Theatre and Visual Arts: A New Approach to HIV and AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean

From 22-05-2007 to 24-05-2007 (Cuba) 

The regional workshop “Theatre and Visual Arts: A New Approach to HIV and AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean” gathered experts and artists from over 12 countries of the region in Havana from 22 to 24 May 2007, and established the new regional Network of Cultural Experts and Creators Working together in HIV and AIDS Prevention and Care (SIDACULT-net).

This event was organised by UNESCO’s Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean with the collaboration of several United Nations agencies and institutions under the umbrella of the Cuban Ministries of Culture and Public Health.

The workshop aimed at creating a multidisciplinary space for the exchange of experiences and for the assessment of arts-based approaches to HIV and AIDS, with a particular emphasis on theatre and audiovisual productions.

A combination of lectures, debates, artistic performances, exhibitions, and audiovisual creations was used throughout the event to reflect on the impact of arts and creativity on changing individual and collective behaviours regarding the pandemic.

The regional Network of Cultural Experts and Creators Working together in HIV and AIDS prevention and Care (SIDACULT-net) was launched during the last session of the event. The new platform will bring together individuals and institutions involved in arts-based approaches to HIV and AIDS.