Women's stories mark World AIDS Day

Friday, 30 November 2007

"HIV is forever, there is no cure and it sings
its song in your blood for the rest of your life"

From 'Songs in the Blood'

In South Australia, 10% of the HIV-positive population are women. These are our mothers, sisters, wives, partners, daughters, wives, aunties and friends who live every day, often secretly with HIV singing its song in their blood and resonating into every aspect of their lives.

'Songs in the Blood', a new radio play produced and directed by Logan Bold, seeks to sing some of these stories and draws directly from a group of 14 HIV-positive and affected women who participated in the "Women's Voices" project run by the HIV Women's Project at Women's Health Statewide.

These women participated in a series of writing workshops, facilitated by Adelaide writer Elizabeth Mansutti, who then shaped their stories into a 30-minute radio play. It tells the stories of these women through a series of monologues which are overlaid with the menacing sounds of The Song of the Virus and the moving melancholy of The Song of the Woman, produced by local musicians Heather Frahn, Stephan Richter and Ingrid Wangel.

"The 14 stories and the two songs entwine to form a soundscape that channels the women's sadness and joy as they share the positive and negative through the 14 actors who breathe life into their words," Mr Bold says.

"Together, their songs create a 'choir of hard knocks', striking the chord of courage and harmonising with honesty to highlight some of the concerns of HIV-positive and affected women living among us, while also providing greater visibility for this marginalised community."

'Songs in the Blood' is an initiative of Women's Health Statewide, a community service of the Children's, Youth & Women's Health Service. It was funded by the Government of South Australia through Arts SA and produced at the studios of Radio Adelaide as part of AIDS Awareness Week 2007.

'Songs in the Blood - Stories of Women living with HIV'
12.00 noon on World AIDS Day, Saturday 1 December 2007
Radio Adelaide 101.5 FM

Visit www.radio.adelaide.edu.au and click on the 'Songs in the Blood' web box to find out more.

Radio Adelaide is the University of Adelaide's community radio station.

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