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Women's Voices Project

Women's voices project began in 2004 when the global theme for World AIDS day was women girls and HIV /AIDS. A group of HIV positive and affected women presented a Forum at FEAST festival. It was called "Listening to women living with HIV ..an evening of stories ,conversation and remembrance. The 10 women told of their experiences using the themes of secrets and silence, pain, hope and ended with stories on what sustains them.

In 2005 we were funded by Arts SA for the "Women's voices" project . The project invited women living with HIV to participate in a series of writing workshops facilitated by Adelaide writer Elizabeth Mansutti. The stories were written by women who are HIV positive and women who are mothers, sisters, partners and daughters of HIV positive people.

Elizabeth then developed the collected stories into a radio script entitled "Songs In the Blood"

The following quotes are from women as they began to write their stories….

"I could recount many tales about the silence of the first 10 years after I was diagnosed, until my double life slowly unravelled & my immediate world began to know that I was living with HIV."

"when my partner was diagnosed ( with HIV ) I felt such grief, as well as fear, anger and incredible sadness, my hopes and dreams withered away and my mind was assaulted with fears of the future."

"I'm not always strong, people will say to me "oh, you've got courage", I don't believe I'm any more courageous than anybody else, I'm just somebody that something happened to me almost 20 years ago, and life dealt me certain things that I had to deal with, and I've had to learn to deal with them." An HIV positive woman.

"For me hope is everything, hope is the whole of my life."

In 2007 we received another Arts SA grant to produce the script into a radio play. We began a partnership with Radio Adelaide and producer Logan Bold. The "Songs In the Blood" radio play written by 14 South Australian HIV positive and affected women was broadcast on Writers Radio programme Radio Adelaide ( 101.5fm) on World AIDS day 2007, Saturday December 1st.
The play documents in a powerful way the experience of living with HIV /AIDS for women in Australia. The women share their secrets and strengths, their pain and grief as well as their joy and hopefulness. The stories are very real, challenging, engaging and celebratory.

Our aim is to increase understanding and compassion and promote the message that HIV/AIDS affects women too.

To listen to the pod cast go to Radio Adelaide website.

For more information or to order a copy of the CD please contact Pam Price, HIV Women's project 82399624.

 

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