Focus on community mobilisation

One of the Africa Centre’s constitutional aims is to develop and implement community service projects related to the management of HIV and AIDS. This is done through the Africa Institute for HIV/AIDS management, a non-profit organisation established in October 2005. Driven by the centre’s director of educational theatre and creative arts, Professor Jimmie Earl Perry, the institute’s HIV/AIDS educational theatre interventions have been used with great success amongst farm workers, schools, churches and private concerns.

Using the tools of drama, music and dance

Education plays a major role in behaviour modification and the institute uses the educational theatre approach towards HIV and AIDS related education, abstinence and prevention programmes. This approach is effective in overcoming the obstacles of low literacy levels and the strategy is guaranteed to push people’s emotional buttons and inspire them to truly engage in the topic at hand.

Drama, music and dance are the most popular art forms and accessible communication mediums in the world and have great potential as an effective, interactive approach to HIV and AIDS education. Drama and dance specifically are the most social art forms and uses the tools of myth and metaphor that are common to all societies and particularly familiar in Africa. Music, on the other hand, is the most accessible, popular and influential of art forms.

The aim of using these art forms is to bring about a change in the target community’s perception of the world and more importantly, of themselves as individuals within the world. With these art forms, we challenge the individual and the community to examine their attitudes towards all aspects of HIV and AIDS. The Africa Institute believes in giving hope to people living with HIV and AIDS and encouraging behaviour changes through education.