Using the Power of Laughter to Spread the Word About HIV/AIDS

Temple University hosted a show on Nov. 12 that hopes to answer the question, “How does one get people to talk about a disease if they don’t want to face the thought that they might contract it?”


The Temple News reports:

Kiva Auditorium in Ritter Hall was filled with laughter during the Philadelphia premiere of “Rebirth,” Ninalowo’s story of a young Nigerian man whose hedonistic lifestyle comes to a sudden halt when he discovers he may have contracted HIV. While it may seem strange for a film with such a serious topic to elicit laughter, that was the goal. By entertaining the audience, “Rebirth” lets viewers approach the sensitive issue more comfortably.

Director Tony Abara and Kam Chidiebere from UNIHIV, an organization that promotes awareness of HIV/AIDS across the country through entertainment and charity events, described the audience’s reaction as receptive.

“The interesting thing about this movie is that it’s talking about a subject that is very serious,” Chidiebere said. “A lot of people speaking about HIV are nervous, and the movie is funny, so it makes you relax and take in the message that it’s trying to send you.”

Read the full article here.