|
Press Release
'Guerilla Art to Fight AIDS in Ethiopia'
December 11, 2002
Mekele, Ethiopia
Ethiopian British artist and his partner, an artist
from New York introduce radical art tactics to raise
AIDS awareness for World AIDS day 2002 in Ethiopia.
For World AIDS day, LIFESIGNS an AIDS awareness art
organization, orchestrated a caravan of camels painted
with AIDS symbols in a student parade through the town
of Axum. The artists and LIFESIGNS members grabbed
cans of red spray paint and stenciled giant AIDS
ribbons on the sides of each camel. (The international
symbol of AIDS, the red ribbon, was originally
designed by VisualAIDS, LIFESIGNS fiscal sponsor in
America) The directors developed the idea from a
brainstorm session on how to raise AIDS awareness with
the nomadic peoples of the dessert Afar region of
Ethiopia. Their commitment to working with indigenous
resources resulted in the camel caravan concept.
The project focuses on preventing HIV through public
art. Art murals have a long history as a catalyst for
social change. The two directors, Simon Desta Ransom
and Angie Eng, both professional artists, advocate
public art as effective daily reminders required to
change behavior.
With the sponsorship of the Lionís Association of
Sacramento, LIFESIGNS purchased over 125,000 condoms
to be distributed freely to customers of local small
pensions, bars and clubs.
Possible future guerilla art activities for AIDS
awareness include painting on outdoor rock mountains
along main transport routes and constructing giant
AIDS ribbons within the dried crops of farm fields
which can be seen from above the mountainous roads.
LIFESIGNS will continue to create art murals with
students in Ethiopia throughout 2003. With the
sponsorship of an American art foundation, mediaThe
inc. they will implement art murals in Mekele this
month. LIFESIGNS is a project in partnership with VisualAIDS, a not-for-profit organization
striving to increase AIDS awareness through the arts.
ëWhen you are dealing with limited resources, limited
access to media and social conservatism, it is
necessary to encourage creative alternative methods of
providing people with vital information which can save
their life from the HIV virus. Art will force people
to stop, look and listen.í
Angie Eng,
Director of LIFESIGNS
|