Mali UNAIDS Youth Summit On HIV - Day 4, Time In The Media Spotlight, Meeting A Norwegian Princess (And Finally A Bit Of Mali Life)

Struggling a bit with the heat and fatigue. When I look back at today, I think it’ll be a blur, but a fond fuzzy one at that.

More inspirational speeches, workshops and final touches to the ‘Call to Action’ document took up much of the Mali Youth Summit on HIV penultimate day – though unfortunately I missed chunks of the sessions; running around behind the scenes putting my own final touches to the ‘Traditional Media’ afternoon work group I was asked to facilitate.

What I did catch however was motivation talk at its best. Chinese TV presenter James Chau (CCTV News and World Wide Watch), lead on a few panel discussions – but the lively mood really boomed when he walked around the CIDB (Centre International des Conférences) conference room among the 150+ delegates for a ‘hot potato’ round; asking any youth leaders present to stand up and say one thing on the mic that they thought would aid this HIV social revolution.

There were voices from South Africa, China, Russia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and several more (and I mean SEVERAL more – in the end James didn’t have to walk over to the raised hands, some eager activists just followed him around the room waiting for their shout). I heard everything from “Support young women against HIV stigma and abuse, protect those who will nurture our future”, to “Put funding in the right place, for the people that need it the most, and where we can make the biggest impact”, and more than one saying loud and proud, “This is up to us. We must take responsibility… This is our movement – so let’s take charge right here, right now.”



Then an unexpected cameo appearance - her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (pictured above with our photographer extraordinaire Kris Krug) stood up and stated her support for the HIV social revolution. I have little care for our own Royal Family, and to be honest, I couldn’t give a royal fanny about the Royal Wedding – but Princess Mette-Marit was of a different calibre at this conference; walking around the delegates preaching youth empowerment – renowned for being an engaging, warm speaking and on point youth ambassador for youth initiatives.

“We must mobilise the youth, have faith in our ability, and in our collaboration” said the Princess, adding “If the governments and local communities do not respond, do not wait, create your own networks and initiatives, work at it and make it so you cannot be ignored.”

Then it was my small media time to shine, given the task of explaining the ins and outs of press releases and op-eds, as well as building a strategic plan to push for youth-led media promotion of this summit’s Call to Action. With 5 other working groups happening simultaneously (others on activism, youth leadership, social networking, community engagement and building partnerships) I was happy to have just a concise group of 12 dedicated media players, up for harnessing the awareness and support of the Call to Action. With revolutionary reps and HIV activists from Egypt to Mexico, China and Togo, it was a dynamic media hub of resources geared up to make headlines on ground.



The end presentations were great (including one lead by awesome Tanzanian VJ/DJ starlet Vanessa Mdee - above left) and I hope that 2-hour network time will be a long-lasting one as we take our action plan forward. Yet one spot of realisation I must mention is perhaps a bad assumption generally; that it would be hard for some people at the summit to grasp a session on social media if they did not have readily available internet access, or training in modern media.

True story for some, false for others – a vital factor to consider regardless, and a point brought up already by Mauritian delegate Guffron Rostum yesterday.

However, nearing the end of my work group, Togolese delegate Afawoubo Komi Gagnon (below left) completely flipped perspectives on the issue concerning accessibility to media platforms. Nevermind Twitter (which he has), Facebook and other ‘modern’ social media, the 23 year old stated that when it comes to traditional media: “It will be very difficult in my country as remote areas often do not have TVs, or radio, or the literacy skills are too limited to read newspapers and magazines.”



But being a big media enthusiast eager to learn more about the various processes (which explained his sign up for my work group), we exchanged emails and arranged plans for me to mentor him part-time post conference.

No biggy.

Afawoubo - like with so many of the delegates at this summit - is stating the issues that need to be addressed and not forgotten; and it’s only a good thing to hear such a voice. After the launch of the Call to Action tomorrow (April 17), we must continue to consider the pitfalls and the strengths, and work on both. We should believe in success, but not fear failures – which can be remedied by this immerging global network. And there’s proof with Afawoubo becoming my latest colleague.

Note: It’s late now and my fingers are cramping up. It’s my last night in Mali before the closing tomorrow. I’m off, logging off – as I check out a Mali culture/HIV celebration night, do a little Mali dance, eat a little Mali food, live a bit of Mali life.



Credit: Kris Krug

Final update tomorrow + the official HIV/AIDS Call to Action.