Teenagers living with HIV/AIDS -
US Ambassador opens photography exhibition
1 December 2004

James C. Kenny, US Ambassador, Kara McDonald, US State Department, Ferdinand von Prondzynski, DCU President

The US Ambassador to Ireland, James C. Kenny, today opened an exhibition of photographs, "Teenagers Living with HIV/AIDS" in the Helix Gallery at DCU to mark World Aids Day. The event was attended by staff and students of the university, as well as by Kara McDonald of the US State Department, who played an active role in the setting up of the project.

In welcoming the Ambassador, the DCU President, Ferdinand von Prondzynski thanked him for his friendship towards the university, and for allowing this particular exhibition to be shown at DCU. He then invited guests to consider the `stories' portrayed in the photographs and to think of ways in which we could all help to alleviate the suffering associated with this terrifying disease.

James C Kenny said that this exhibition was an appropriate way to mark World Aids Day. He stressed that HIV and AIDS was a global issue, and that it was appropriate that the world work together to educate itself to fight both the disease itself and the prejudice that accompanies it. While the number of cases in Ireland is currently relatively low, the trend in the incidence of the disease is increasing and this is a cause of concern.

U.S. diplomat, Kara McDonald, was the organizer of this project in Bucharest in 2003. The exhibition itself was composed of a set of photographs made by thirty HIV-positive teenagers from Giurgiu, Romania. Two professional photographers funded by the US Embassy in Bucharest and the Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust (USA), taught the teenagers basic photography skills and provided them with cameras and other materials so they could document the effect of the disease on their lives and the community in which they lived. Each participant then chose several photographs and wrote some commentary to accompany them.

One of the teenagers, Alexander, wrote, "I want to tell people that I am a man like any other and that you don't have to be afraid of me just because I'm HIV-positive." A young girl, Claudiu, said, "It's not my fault that I'm sick and the sickness doesn't stop me from being human. HIV is not spread through friendship."

According to Ambassador Kenny, "Alexander's and Claudiu's photos, along with those of the other boys and girls, demonstrate a defiant will to live and a desire to make the most of their knowingly short lives. Yet they also show their determination to make people understand that they are human and need the love and care of their community and friends and should not be shunned or avoided because of their illness. This is what World AIDS Day is about and this is why we want to share these stories of hope with the people of Ireland." He also expressed the hope that an understanding of the disease would help alleviate the accompanying attitudes of suspicion, intolerance and prejudice towards sufferers.

The exhibit opens at 1200 on December 1 and can be viewed at the Helix Gallery through December 10 from 0900 to 1700. Admission is free and open to the public.