TEDGlobal 2010
Annie Lennox: Why I am an HIV/AIDS activist
Filmed:
Readability: 4.2
542,975 views
For the last eight years, pop singer Annie Lennox has devoted the majority of her time to her SING campaign, raising awareness and money to combat HIV/AIDS. She shares the experiences that have inspired her, from working with Nelson Mandela to meeting a little African girl in a desperate situation.
Annie Lennox - Activist, singer-songwriter
The most successful female British pop musician in history, Annie Lennox has now committed herself to raising awareness of, and supporting actions against, the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Full bio
The most successful female British pop musician in history, Annie Lennox has now committed herself to raising awareness of, and supporting actions against, the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
I'm going to share with you the story
0
0
3000
00:18
as to how I have become
1
3000
2000
00:20
an HIV/AIDS campaigner.
2
5000
3000
00:23
And this is the name of my campaign: SING Campaign.
3
8000
3000
00:27
In November of 2003,
4
12000
2000
00:29
I was invited to take part
5
14000
2000
00:31
in the launch of Nelson Mandela's
6
16000
2000
00:33
46664 Foundation --
7
18000
3000
00:36
that is his HIV/AIDS foundation.
8
21000
2000
00:38
And 46664 is the number
9
23000
2000
00:40
that Mandela had when he was imprisoned in Robben Island.
10
25000
3000
00:44
And that's me with Youssou N'Dour,
11
29000
2000
00:46
onstage, having the time of my life.
12
31000
3000
00:51
The next day, all the artists were invited
13
36000
2000
00:53
to join Mandela in Robben Island,
14
38000
3000
00:56
where he was going to give a conference
15
41000
2000
00:58
to the world's press,
16
43000
3000
01:01
standing in front of his former prison cell.
17
46000
2000
01:03
You can see the bars of the window there.
18
48000
3000
01:06
It was quite a momentous occasion for all of us.
19
51000
3000
01:09
In that moment in time,
20
54000
2000
01:11
Mandela told the world's press
21
56000
3000
01:14
that there was a virtual genocide
22
59000
2000
01:16
taking place in his country;
23
61000
2000
01:18
that post-apartheid
24
63000
2000
01:20
Rainbow Nation,
25
65000
2000
01:22
a thousand people were dying on a daily basis
26
67000
3000
01:25
and that the front line victims,
27
70000
2000
01:27
the most vulnerable of all,
28
72000
2000
01:29
were women and children.
29
74000
3000
01:32
This was a huge impact on my mind,
30
77000
3000
01:35
because I am a woman and I am a mother,
31
80000
3000
01:38
and I hadn't realized
32
83000
2000
01:40
that the HIV/AIDS pandemic
33
85000
2000
01:42
was directly affecting women in such a way.
34
87000
3000
01:45
And so I committed -- when I left South Africa,
35
90000
2000
01:47
when I left Capetown,
36
92000
2000
01:49
I told myself, "This is going to be something
37
94000
2000
01:51
that I have to talk about.
38
96000
2000
01:53
I have to serve."
39
98000
2000
01:55
And so, subsequently
40
100000
2000
01:57
I participated in every single
41
102000
2000
01:59
46664 event
42
104000
2000
02:01
that I could take part in
43
106000
2000
02:03
and gave news conferences,
44
108000
2000
02:05
interviews,
45
110000
2000
02:07
talking and using my platform as a musician,
46
112000
3000
02:10
with my commitment to Mandela --
47
115000
2000
02:12
out of respect for the tremendous,
48
117000
3000
02:15
unbelievable work that he had done.
49
120000
2000
02:17
Everyone in the world respects Nelson Mandela,
50
122000
3000
02:20
everyone reveres Nelson Mandela.
51
125000
2000
02:22
But do they all know
52
127000
2000
02:24
about what has been taking place in South Africa,
53
129000
2000
02:26
his country,
54
131000
2000
02:29
the country that had one of the highest incidents
55
134000
2000
02:31
of transmission of the virus?
56
136000
2000
02:33
I think that if I went out into the street now
57
138000
3000
02:36
and I told people what was happening there,
58
141000
2000
02:38
they would be shocked.
59
143000
3000
02:41
I was very, very fortunate a couple of years later
60
146000
3000
02:44
to have met Zackie Achmat,
61
149000
2000
02:46
the founder of Treatment Action Campaign,
62
151000
2000
02:48
an incredible campaigner and activist.
63
153000
3000
02:51
I met him at a 46664 event.
64
156000
2000
02:53
He was wearing a t-shirt like the one I wear now.
65
158000
2000
02:55
This is a tool --
66
160000
2000
02:57
this tells you I am in solidarity
67
162000
2000
02:59
with people who have HIV,
68
164000
3000
03:02
people who are living with HIV.
69
167000
2000
03:04
And in a way because of the stigma, by wearing this t-shirt
70
169000
3000
03:07
I say, "Yes, we can talk about this issue.
71
172000
3000
03:10
It doesn't have to be in the closet."
72
175000
3000
03:13
I became a member of Treatment Action Campaign
73
178000
3000
03:16
and I'm very proud to be a member
74
181000
2000
03:18
of that incredible organization.
75
183000
2000
03:20
It's a grassroots campaign
76
185000
2000
03:22
with 80 percent membership being women,
77
187000
3000
03:25
most of whom are HIV-positive.
78
190000
3000
03:28
They work in the field.
79
193000
2000
03:30
They have tremendous outreach
80
195000
3000
03:33
to the people who are living directly
81
198000
2000
03:35
with the effects of the virus.
82
200000
2000
03:37
They have education programs.
83
202000
3000
03:40
They bring out the issues of stigma.
84
205000
3000
03:43
It's quite extraordinary what they do.
85
208000
3000
03:46
And yes, my SING Campaign
86
211000
2000
03:48
has supported Treatment Action Campaign
87
213000
2000
03:50
in the way that I have tried to raise awareness
88
215000
3000
03:53
and to try to also raise funds.
89
218000
2000
03:55
A lot of the funding that I have managed to raise
90
220000
2000
03:57
has gone directly to Treatment Action Campaign
91
222000
2000
03:59
and the incredible work that they do,
92
224000
2000
04:01
and are still continuing to do in South Africa.
93
226000
3000
04:04
So this is my SING Campaign.
94
229000
2000
04:06
SING Campaign is basically just me
95
231000
2000
04:08
and about three or four wonderful people
96
233000
2000
04:10
who help to support me.
97
235000
2000
04:12
I've traveled all over the world
98
237000
2000
04:14
in the last two and a half years --
99
239000
2000
04:16
I went to about 12 different countries.
100
241000
2000
04:18
Here I am in Oslo in Norway,
101
243000
2000
04:20
getting a nice, fat check;
102
245000
3000
04:23
singing in Hong Kong, trying to get people to raise money.
103
248000
3000
04:26
In Johannesburg, I had the opportunity to play
104
251000
3000
04:29
to a mainly white, middle-class South African audience
105
254000
2000
04:31
who ended up in tears
106
256000
2000
04:33
because I use film clips
107
258000
2000
04:35
that really touch the heart, the whole nature,
108
260000
2000
04:37
of this terrible tragedy that is taking place,
109
262000
3000
04:40
that people are tending to avoid,
110
265000
2000
04:42
because they are fatigued,
111
267000
2000
04:44
and they really don't quite know what the solutions are.
112
269000
3000
04:47
Aaron Motsoaledi, the current health minister,
113
272000
2000
04:49
attended that concert
114
274000
2000
04:51
and I had an opportunity to meet with him,
115
276000
2000
04:53
and he gave his absolute commitment
116
278000
2000
04:55
to try to making a change,
117
280000
2000
04:57
which is absolutely necessary.
118
282000
2000
04:59
This is in the Scottish Parliament.
119
284000
2000
05:01
I've subsequently become an envoy
120
286000
2000
05:03
for Scotland and HIV.
121
288000
2000
05:05
And I was showing them my experiences
122
290000
2000
05:07
and trying to, again, raise awareness.
123
292000
3000
05:10
And once again, in Edinburgh
124
295000
2000
05:12
with the wonderful African Children's Choir who I simply adore.
125
297000
3000
05:15
And it's children like this, many of whom have been orphaned
126
300000
3000
05:18
because of their family being affected
127
303000
3000
05:21
by the AIDS virus.
128
306000
2000
05:23
I'm sitting here in New York with Michel Sidibe --
129
308000
3000
05:26
he's the director of UNAIDS.
130
311000
2000
05:28
And I'm very honored
131
313000
2000
05:30
by the fact that Michel invited me,
132
315000
2000
05:32
only a few months ago,
133
317000
2000
05:34
to become a UNAIDS ambassador.
134
319000
2000
05:36
And in this way, I've been strengthening my platform
135
321000
3000
05:39
and broadening my outreach.
136
324000
2000
05:41
The message that UNAIDS
137
326000
2000
05:43
are currently sending out to the world
138
328000
2000
05:45
is that we would like to see the virtual elimination
139
330000
3000
05:48
of the transmission of the virus
140
333000
2000
05:50
from mother to child by 2015.
141
335000
3000
05:53
It's a very ambitious goal
142
338000
2000
05:55
but we believe it can be achieved with political will.
143
340000
3000
05:58
This can happen.
144
343000
2000
06:00
And here I am with a pregnant woman,
145
345000
2000
06:02
who is HIV positive
146
347000
2000
06:04
and we're smiling, both of us are smiling, because we're very confident,
147
349000
3000
06:07
because we know that that young woman
148
352000
3000
06:10
is receiving treatment
149
355000
2000
06:12
so her life can be extended
150
357000
2000
06:14
to take care of the baby she's about to give birth to.
151
359000
3000
06:17
And her baby will receive PMTCT,
152
362000
3000
06:20
which will mean that that baby
153
365000
2000
06:22
can be born free of the virus.
154
367000
2000
06:24
Now that is prevention
155
369000
2000
06:26
at the very beginning of life.
156
371000
2000
06:28
It's one way to start looking at intervention
157
373000
3000
06:31
with the AIDS pandemic.
158
376000
2000
06:33
Now, I just would like to finish off
159
378000
2000
06:35
to tell you the little story
160
380000
2000
06:37
about Avelile.
161
382000
2000
06:39
This is Avelile --
162
384000
2000
06:41
she goes with me wherever I go.
163
386000
2000
06:43
I tell her story to everyone
164
388000
2000
06:45
because she represents
165
390000
2000
06:47
one of millions
166
392000
2000
06:49
of HIV/AIDS orphans.
167
394000
2000
06:51
Avelile's mother
168
396000
2000
06:53
had HIV virus --
169
398000
2000
06:55
she died
170
400000
2000
06:57
from AIDS-related illness.
171
402000
2000
06:59
Avelile had the virus,
172
404000
2000
07:01
she was born with the virus.
173
406000
2000
07:03
And here she is at seven years old,
174
408000
3000
07:06
weighing no more than a one year-old baby.
175
411000
2000
07:08
At this point in her life,
176
413000
2000
07:10
she's suffering with full-blown AIDS
177
415000
2000
07:12
and had pneumonia.
178
417000
2000
07:14
We met her in a hospital in the Eastern Cape
179
419000
3000
07:17
and spent a whole afternoon with her -- an adorable child.
180
422000
3000
07:20
The doctors and nurses were phenomenal.
181
425000
2000
07:22
They put her on very special nutritious diet
182
427000
3000
07:25
and took great care of her.
183
430000
3000
07:28
And we didn't know when we left the hospital --
184
433000
2000
07:30
because we filmed her story -- we didn't know if she was going to survive.
185
435000
3000
07:33
So, it was obviously -- it was a very emotional encounter
186
438000
3000
07:36
and left us feeling very resonant
187
441000
2000
07:38
with this direct experience, this one child,
188
443000
3000
07:41
you know, that story.
189
446000
2000
07:43
Five months later,
190
448000
3000
07:46
we went back to South Africa
191
451000
2000
07:48
to meet Avelile again.
192
453000
3000
07:51
And I'm getting --
193
456000
2000
07:53
the hairs on my -- I don't know if you can see the hairs on my arms.
194
458000
2000
07:55
They're standing up because I know what I'm going to show you.
195
460000
3000
07:58
This is the transformation that took place.
196
463000
3000
08:03
Isn't it extraordinary?
197
468000
2000
08:05
(Applause)
198
470000
10000
08:15
That round of applause is actually
199
480000
2000
08:17
for the doctors and nurses of the hospital who took care of Avelile.
200
482000
3000
08:20
And I take it that you appreciate that kind of transformation.
201
485000
3000
08:24
So, I would like to say to you,
202
489000
2000
08:26
each one in the audience,
203
491000
2000
08:28
if you feel that every mother
204
493000
3000
08:31
and every child in the world
205
496000
2000
08:33
has the right to have access
206
498000
2000
08:35
to good nutrition and good medical care,
207
500000
3000
08:38
and you believe that the Millennium Development Goals,
208
503000
3000
08:41
specifically five and six,
209
506000
2000
08:43
should be absolutely committed to
210
508000
3000
08:46
by all governments around the world --
211
511000
2000
08:48
especially in sub-Saharan Africa --
212
513000
2000
08:50
could you please stand up.
213
515000
2000
08:58
I think that's fair to say,
214
523000
2000
09:00
it's almost everyone in the hall.
215
525000
3000
09:03
Thank you very much.
216
528000
2000
09:05
(Applause)
217
530000
4000
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Annie Lennox - Activist, singer-songwriterThe most successful female British pop musician in history, Annie Lennox has now committed herself to raising awareness of, and supporting actions against, the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.
Why you should listen
After decades of global fame as part of Eurythmics and as a solo artist, Annie Lennox was moved by Nelson Mandela's call to stop the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa, where it disproportionately affects women and children. She founded the SING campaign in 2007 to raise both awareness and money. "This is an illness that has a lot of stigma," Lennox says on her video blog. "What we need to do is normalize HIV."
Drawing on her talents, she combines music and film to put a human face on the crisis and emotionally connect people to the cause. South Africa has a tradition of activist songs and singing; inspired by this, in spring 2007 Lennox invited 23 female artists to record the benefit single "Sing." The record incorporates the South African activist song "Jikelele," which means "global treatment." So far, sales of "Sing" have raised 100,000 pounds, while other appearances since then have multiplied that sum. SING's money goes to support efforts such as the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which works to fight mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Lennox is active in many other causes, both personal and political; in 2008 she was awarded the Services to Humanity Award by the British Red Cross.
Annie Lennox | Speaker | TED.com