Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc.; Friday September 4, 1998
Anna Wardenburg
In the 20th Century Fox summer movie hit "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," about a 40-year-old American woman who falls for a 20-year-old Jamaican man, the character played by star Angela Bassett is asked by her sister if she feared getting AIDS in Jamaica.
But another sister interrupts, saying, "No, that's Haiti, Miss Manners." "The people at Fox forget that the virus came from the United States. We deplore that this company would say such a thing," Dr. Michaele Amedee-Gedeon, general director of Haiti's Ministry of Health, told Reuters.
"We accuse them of ignorance and judgment without proof," Amedee-Gedeon said. Officials at Haiti's Ministry of Tourism have also spoken out against the movie. The reference has been an unwelcome reminder to Haitian-Americans of the stigma attached to their homeland in the 1980s, when the world became aware of AIDS. Some scientists attempting to track the cause of the deadly disease incorrectly theorized that it was brought back to the United States by homosexual tourists who had visited Haiti.
That belief prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta to list Haitians as one of four high-risk groups for AIDS, with homosexuals, hemophiliacs and heroin users. Haitians were removed from the list in 1991. According to international health organizations, about 5 percent of adults in Haiti are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, compared with a U.S. rate of less than 1 percent.
Haitian-Americans have staged protests against the movie, saying it revives an old, unfair stereotype. They have called for a boycott and asked Fox to delete the exchange from the film.
"Stella's got the wrong groove," said a flier distributed outside movie theaters in the New York area.
"It affects Haitians everywhere. We're trying to get out of this darkness we've been in for so long, and then we're slapped again," said Jimmy Jacques, the producer of a Haitian television show in the Washington area.
A spokeswoman for 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles said the studio had no comment on or response to the Haitian protests.
980904
RE980901
Copyright © 1998 - Reuters, Ltd. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Contact Reuters.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1998. AEGiS. 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. .