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Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen - the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) is proud to have sponsored the National HIV/AIDS Paper Prayers Campaign and to be playing a part in the battle to combat the ignorance and intolerance so often associated with HIV infection and AIDS. As part of the government's commitment to creating an awareness of HIV and AIDS, and in keeping with the government's aim to educate people about the disease and its ramifications, DACST, working with the Department of Health, has undertaken the Paper Prayers Project with Artist Proof Studio.

The seriousness of the HIV/AIDS issue in South Africa cannot be underestimated. HIV/AIDS is a disease that will affect everyone. It cuts across social, racial, religious and economic boundaries and affects us all.

The Paper Prayers Project extends across all nine provinces and addresses the needs of both rural and urban communities. The project unites government, HIV/AIDS initiatives and non-governmental organisations across the country in empowering people to challenge the ravages of the disease. It is a multi-faceted and participative approach to the HIV/AIDS issue. The project aims to make a contribution in offering hope and in uniting people in the fight against HIV/AIDS and its allies - intolerance and fear .

The National Paper Prayers Campaign strives to find a more interactive and creative way of dealing with the AIDS issue. Paper Prayers developed from the ancient Japanese custom of presenting painted or printed strips of paper as a gesture of compassion and hope to heal the sick. In the National Paper Prayers Campaign, education through creative expression is encapsulated in the making of each paper prayer, transcending the barriers of illiteracy and socio-economic disadvantage. Each prayer creates a space in which people can explore their own preconceptions and ideas about HIV and AIDS. The combination of the paper prayer-making exercise and an educational presentation on HIV/AIDS will ensure that workshop participants gain a new awareness of HIV and AIDS and the context of the disease.

The project meets the broader vision of the Department by combining creativity, practical know-how, artistic endeavour, and scientific and technological education through the production of the paper prayers. People from all sectors of South African society will be provided with the opportunity to learn new skills in terms of paper-making and art, while receiving essential information on HIV and AIDS. Paper Prayers give a creative expression and promote a spirit of activism and healing through art.

It is hoped that the national Paper Prayers Project will also lead to capacity building in disadvantaged areas and the establishment of enabling mechanisms through which communities can organise self-sustaining and viable paper-making projects. These projects will have long-term benefits by enabling communities to recycle waste paper and produce marketable and useful paper products.

The project engages not only with the disease itself, but also with the environment in which it occurs. By linking HIV/AIDS education to a practical, income-generating activity, this project will pave the way for the exchange of knowledge and the empowerment of communities across the country.

Paper Prayers are about expressing our feelings, acknowledging our support of one another and, most of all, about hope. The Prayers express our hope for both a medical and social cure for the disease that is eating away the fabric of our society.

I sincerely hope that the Project is a resounding success, for all of our sakes.

Thank you.

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