Remarks By Minister Jeff Radebe On Behalf Of The Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa At The Official Opening Of The South African Exhibition at the 21st International Aids Conference, Durban International Convention Centre
Good Day! Sanibonani! Dumelang!
If Durban 2000 was a watershed moment in breaking silence about AIDS and the need for treatment, if it was characterised by fear and pain, this South African exhibition says Durban 2016 must be a moment of hope.
We are grateful to the many inspired hands, creative minds and compassionate hearts whose works are on display to narrate our nation’s complex and courageous journey in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
This exhibition speaks of the consequences and the effects of the HIV virus.
It represents the many South Africans who, regardless of their gender, race, age or sexual orientation are forever joined by a common bond.
It says that the South African story is ultimately a story of hope, a story of possibility, a story of dreams.
Ours is a narrative that affirms that it is ultimately in our hands to end AIDS in our lifetime.
At this exhibition, the mosaic of our interconnected journeys of loss and triumph, of love and betrayal, of hope and despair is knit together – narrated and portrayed through the rich repertoire and living heritage of all South Africans.
The quilts speak in ways more moving than words.
They are the authentic expressions of the people behind the statistics.
They represent the indestructible soul of the communities at the forefront of the epidemic.
The exhibition brings home the truth that memory is a resource.
It brings home the truth that memory is a potent weapon to navigate our way to a world free of AIDS.
Our country, continent and the world have poured tears that would have filled rivers because of the devastation brought to humankind by AIDS.
But now it’s our time to heal the pain, to act to protect ourselves.
It is a time for our country and continent to work for social renewal and the wellbeing of all.
In opening this exhibition, allow me to borrow an excerpt from Maya Angelou’s poem, Africa:
Thus she had lain
sugarcane sweet
deserts her hair
golden her feet
mountains her breast
two Niles her tears.
Thus she has lain
Black through the years…
Now she is rising
Remember her pain
Remember her losses
Her screams loud and vain
Her history slain
Now she is striding
Although she has lain
Thank you Team South Africa.
Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Tyrone Seale
Cell: 083 575 7440
