Whisper not wows SABCOHA Peer Educator Conference

Posted by giles in Talks

15 authors on our bookmark: Christy-Joy Webster is the last smiling face, Nomfundo Xotyeni the fifth from last portrait.

Two of our authors, Christy-Joy Webster and Nomfundo Xotyeni, represented Openly Positive at the recent SABCOHA conference for South African Peer Educators at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Gauteng.  Christy-Joy led a session on Supporting the Care-giver, a theme central to her story in our Whisper not collection, while Nomfundo Xotyeni talked about the importance of self-support in the context of her story, The Hero Lies Within You.

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Openly Positive contributes to HAICU Conference at UCT

Posted by giles in Talks

Derrick Fine represented Openly Positive at a University of Cape Town (UCT) Colloquium on Narrative and Nostalgia in HIV Education and Research, hosted by HAICU (the HIV/AIDS Institutional Co-ordination Unit at UCT) on 21 September 2011.

Derrick showed the Whisper Not DVD and spoke on Reflections on using our stories of living with HIV in education. He concluded: “HIV and AIDS stigma, silence and denial is still with us, and we hope our stories will help reduce stigma and encourage other people living with or affected by HIV to disclose and tell their stories when they feel ready.

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Kalk Bay Books pre-publicity for Whisper not

Posted by Andy in Talks, Whisper not

Mthokozisi Radebe, Elaine Maane and Jean-Claude Puati Bazola at Kalk Bay Books.

On 2 March 2011, Elaine Maane and Whisper not authors, Mthokozisi Radebe and Jean-Claude Puati Bazola spoke at Cape Town Pride’s Book Affair at Kalk Bay Books to publicise the launch of the Whisper not series on 4 May 2011.

After Elaine introduced Openly Positive and the Whisper not series, Mthokozisi spoke about his upbringing in Ntuzuma in KwaZulu-Natal, and how he came to terms with coming out around his sexuality and disclosing his HIV status as a young man:

“I had questions from my family around my sexuality and this forced me to show up and admit to being attracted to men. When I learned that I was living with HIV, I felt I had the responsibility to let my family know that this is what I was facing. I believe I’m living with HIV because I have lessons to learn that I wouldn’t give a cent to learn otherwise.”

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World AIDS Day Talks

Posted by Andy in Talks

On 1 December 2010, Derrick Fine spoke to a community World AIDS Day commemoration gathering at the Fisantekraal Library on what they could do to promote positive living and human rights around HIV.

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South African Police Service (SAPS) Talk

Posted by Openly Positive in News, Talks

On 21 May 2010, Derrick Fine addressed 400 recruits at the SAPS Bishop Lavis Training Institution’s International HIV/AIDS Candlelight Memorial on Living Positively with HIV.

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