Public Lecture by Judge Edwin Cameron on HIV
Public Lecture by Judge Edwin Cameron on HIV
Judge Edwin Cameron giving his lecture
Nontobeko Zondi, (Modiehi Morakile, Thapelo Kgakatsi and Maureen Motsukunyane)
Recent HIV/AIDS statistics reflects that South Africa has the highest profile HIV epidemic compared to other parts of the world. South Africa had an estimated 7.2 million people living with HIV in 2017. This Public lecture provided a platform for VUT to strengthen consciousness building awareness on the politics of HIV.
The disease spreads through blood products (unclean needles or unscreened blood); mother to baby during pregnancy, labour or nursing; and having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex. In the context of higher education, what is often neglected is the generation of students born post 1994. The period where stigma was rife, plagued by limited knowledge on access to Anti-Retroviral Drugs as well as the bureaucracy process and procedures that served as a barrier to access to treatment.
Hindering a proactive approach to a provision of treatment to people living with HIV between the late 1990’s and early 2000 when the former president of South Africa together with the likes of his presidential cabinet, the then Minister of health, was the denial approach which linked the prevalence of HIV to poverty. His public lecture also touched on the intricacies of race, gender and class. Quoting him in verbatim: “In those times, I could afford Anti-Retroviral Drugs because I had a salary of a Judge” Without taking pride on his words, his life is one of despair and turning into hope. His major appeal and emphasis was adopting a culture of practicing safer sex.
The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Institutional HIV/Aids Unit (IHAU) in partnership with Community Engagements, invited Judge Edwin Cameron from the Constitutional Court of South Africa to give a public lecture on the topic: Life with HIV/Aids titled: The Political and the Personal, on the 18th of October at the Desmond Tutu Great Hall. He carefully chose the topic because the prevalence of HIV has unfolded in a political context characterised by a tough journey with strong activism that emerged as a response to challenging the constitution of South Africa towards the recognition of people living with AIDS. Bearing witness to the activism that emerged was the Treatment Action Campaign under the founding of Mark Haywood, Zackie Achmat and the likes.
In the journey of the TAC, Justice Edwin Cameron mentioned Gugu Dlamini who lost her life, and Simon Nkuli who died of shame.
The importance of the Public Lecture is also a continuous effort to adhere to one of the key mandates of Community Engaged Scholarship with a vision of knowledge development, dissemination and co-creation with communities. Concerns raised such as “women being tested more than men”, despite how ordinary it may sound, is a critical reflection that requires further dialogue as points of knowledge from the community
In his lecture, Justice Cameron shared his background not only as an HIV/Aids activistm but also an LGBTI activist. Most profound, he informed the audience, is that the disease is manageable and preventable. He reiterated the importance of sticking to treatment and adopting a healthy living life. As one of the stigmatised diseases in the world, he encouraged the public to break the silence by talking about HIV. His lecture finds resonance in the fact that HIV knows no boundaries, thus a call for more voice on the matter.
The Public lecture was profound and strategic within VUT given the fact the university is heavily grounded on science and technology, thus could potential compromise humanities where such conversations has a space.
With his statement that the disease has no margins, through how it affects us all in some way, is worth applauding. In closing he said: “Start with yourself and change the world”.
Ms Maureen Motsukunyane, Director: HIV/Aids Programme said it served as a benchmark on how we position ourselves as an institution of higher learning to our surrounding contextual realities. “By this, we imply our surrounding communities that are faced with growing poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence in all forms, interrelated with the growing statistics of the HIV epidemic,” she said. Community Engagement also vowed and availed itself to travel the journey with IHAU through Engaged Scholarship with its fundamental nature of knowledge creation in a manner that acknowledges communities as custodians and bearers of knowledge. Embedded in this are critical components of mutuality and reciprocity in knowledge creation and dissemination
Judge Cameron interacted with the audience by answering the questions and comments shared. The public lecture was also braced by a very phenomenal musical group of students, who conveyed politics of marginalization in their creative and melodious voices. They started off by singing within VUT, behind the cafeteria. They emerge from a bigger group of student artists called, Back of The Caff (VUT BOTC). They genre encompasses acoustic, acapella, poetry and mostly unplugged. As a background, Community Engagement provided them with training on basic political studies, a one-week workshop, including the dynamics of the music industry in the current South African Political juncture. They produced music that touched on HIV, behavioral factors such as the “Blessers and Sugar Daddy” issues that contributes to the spread of HIV and in this line of thinking. That is why the MOL was invited. It is politically.
In order to broaden this project, a video will be produced. Professor Gordon Zide, The Vice-Chancellor and Principal of VUT and Professor Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo, The Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic and Research suggested that such material should be put online, and also used as educational tools in the libraries.
The house called for another visit by Justice Cameroon. He was very delighted to come to VUT. What a wonderful soul.
Judge Cameron interacting with the audience
