Media, Entertainment Industries Unite for HIV/AIDS Gala
On World AIDS Day 2007, Ukraine’s top celebrities united for two dynamic events, a nationally-broadcasted “StopAIDS” telethon and the SOSstradenie (Compassion) charitable gala-concert at the Ukraina Palace in Kyiv, to demonstrate their support for people living with HIV (PLWH) and raise awareness about the country’s surging HIV/AIDS epidemic. Ukraine is home to Europe’s fasting growing HIV epidemic; 80 percent of those living with AIDS here are under age 30.
On December 1, nearly 5,000 youth and adults attended the SOSstradenie gala-concert, organized by a coalition of leading HIV/AIDS organizations and businesses in Ukraine. Supporters included International Charitable Foundation of Liliya Podkopaeva Health of Generations, the USAID-supported Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS/Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (TPAA/GBC), the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH, Mainstream Communication & Consulting, and the Olena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation. Financial support was provided by Partner-Bank and the KONTI Company.
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Ukrainian musicians rocked the Ukraina Palace at a concert to support PLWH
Photo Credit: Antonina Yaresko |
In addition to attracting attention to the growing threat of HIV/AIDS in Ukraine, the concert’s goal was to urge the public and government officials to take proactive steps to curb the epidemic’s spread. The event stressed that HIV/AIDS affects everyone, and promoted non-discrimination and tolerance towards those living with HIV/AIDS. Participating Ukrainian celebrities included singers Natalya Mohylevska, Ani Lorak, Tina Karol, Vitaliy Kozlovsky, Oleksandr Ponamaryov, Gaitana, Victor Pavlik, EL Kravchuk, Alyona Vinnitskaya, Marta, Katya Chili, LAMA; groups Alibi, S.K.A.Y. and Jango; Liliya Podkopaeva and the Free-Art ballet company, equilibrist Anatoliy Zalevskiy, and the Rizoma theatre.
Participant Liliya Podkopaeva, Olympic gymnastics champion and UN Goodwill Ambassador on HIV/AIDS in Ukraine, was among those who spoke about the concert’s theme, “Keep Living.”
“We must not forget about tolerance and humanity in our everyday struggle for life,” she said. “Stars of Ukrainian show business have gathered, eager to lend their helping hands to people who need this support very much. We all have allied in this action to tell HIV-positive people – LIVE! We appeal to society not to shut its eyes and not to stay on the sidelines, but to face this epidemic [united]. I ask our government representatives not forget about this problem and do all they can for people to live and not die!’
As a complement to the charitable gala-concert, Ukraine’s TV Channel 5 broadcast a four-hour “StopAIDS” telethon as part of the Ukrainian Media Partnership’s StopAIDS: Affects Everyone campaign. A number of Ukrainian celebrities and notable guests such as musicians Mariya Burmaka and Fagot, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine Jeremy Hartley, and UNAIDS Country Coordinator Anna Shakarishvili, participated in the live program. Discussion topics included an assessment of government policies toward HIV/AIDS; the impact of political instability on Ukraine’s ability to combat the epidemic; overcoming the stigma of HIV in Ukraine; and the rights of PLWH. The telethon also included a special screening of the documentary, “Street Children and HIV” by Igor Slisarenko. The program was a collaborative effort of TPAA/GBC, TV Channel 5, the Petro Poroshenko Foundation, the International Charitable Foundation of Liliya Podkopaeva Health of Generations and the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH.
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