Worldwide, people are commemorating the 25th anniversary of World Aids Day with campaigns, testing events, fundraisers and awareness-raisers of all kinds.
Here in The Bahamas, the Salus Project has partnered with SASH Bahamas (Society against STIs and HIV in The Bahamas) and the Bahamas National Network for Positive Living (BNN+), which were both founded by Victor Rollins, to raise awareness through an exhibition entitled "The Least of These".
The exhibition, which opened Wednesday, November 28 at the Ladder Gallery, New Providence Community Centre, home of New Providence Community Church on Blake Road, gave several young artists an opportunity to "engage the community in this very important conversation" through various forms of media.
Artist Yutavia George used photography in her piece, "Your stigma is childish", to highlight the way society alienates people living with HIV/AIDS through the simple images of children excluding others from their games.
"It is controversial, but it evokes meditation on the treatment of people living with HIV and AIDS in our country," said George. "A school is a microcosm of the real world; if one can remember the 'need to belong' or petty stigmas put on students in school and multiply it by 1,000, they could understand how [hurt] some people living with HIV and AIDS must feel."
The Salus Project, founded by Dr. Graham Cates and his wife, Nurse Anita Cates, chose to highlight HIV/AIDS to "bring awareness, compassion and education to persons infected with HIV/AIDS and those affected [by HIV/AIDS]".
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, which can be divided into HIV-1 and HIV-2) is the virus that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV/AIDS damages a person's immune system which fights off diseases.
HIV is spread primarily by not using a condom when having sex with a person who has HIV; having multiple sex partners; sharing needles, syringes, rinse water or other items used to prepare injection drugs; or being born to an infected mother (through pregnancy, birth or breast-feeding).
Though all unprotected sex with someone who has HIV is risky, Dr. Cates points out that unprotected anal sex is riskier than unprotected vaginal or oral sex. In addition, among men who have sex with men, unprotected receptive anal sex is riskier than unprotected insertive anal sex. The presence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can increase the risk of infection during sex.
It is important to note that HIV cannot reproduce outside the human body. It is not spread through air or water; insects, such as mosquitos; saliva, tears or sweat; casual contact, like shaking hands or sharing dishes; or closed-mouth or "social" kissing.
In order to protect oneself from contracting HIV, Dr. Cates emphasized the importance of knowing one's HIV status; abstaining from sex unless in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; limiting the number of your sex partners; using latex condoms correctly and consistently; getting yourself and your partner tested and treated for STDs; getting circumcised if you are male; avoiding injection drugs; and seeking medical treatment/support if you may have been exposed to HIV.
Salus, which is Latin for wholeness, was founded in the summer of last year, "out of a desire to provide a bridge between art/beauty and health/wellness - two core values of New Providence Community Church". According to Dr. Cates, "the Salus Project invites student artists to come around a theme and create art so as to increase awareness and positive changes in the artist and the wider community."
The first Salus Project exhibition was entitled "5 Elements, 5 Artists", where artists created work related to the five dimensions of wellness: spiritual, financial, physical, emotional and social.
"Art has a unique way of getting a message across. It allows the viewer to pause, think and formulate ideas which might not occur through traditional media methods," said Nurse Cates. "Art brings beauty into our lives and we certainly need more of that."
Dr. Cates and Nurse Cates, through ACE (Awareness Compassion Education), along with Popopstudios Founder and National Art Gallery of The Bahamas Curator John Cox, the Diabetes Research Institute kids' club and St. Andrew's School teacher Rachael Bayles, recently collaborated on a mural near Pompey Museum to raise awareness about diabetes.
"These initiatives are all interconnected to our core values of health and wellness," said Dr. Cates. "We want to provide as many different opportunities for The Bahamas to become aware of and engage in meaningful conversation that will result in positive behavioral changes of a healthy Bahamas."
o For more information about the Salus Project, visit http://www.familymedicinecenter.org/salus-project/.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
