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BOSTON, Massachusetts — In the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda fought against colonialism and imperialism and became the first president of an independent Zambia when he was only 40. Now, 78 years young, he is leading Africa against a new and more insidious enemy — HIV/AIDS. In the latest phase of the struggle, Dr. Kaunda sat in a studio on the campus of Boston University last month and filmed ten television and radio spots that he hopes will help turn back the tide on AIDS on the continent he loves so much. After the taping, a photographer took still photos for the print and outdoor advertising that will also be done. The spots started airing on Zambian television a few days before Christmas day. This marks the first time that a former head of state has agreed to be the central figure in a PSI mass media campaign. The spots were supposed to be filmed in Zambia but Dr. Kaunda left for Boston before they could be done after being invited to spend a year in the United States as the first African President-in-Residence at Boston University's new African Presidential Archives and Research Center. The spots are only the latest collaboration between Dr. Kaunda and the Society for Family Health, PSI's local affiliate. In March, he launched SFH's first voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) center in Lusaka by being the first person to be tested. He was also the keynote speaker at two conferences organized this year in Zambia bringing together church leaders and HIV/AIDS prevention organizations for the first time. Dr. Kaunda openly challenged the church to get more involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and asked church leaders why they have not done more. "Jesus is watching," he said, "and we can no longer keep silent while AIDS is taking our people." The messages, which were produced by SFH but personally edited by Dr. Kaunda, promote understanding and love for HIV positive people, condom use and VCT. Dr. Kaunda spoke from the heart in the spots. "My own son died of AIDS in 1986," he says in one spot. "There were some who thought I should remain silent about it. But Mrs. Kaunda and I decided to make this public. I tell you, if we are to win the battle, we must confront this problem openly." In all three of the VCT spots, he mentions that he himself has already been tested. "I am not asking you to do what I haven't done myself," he says. "I undertook a voluntary test in March 2002. I made public the result." The end of each spot features Dr. Kaunda singing "We will fight and conquer AIDS," his reworking of a song he and other independence leaders used to sing during the fight against colonialism. Dr. Kaunda very much sees his role in the fight against HIV/AIDS extending beyond the borders of Zambia. He personally changed the original slogan of the campaign "One Zambia, One Hope, One Future" (a play on the Zambian national motto "One Zambia, One Nation) to "One Africa, One Hope, One Future." One of the reasons was that he hopes that the spots can be used in other countries. In one of the spots he talks about the Summit of Southern Africa Heads of State that he attended in August 2000 in Windhoek, Namibia. "President Chissano of Mozambique, who was in the chair, said, after I had addressed the heads of state, 'President Kaunda, you led us during the struggle for our independence. Now you are leading us in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. We shall support you.'" —David J. Olson is the Senior Manager for Public Affairs at PSI/Washington.
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