Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 12/9/2003

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network

CONTENT:

1 - ETHIOPIA: Tackling HIV/AIDS through music

1 - ETHIOPIA: Tackling HIV/AIDS through music

ADDIS ABABA, 9 December (PLUSNEWS) - Some of Ethiopia’s best-known

musicians have released a song to fight widespread stigma and

discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS.

The eight singers, who are among the country’s best-known vocalists, have

collaborated to produce the hit which is currently being broadcast on

radio and television.

The song - called Compassion in Modernity - and music video was composed

by well-known Ethiopian poet Nebiy Mekonnen. Musicians Gosaye Tesfye,

Tadele Roba, Belayneh, Haile Tadesse, Tsednya Gebre Markos, Abdu

Kiyar, Birhanu Tezera, and Abinet Agonfir all joined forces to sing.

“The singers feel that they have done nothing so far against AIDS,” said

Assafa Gosaye of Admass Advertising who produced the song.

“People love these singers and respect them and the message is not so

direct or aggressive,” he added, congratulating the artists for giving

their time for free.

“The song will mobilise, " he said. " The tone is very passionate and people

will sing along with it naturally and then react accordingly.”

Although HIV/AIDS is not mentioned in the lyrics, they emphasis the

importance of caring for each other.

“It works because it doesn’t say let's fight AIDS but rather sends the

message in a poetic way,” says Assafa.

The project, the brainchild of anti-AIDS charity Family Health

International (FHI), is part of the campaign to promote caring and

compassion for people living with the virus.

Ethiopia has the third highest population living with HIV/AIDS and an

estimated 200,000 children have been orphaned as a result.

FHI believes the song will help in its newly-launched “Compassion,

Sensitivity and Tolerance” (CATS) campaign.

The theme of the campaign, which is in Amharic, is “Let’s talk about what

we do and do what we talk about” and is focused on some of Addis Ababa’s

highest risk groups.

“The campaign is targeted at out-of-school-youth, sex workers and taxi

drivers, so we thought the best and most innovative way to get our message

across was with a music video,” Francesca Stuer, FHI’s head, told

PlusNews.

[ENDS]

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