A SOCIAL CURE
- HIV is the second most deadly disease in human history, and continues to vie for the prime position. the HI Virus has claimed over 30 MILLION lives since its discovery, and still counting.
- New research and increased accessibility of ARVs have made the realization of a future free from HIV a real possibility.
- What is particular about HIV is that it is a social disease, most commonly contracted through sexual contact; it is affected by social norms. We have had the knowledge and the means to prevent new HIV infections and keep HIV patients alive for decades…So why do we continue to see new infections and AIDS related deaths?
- Our new social networking technologies have allowed researchers to understand how behaviors move through networks at population scale.
- ‘A Social Cure’ offers answers and proposes a path to a future free from HIV. This film gives us the tools to confidently manage our own health and sexuality. It uncovers for us the role we each have in this outcome. This future potential is in our hands.
‘A Social Cure’ is a film made by a team of female and minority filmmakers about marginalized communities. We are dedicated to the promotion of an inclusive film and media industry.
Set in the epicenter of the pandemic, ‘A Social Cure’ explores the most recent innovations moving us toward an HIV-free future. Could our ubiquitous new social networking technologies play a role? Using a combination of talking heads and verite style we hope to both inform and inspire.
Our HIV-free future depends on proliferating testing and pursuant ARV treatment. We look at how we can go beyond one-time testing initiatives to weave the behavior of normalized testing into a community’s social fabric.
We get to know Simi who lives in Khayelitsha, Capetown – South Africa’s largest township where HIV infection rates hover around 25%. Simi’s brother is HIV+. Simi is candid about his behavior – his occasional promiscuity and inconsistent condom use. Simi is about to have his first HIV test.
Noku is HIV positive. She shares her story and those of other courageous members of the HIV community weekly on TV and social media to raise awareness and defeat stigmas surrounding HIV and AIDS.
Guiding us on our journey are representatives of UNAIDS, The CDC and South Africa’s National Dept of Health. Top officials from these organizations raise our awareness to the persistent severity of South Africa’s epidemic and the global pandemic at large.
We learn from high-impact organizations in South Africa such as LoveLife, Cell Life and the Praekelt Foundation how they’ve harnessed the potential of peer influence, influential community leaders and our current networking technologies to spread positive social change.
Sbu is a LoveLife graduate. He lives in Masiphumelele, where HIV infection rates are as high as 40%. Sbu started a group he calls “Man Up” to influence a positive change in his community. His “mighty men” reach out to other men to develop positive behaviors. Will Sbu test with us as well?
‘aSC’ helps dissolve the stigma and fears that prevent HIV testing and empowers audiences to combat social ills in their communities with networking technologies they use every day.