About the Book

This book is a true African story on HIV/AIDS through the eyes of a district doctor who wanted to stop new HIV infections in Zambia and Botswana, through using or rather abusing clinical pictures to teach and share knowledge and experiences on sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.

Proverbs say ...‘Seeing is very different from being told’... ‘Seeing is believing’ and ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Armed with these proverbs, the doctor began the passionate mission of making African communities see HIV/AIDS, talk HIV/AIDS and get involved in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support programmes.

This book challenges the status quo in health promotion and also raises issues on culture and the culture of silence. This book focuses on comments and talks from several workshops held in the villages, towns and cities of Africa. There is a lesson for each one of us to take from this book. Use the lesson(s) well and make a difference in your community. No one is immune to HIV/AIDS.

Dr Edwin Mavunika Mapara BScHb, MBChB (Zambia), DTM & H (South Africa), DTM & H, MSc. (England) is a medical doctor and Public Health Specialist. He graduated from University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Medical School, Lusaka, Zambia in 1987 and worked at UTH until 1989. He then worked at Livingstone General Hospital, Zambia for one year.

In 1990 he relocated to Botswana, where he was stationed at Athlone Hospital for 12 years. In Botswana he was an HIV/AIDS consultant for both government and non-governmental organisations. He initiated two "best practices" in Botswana in 1990 and 1999.

With over twenty years of HIV/AIDS experience in Africa and now Europe, he believes that facts on HIV/AIDS are best taught with coloured pictures. "Seeing is different from being told".

He was promoted to Chief Medical Officer in 1997 and used the office to promote several public health initiatives. Athlone Hospital's HIV/AIDS programme was one of the best in Botswana.

In August 2001 Dr Mapara was appointed to head the Clinical (Medical) unit of The National Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Programme, until August 2002 when he left Botswana for further studies at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Dr Mapara has shared his experiences at Cambridge University, Thames Valley University, National Institute of African Studies (NIAS) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

He was the Guest Speaker at World Health Organisation on 1st December 2004.

He is currently based at Community Health Action Trust (CHAT), London.

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