African musicians urged to act on AIDS

ZIMBABWE: African musicians urged to act on AIDS

JOHANNESBURG, 7 Oct 2005 (PLUSNEWS) - South African Afro-jazz artist Jabu Khanyile has appealed to musicians in Southern Africa to go further than merely composing songs to educate their fans about HIV/AIDS.

During a recent visit to Zimbabwe, he urged fellow musicians to use their celebrity status to destigmatise AIDS by being tested and making the result public.

The local Financial Gazette quoted Khanyile as saying, "As artists we should be leading the fight against HIV/AIDS. We should ... do away with this habit of being silent about something that we know is killing colleagues, our families and us."

Southern African nations such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa are among those with the highest prevalence rates in the world.

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