a better way to wrap up our 2016 programme.”

The Normal Heart is a free reading, and open to the public. It will take place at the UJ Bunting Road Campus, Con Cowan Theatre on 1 December 2016 at 17h30.

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Mobile Phones and Social Media inspire positive behaviour among students - HIVSA

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Non-profit organisation HIVSA kicked off an interactive art installation this week at the UJ student orientation First Year Experience, to raise awareness amongst university students about HIV and behaviours that put them at risk. The innovative mobile pop-up exhibition is running across four UJ campuses, namely Soweto, Kingsway, Bunting and Doornfontein, and was created in collaboration with UJ’s Institutional Office for HIV & AIDS (IOHA).

HIVSA and IOHA peer educators worked together to deliver an experiential art installation that aims to educate, empower and inspire first year students at the University of Johannesburg. Taking place over four days 21, 22, 23 and 28th January 2015, the mobile exhibition aims to incite dialogue and conversation around HIV and risky behaviour among students, and provide links to information and support using CHOMA an interactive online magazine accessible via digital and social media platforms.

The Choma pop-up exhibition showcases three key statistics sourced from the South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey, published by Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) last year. According to the survey, 79% of people believe they are not at risk of contracting HIV. This is the case with many varsity students, particularly first year students who often engage in risky sexual behaviour putting them at risk of contracting STI’s including HIV. This statistic is visually displayed with hanging mannequins reflecting the reality that the majority of young people believe they are not at risk (8 out of 10); while only a minority acknowledge that they are at risk of HIV.

A condom wall at the pop up stall features pink and blue condoms displayed in the shape of “Be Safe”. Multi-coloured condoms are being given freely to the students, as part of Choma’s behaviour change goal to inspire positive behaviour change and to encourage safe sex behaviour. This is in order to increase the statistic stating that only 36% of people use a condom every time they have sex, according to the HSRC survey.

Thulani Machere, HIVSA mobile health community and stakeholder liaison said: “We want young people to personalise these statistics for themselves and empower them to shape attitudes that lead to a healthy lifestyle.”

According to the survey, only 30% of people know the facts about HIV transmission. Students have the chance to join the conversation by writing on a chalk board and making a pledge as to how they are going to keep themselves and their loved one’s safe from HIV transmission. By doing so, the students get the opportunity to engage in knowledge sharing around HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Rainny Magcai, head of UJ Institutional Office for HIV and AIDS, says: “The collaborative partnership between Choma and UJ (IOHA & Campus Health) has lifted us to greater heights; improving our student outreach and impact. We started with first year experience HIV awareness programme, which is already a huge success at the two campuses i.e. APK & APB. Ground breaking today was APB where we received an amazing response, evidence that we have managed to use methods that talks to that particular student’s community. There is therefore clear indication that 2015 is indeed going to be a very successful year in finally having campaigns addressing our student community. Forward we go and united we stand!”

CHOMA is HIVSA's interactive mobi magazine that ensures that everything from love and relationships to inspiration, health, fashion and beauty gets readers coming back on a regular basis. CHOMA’s main goal however, is to engage with young women through Facebook, Mxit, Mobi, and Twitter in a way that inspires and empowers them to be the next HIV free generation. In just over a year CHOMA has built up an audience of over 680 000 subscribers.

For more information about HIVSA contact 011 494 1900 or visit www.hivsa.com. Alternatively, connect with CHOMA Magazine at Choma.mobi, on Facebook, at MyChoma on Mxit, and @Chomamag on Twitter.