PORT-AU-PRINCE, April 6, 2006 (AFP) - The UN, the European Union and Canada have joined forces to raise awareness about AIDS in Haiti, the Caribbean country hardest hit by the pandemic, by funding a film titled "Does The Band Leader Have AIDS?"
The fictional film, which premieres in the country Thursday, tells the story of a handsome heartthrob who heads up a band. One day, a woman refuses to sleep with him, saying she wants to protect herself from AIDS, which has affected 173,000 of Haiti's 8.5 million people.
The film is "a promotional tool meant to raise awareness and bring about changes in people's behavior," said Adama Guindo, of the United Nations Development Program in Haiti.
Directed by Haitian filmmaker Arnold Antonin, the film stars Haitian-born actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, who has also appeared in Hollywood films alongside Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Antonin said the film is intended to spark awareness in a society where "people still think of AIDS as an evil spell that can be reversed by voodoo."
"This magical mindset has a negative effect on the fight against AIDS," said Antonin, who has promised to donate half of the film's proceeds to organizations devoted to fighting the disease in Haiti.
According to UN figures, the prevalence of the deadly virus fell from 9.4 percent in 1993 to 3.7 percent in 2004. Among HIV-positive pregnant women, the prevalence was cut in half during that period, dropping from 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent.
060406
AF060416
Copyright ©AFP 2006. All Rights Reserved. AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission. obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics. http://www.afp.com/
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
©1990, 2006 - AEGiS. AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.
