Anita Roddick
Founder of The Body Shop, Dame Anita Roddick has led the way in ethical and
environmentally-sound
business practice. Last year she bought a new building for Body & Soul,
the charity for families affected by HIV
Words David G Taylor
How did you get involved with Body & Soul?
The organisation was set up by two women in 1996, to target a group affected
by HIV and Aids that they believed weren’t being served: children, teenagers,
women, heterosexual men and their families. We had 200 families registered
in 1997 and we now have around 2,000. Holistic health is very much a part
of it, such as establishing places where they can have massage or aromatherapy.
But Body & Soul also provides a safe space, meeting places, graffiti room,
and information and advocacy services. I bought the old Amnesty building and
that’s where we’re going to house them. That’s where my
involvement comes in, but it was The Body Shop Foundation that originally
helped set up the charity.
What alerted you to the fact that women and families affected by HIV weren’t
having their needs addressed?
It came from one of the early campaigns we ran from America on HIV and Aids
in the early 90s. The offices were in San Francisco, but so many families
were coming forward. We came to the understanding that HIV wasn’t just
a gay issue; it was also a heterosexual issue.
What do you think are the particular problems facing women affected
by HIV?
Fear of disclosure, embarrassment, lack of services. Even though treatments
have progressed immensely over the last ten years, there’s still a huge
problem with disclosure. It’s an illness, it’s just a bloody illness,
and yet it comes with this whole baggage of embarrassment and shame. I think
the government and businesses could do a lot more to get behind the issues
with information and campaigns.
Why do you think they’re not?
It’s not an issue with a cute kid or a cuddly bunny; there doesn’t
seem to be anyone wanting to get involved. With breast cancer you’ve
got every cosmetic company wanting to do something, but for women with HIV
and Aids it’s like a closed society. I think businesses should have
an information advocacy service to help women on their journey with this devastating
illness. I’ve not seen that being done.
Is there necessarily a contradiction between being successful in business
and a campaigner for social change?
Take a look at the Quakers. They were extraordinarily good business people
and wealthy, but never lied or cheated. Can you imagine that? They never stole,
they gave back to the community, built schools and houses for their workers.
That’s the model we should be running our lives to. Business shouldn’t
be at the loss of self-esteem, abuse of human rights or social injustice of
the workers. People don’t want nice things that exist because of child
sweatshop labour, or chocolate from underpaid workers in cocoa fields in Nigeria.
It’s one of the greatest lies to say you can’t be socially responsible
if you’re in business.
If you could be George Bush for one day, what changes would you make?
Number one I’d impeach myself! I have no idea how he can live with himself.
I’d no longer allow the funding of political parties by big business.
That would be at 7am. At 7.30am I’d give money for charities that support
initiatives like safer sex, education of school kids and empowerment of women.
I’d put solar panels on every building. I’d make everyone who’s
got a 4X4 do community service; that’s by 9am. I would use all money
going into the proliferation of atomic weaponry to provide housing and poverty
reduction. And I’d insist that the next President had affection for
gay issues. I’d go on, and on, and on…
How can ordinary people make a difference?
They can get informed. When you get informed you get outraged and that translates
into action.
Is it true you were expelled from South Africa for going to a black jazz night
during the Apartheid years?
Yes, I was. Stupidly we went on a black night, stupidly we were apprehended
and stupidly we were kicked out of the country. South Africa has changed a
lot since then. I went back for the first time last year and you talk to the
kids and there’s a language of optimism. For me that change is phenomenal.
There is a lot of economic crap going on, but I just think everything is possible;
if only they had more support from us in the West.
