African Film Against Stigma

posted: 11/05/2011

No Blame, No Shame is an epic new HIV health promotion film from the African Health Policy Network (AHPN). The film tackles the taboos and stigma surrounding HIV infection in UK’s African community. No Blame, No Shame features top comedian Gina Yashere, alongside HIV positive UK Africans, in a film made by Angus Malcolm.
 

No Stigma in living with HIV

No Blame, No Shame is an online video that is also available as a DVD, promoting the African Health Policy Network’s Public Faces  campaign, that there is no stigma in living with HIV and that stigmatising attitudes only help spread HIV.
 

Watch No Blame, No Shame here
 

Eunice Sinyemu, Head of Policy and Deputy Chief Executive at AHPN says “We have to challenge the stigma around HIV in the UK's African communities. It stops individuals from getting tested, which means they don’t get the treatment they need, and are more likely to infect others. With Gina’s help, we are confident we can get this message across in a colourful, punchy and accessible way.”
“Gina is much-loved in the African community, and having a big name on board is really going to help us reach our audience.”

Wide distribution

AHPN is promoting the film to reach as many people in the African community as possible, including viral marketing and distribution on DVD, use in training for a wide range of specialists and professionals, faith leaders and communities, local and national policy makers, workers in the health and social care sectors, local and national media.

Read about the comedian Gina Yashere

The film was made by Angus Malcolm, writer and producer. With a background in healthcare, including several years in the AIDS Unit at the Department of Health, Angus specialises in producing low-cost media for the statutory and not-for-profit sectors, especially education and healthcare.

No Blame, No Shame
 

AIDS Denial Again

posted: 19/11/2009

HIV/AIDS denial has reappeared once more with the film House Of Numbers. It was shown at the Raindance Film Festival in London and the Spectator magazine has just gone for sensationalism too - an article and screening for this scientifically ignorant film.

However the Spectator's screening had to be cancelled – too many of the speakers for their after-film debate pulled out.

Sunday Times denialism, part 2

Some years ago, the Sunday Times ran a long campaign of disinformation about HIV when its editor was Andrew Neil and its Science correspondent Neville Hodgkinson. Now the latest denialist article, in the Spectator, was written by the same Neville Hodgkinson. The Spectator's publisher is also the same Andrew Neil. Its editor is Fraser Nelson, who took over suddenly in August and is described on Wikipedia as "a contrarian with respect to several contemporary scientific issues", including HIV and global warming.
 

Only starting a debate?
A lot of strangeness can be excused with the claim that you are "simply starting a debate". The AIDS denialist documentary House of Numbers has seen the London Raindance film festival explaining that they were proud to show it, and a senior programmer appeared on YouTube saying they had gone through the film at 15-second intervals, finding no inaccuracies at all.
No inaccuracies at all is amazing for a film which suggests

• that HIV doesn't cause AIDS, but antiretroviral drugs, or poverty, or drug use are the cause
• HIV probably doesn't exist
• diagnostic tools don't work
• AIDS is simply a spurious basket diagnosis invented to sell antiretroviral medication for a wide range of unrelated problems
• treatments don't work.

Fraser Nelson, political editor of the Spectator, promoting the Spectator screening said: "Is it legitimate to discuss the strength of the link between HIV and AIDS? It's one of these hugely emotive subjects, with a fairly strong and vociferous lobby saying that any open discussion is deplorable and tantamount to AIDS denialism. Whenever any debate hits this level, I get deeply suspicious."
 

Facts against Denial
Do we need to remind ourselves that between 2000 and 2005 South Africa's health policy was based on denial, the belief that HIV does not cause AIDS, and it refused to roll out adequate antiretroviral therapy. It has been estimated in first one and then a second study that around 350,000 people died unnecessarily in South African during this period. 
 

We should also remember that "teach the controversy" is a trick used by American creationists, and anti-vaccination campaigners. These groups know that with modern media, where truth is assumed to be halfway between the two most extreme views, raising doubts often wins.
 

18 doctors in film repudiate it
Since the film's release, 18 of the doctors interviewed in the film released a statement saying they had been "deceived" and that the film "perpetuates pseudo-science and myths".
The statement, signed by all 18, added: "[The film] presents the AIDS denialist agenda as being a legitimate scientific perspective on HIV/AIDS, when it is no such thing."

Sources and more details    one   two   three    four