Mandela's Son Dies Of AIDS

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

MrsSpringsteen

Blue Crack Addict
Joined
Nov 30, 2002
Messages
29,244
Location
Edge's beanie closet
:(

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/01/06/mandela.son.reut/index.html

"Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and to say somebody has died because of HIV/AIDS. And people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary," said a frail-looking Mandela, surrounded by his grandchildren and other family members.
 
Nelson Mandela's Son Dies of AIDS

Breaking Taboo, Mandela Says Son Died of AIDS

By John Chiahemen
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Nelson Mandela, one of Africa's most committed campaigners in the battle against AIDS, announced that his only surviving son had succumbed to the disease on Thursday.

Makgatho Mandela, 54, died in a Johannesburg clinic where he had been receiving treatment for more than a month. His wife Zondi died in 2003 from pneumonia.

"I announce that my son has died of AIDS," the 86-year-old Nobel Peace laureate told a news conference, urging a redoubled fight against the disease.

"Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and to say somebody has died because of HIV/AIDS. And people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary," said a frail-looking Mandela, surrounded by his grandchildren and other family members.

Mandela's announcement of his personal AIDS tragedy challenged the widespread taboo which keeps many Africans from discussing an epidemic which now infects more than 25 million people across the continent.

In South Africa, which with some five million HIV/AIDS infections has the highest AIDS caseload in the world, the disease kills more than 600 people each day, activists say.

Despite the mounting death toll, few public figures in South Africa or other African countries have personally come forward to say that AIDS has effected them or their families.

rest of story on the AP

One of the few world leaders left that I truly admire. May he and his family find comfort.
 
it is very, very important to demystify the disease.

speaking only for myself, but i would imagine those who are close to my age might well remember Pedro Zamora from Real World Season 3 in San Francisco (this was back when it was a genuine social experiment, not about drinking and hooking up). it was tremendously encouraging to see not only an out gay man on TV, but one who was smart, funny, charming, and dated another man (who happened to be African American) all while living with HIV. he then died, but i think his influence on normalizing both homosexuality and HIV/AIDS in this country, especially among those who were teenagers in the early 90s, is tremendous.

let's hope Mandela's son can have a similar affect on South Africa, and all of Africa. ignorance kills.

(also don't mean to imply that Mandela's son was gay ... no idea if he is and it isn't important, and outside Europe/North American, AIDS is primarily a heterosexual disease)
 
How is it that a lot of people don't think that the AIDS virus is an emergency? I mean, I don't understand how people can think that.
In South Africa, which with some five million HIV/AIDS infections has the highest AIDS caseload in the world, the disease kills more than 600 people each day, activists say.
5 million with the disease in South Africa, and 600 people are dying everyday from this disease, AIDS is definately an emergency! One can only hope that people will wake up and realize that we can do something to help the ones who are suffering from this disease, and try to find a cure. My thoughts and prayers are with the Nelson Mandela and his family. :sad:
 
I was watching the 46664 concert last night and - so Mandela and also AIDS are very much on my mind today. This is very sad news, and very cool that Mandela is educating as he grieves.

:(
 
tiny dancer said:
This makes me very sad indeed, and it also hits close to home for me. It was 12 years ago yesterday January 5, 1993 that my cousin died of this horrible disease. :sad:

:hug:

i'm so sorry for your loss.
 
:sad: Very sad news, although I'm sure it will urge Nelson Mandela to fight the disease harder than ever before.
 
Mandela saluted for openness about son's AIDS death


JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South African newspapers, AIDS activists and political parties saluted former president Nelson Mandela for publicly saying his only surviving son had died of AIDS.

Hours after Mandela's son died in a Johannesburg hospital on Thursday morning, the Nobel peace laureate called a press conference to announce alongside his family that Makgatho, 54, had died of AIDS.

It made frontpage news in all the local papers with many people applauding the family for going public in a country where stigmatisation is one of the biggest enemies in the fight against AIDS.

"There is no doubt that in a society devastated by HIV/AIDS, the step taken by the Mandelas will encourage those suffering in secret to come out and disclose their status so that they can be saved," the Johannesburg-based The Star newspaper said in an editorial.

AIDS affects more than one in five adults in South Africa, with some 5.3 million people living with HIV and AIDS, according to UN AIDS.

Mandela has been vocal about the fight against AIDS long before his successor, President Thabo Mbeki announced a national treatment plan for HIV sufferers, bowing to criticism that his government had dragged its feet in reacting to the pandemic.

Mandela is among a few South African leaders who have publicly stated that their families had been affected by AIDS.

Veteran Zulu leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi revealed twice last year that both his son, 53-year-old Nelisuzulu and his daughter, Mandisi Sibukakonke, 48, had been killed by the disease.

"I would like to pay tribute to Madiba (Mandela's clan name) for his courageous decision to speak out about the cause of his son's death. Such courage and selflessness is the mark of the man," Buthelezi said.

"I believe the moral authority of his action today will do much to tear down the walls of stigma and silence surrounding this disease."

Prominent AIDS activist Zackie Achmat described Mandela's openness about the disease as "enormously courageous".

"This is really a step forward," Achmat told AFP.

"This is a traumatic experience and yes it takes courage," said Gail Johnson, whose foster son Nkosi died of AIDS at the age of 12 and who made a gripping plea at an international AIDS conference in 2001 to treat sufferers as "normal people".

"But why is there still this stigma? AIDS should be treated like any other disease," Johnson told AFP.
 
Irvine511 said:
it is very, very important to demystify the disease.

speaking only for myself, but i would imagine those who are close to my age might well remember Pedro Zamora from Real World Season 3 in San Francisco (this was back when it was a genuine social experiment, not about drinking and hooking up). it was tremendously encouraging to see not only an out gay man on TV, but one who was smart, funny, charming, and dated another man (who happened to be African American) all while living with HIV. he then died, but i think his influence on normalizing both homosexuality and HIV/AIDS in this country, especially among those who were teenagers in the early 90s, is tremendous.

let's hope Mandela's son can have a similar affect on South Africa, and all of Africa. ignorance kills.

(also don't mean to imply that Mandela's son was gay ... no idea if he is and it isn't important, and outside Europe/North American, AIDS is primarily a heterosexual disease)


I remember Pedro, too.


Very sad about Mandela's son. I'm also sorry for your loss, tiny dancer. :( :hug:
 
Back
Top Bottom