Art and Global Health Centre Africa, Zomba, Malawi

AGHC are currently running three core programmes:

·         Students with Dreams is their programme of innovation, where they are working in a university and a teacher training college to develop a leadership and programme management scheme. The students are encouraged to come up to solutions to development issues identified within their communities; they are mentored through this process, and if the ideas are deemed viable enough to implement, the students receive seed money to put towards the project.

·         Umunthu is an empowerment programme, started from a film made by a student on the Students with Dream Programme who wanted to address the issue of homosexuality, which is polarising concept. A documentary was created, and looked at the issue through a different lens, around acceptance, diversity and tolerance. The film is now being used to discuss and address other health issues in Malawi. The programme is designed to bring a voice to marginalised communities through providing a platform for discussion.

·         Make Art Stop AIDS is a collaborative theatre programme run in rural communities, bringing together people living with HIV/AIDS, artists and other members of the community. Performances address stigma, fear, prevention, testing and treatment. This has subsequently been made into a film and some of the actors would tour with the film and have a discussion about the issues dealt with in the film.

AGHC believe that society develops through the creativity of its members and that the arts and creative leadership can lead to cross-cultural understanding, strengthened communities and creative solutions.

To find out more, see their website.