War photographer without peer Don McCullin has
revisited Africa to document the impact
of anti-retrovirals in two Aids-hit nations for his latest exhibition A Life Interrupted.
A veteran photographer of conflict and famine for the last 40 years, McCullin first turned his unforgiving lens on Aids in South Africa and Zambia for his 2001 touring exhibition Cold Heaven. That internationally-acclaimed collection documented the devastation Aids was wreaking on those already living in desperate poverty.
This time McCullin claims he experienced a "sense of hope" when he retraced his journey through South Africa - hope that was nowhere to be seen during his first visit. ARVs are now free in South Africa and the exhibition includes pictures of two previous subjects now doing well on the HIV drugs.
By contrast, the story from Zambia gave him far less cause for optimism. Here ARVs cost £6 a month - far beyond the reach of most HIV positive people. He found himself photographing the orphan children of a young woman Teresa, who appeared in the first exhibition. These pictures are described as "intensely'" personal and as showing a deep understanding of the complexities of African life.
A Life Interrupted, a free exhibition, opens at the County Hall, London on 26 November 2004 and runs three days a week until 10 January. Full details of the tour will be at www.christianaid.org from late November.
‘Violent Silence’ is the new track by gay HIV positive rapper and former heroin addict Fran Piro. Recycling samples of Madonna's 'Erotica', Fran hijacks the song's sexualized sentiments with a growling Marilyn Manson-like vocal and emotive lyrics about HIV and his feelings of isolation.
Fran wrote the track when he was unwell. "The thought of having something in your blood that can kill others - it's unnerving," he says. “I got to a stage where I was feeling so negative I had to find something positive within the situation. That's when I came up with a music project that would carry a message about HIV."
It's a brave enough move for an artist to come out about being gay, so why does Fran feel the need to further out himself with his HIV status? "I'd really like to bring HIV back into the media, but I know that in order to be seen as more than my diagnosis, I first need to stick that diagnosis on my face. If more people like me start being open about being HIV positive, I think it'll be much easier for people to come out within a family or work environment."
Fran's track, released to coincide with World Aids Day, comes with five dance remixes including a quirky electro reworking by friend and collaborator Marc Almond. "When I came out as gay, to have people like Marc who were openly gay, successful, and doing something with their lives really helped me," he says.
Fran acknowledges the enormous impact his HIV status has had on his music. “I had a lot of rage and anger. I felt I'd been mistreated by life. So I started to put a lot of that out through my lyrics while on stage I was like a demented child smashing things. Looking back it was quite therapeutic. Music is a brilliant way to deal with difficult situations.”
More tough times followed Fran's 1994 diagnosis when he became addicted to heroin. “There weren't any serious medications around - HIV seemed like a death sentence, so I started using heroin as a form of anti-depressant."
Clean for four years now, Fran says that while his HIV is undetectable, his health is further compromised by a co-infection. “I have quite a few side effects from my medication. 
Because I also have Hepatitis C, it's quite heavy on the liver." Determined to battle on regardless, Fran hopes to raise awareness through his music and says he'd happily become a spokesperson for people living with HIV. “But my music is aimed at everyone - you don't have to be HIV positive to enjoy it. When I'm talking about pain and suffering it's not specific, so anyone who's going through a difficult time can find something in there to relate to."
David G Taylor
Fran's 'Violent Silence' is released by B9 Recordings mid to late November. www.franbrecords.com
