South Africa's national HIV prevention campaign for teenagers - loveLife - has launched a new billboard series as part of its 'Get attitude' campaign. Building on the concept of a 'Born Free' generation of young South Africans, the billboards urge today's youth to "take back the future" and "embrace life" in the struggle for an AIDS-free generation.
loveLife CEO Dr David Harrison says that in calling for renewed struggle activism, the billboard series moves away from the idea that young people are passive receivers of information about the risks and consequences of their actions: "Instead, it encourages young people to express outrage and actively tackle those attitudes in South African society that drive high risk behaviour - notably attitudes of both men and women that lead to gender inequality and poor communication between parents and children about HIV, sex and sexuality."
The billboard series also reflects the optimism of a born-free generation growing up in post-apartheid South Africa with new opportunities, as well as the persistent challenges of poverty, gender inequality and HIV/AIDS that will only be overcome if attitudes change fundamentally.
"We are very quick to point to what we regard as ingratitude in 'new millennium kids' towards their 'struggle generation' parents without acknowledging that much of the struggle continues," says Harrison.
"Except now the struggle is not against an unjust government and that part of society that supported it, but rather against deeply entrenched attitudes about gender, relationships and sexual behaviour found in every part of South African society."
Previews of the billboards conducted among 12-17 year old focus groups in both urban and rural settings indicate that young people both understand and are challenged by the communication: "loveLife's HIV prevention moves far beyond just education. Much of its emphasis is about motivation and instilling a new sense of identity in young people and a critical part of the new 'born free' identity is belonging to a society that is striving to be AIDS-free.
"With close to 100% of 15-year olds still HIV negative, there is real hope of an AIDS-free generation in our life time."
