World AIDS Day Gala Concert at the CTICC on 1 December 2006

The Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management and the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University are proud to host a gala concert on World AIDS Day (WAD), 1 December 2006, at the Cape Town nternational Convention Centre (CTICC), in collaboration with the Western Cape Provincial Government.

With the theme “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise”, the WAD event reinforces the goals of the UNAIDS-driven World AIDS Campaign to energise and support an effective and sustained response to HIV/AIDS; and appeals to governments and policy makers to ensure they meet the targets they agreed to in the fight against the pandemic under the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment*.

The Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management presents a unifying theme for events and activities taking place around the world under the WAD banner in a bid to raise awareness about the growing numbers of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa, the rest of the subcontinent and around the world.

The Centre focuses on teaching, research and community service, and falls under the umbrella of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University. It is the largest trainer in HIV/AIDS management activities in the world, and has trained more than 1200 students from 55 countries in post-graduate HIV/AIDS management studies. These courses make a significant contribution in reducing the personal, social and economic consequences of HIV/AIDS.

The Centre is furthermore extensively involved in community mobilisation by using educational theatre, while addressing HIV/AIDS advocacy through music, dance and theatre. Its mission is to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response to HIV and AIDS. This includes preventing the transmission of HIV, providing care and support to people who are living with the virus, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV and alleviating the impact of the epidemic.

Says Professor Jan Du Toit, director of the Centre: “Academic institutions must help transform society by collaborating and creating new programmes across the divides of the past. The Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management and its partners ask everyone to join hands with us in the battle to overcome HIV/AIDS and its effects.”

Partnering with the Africa Centre is the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, an extension of the Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Health Sciences. Their aim is to conduct original, basic and applied research, as well as to provide education and training to students and the community on all aspects relating to tuberculosis. They furthermore facilitate the collaboration between the many researchers involved in both HIV and TB, to ultimately contribute significantly to the control of tuberculosis in Southern Africa, the African continent and other global communities.

'The partnership between these two Stellenbosch University institutions is important. In fact, it is crucial that everyone in the HIV/AIDS and TB fields work together', says Prof Nulda Beyers, director of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre. 'An HIV positive person with a compromised immune system is much more vulnerable to contracting TB, and so both diseases should be fought simultaneously'.

To this end the two centres are also proud to collaborate with world renowned singer, actor and performer, Jimmie Earl Perry, who will launch his CD, Power of the Dream, at the WAD gala concert on 1 December. Perry, whose extensive music, theatre and dance experience has created models and tools to enhance awareness and educate the world about HIV prevention, will perform tracks from his CD at the event. The CD is promoted and distributed worldwide by Gallo South Africa.

Perry concludes: “As you ponder the lyrics of each song on this CD, which were meticulously chosen for their content to stimulate one’s thoughts and emotions, especially at how adaptable and determined the human spirit leads us to bring the best out of everyone. We have the power to eradicate poverty, HIV/AIDS and TB – from the most vulnerable to those who have everything. There was no doubt that using my voice and the music on this CD could motivate awareness in each of us to remake ourselves and help humanity overcome so many challenges.”

Tickets for the gala concert range from R150 to R200 and are available through Computicket.
Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre
Date: 1 December 2006
Doors open: 19:30
Event begins: 20:00

About the various organisations:

The Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management at Stellenbosch University (http://www.aidscentre.sun.ac.za/) is an institution for teaching, research and community service at Stellenbosch University , under the umbrella of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

The aim of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University (http://academic.sun.ac.za/tb/ ) is to conduct original, basic and applied research, as well as to provide education and training to students and the community on all aspects relating to tuberculosis. They furthermore facilitate the collaboration between the many researchers involved in both HIV and TB, to ultimately contribute significantly to the control of tuberculosis in Southern Africa, the African Continent and other global communities.

The UNGASS Declaration of Commitment was signed by all 189 members of the UN in June 2001. The governments of these countries committed themselves to taking action on HIV/AIDS in the fields of leadership, prevention, care and support, treatment, reducing vulnerability, as well as human rights. The agreement by heads of state and representatives of government to support the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS sent a signal from governments that urgency would be needed to address the devastation of the pandemic with leadership, honesty and action.

Issued by:

Mango-Omc

on behalf of: Africa Centre for Hiv Aids Management

For further info:

Nicole Capper
Tel: 021 461 9289
Cell: 073 148 3561
Email: nicole@mango-omc.com

Contact:

Prof Jan du Toit
Director of the Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS management,
Tel: 021 808 3004
Cell: 083 626 3082

Amelia Burger
Wordworx, communication consultant to the Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management
Tel: 021 914 4336
Cell: 082 824 8440