Soul Beat Africa
African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN)

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Established in June 2002 by the Jesuit Superiors of Africa and Madagascar, The African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN) works to help Jesuits throughout Africa find a way to respond to HIV/AIDS. Specifically, AJAN builds collaborations that make local faith, culture, and spirituality central to their work. AJAN also promotes responsibility and prevention while supporting those who are living with the disease (and their caregivers) and fighting against stigmatisation and marginalisation. The provision of information online - much of which is presented from a human rights perspective - is central to the programme strategy.
Communication Strategies

AJAN is being built through the following steps. First, AJAN will help Jesuits in all African countries respond to HIV/AIDS by facilitating the formation of taskforces or working groups that will develop responses appropriate to the local circumstances. Second, AJAN will bind these national working groups into a continent-wide Jesuit network that will act in a coordinated fashion. Third, AJAN will work to develop good relationships with many other groups and associations, and with the larger Church and Society of Jesus. These relationships will be based on the sharing of information, expertise, and financial and other resources.

A primary means of sharing information will be the AJAN site. There, a reference library provides short articles written by Jesuits on the fight against AIDS. As of this writing, categories for which information is available include AIDS and faith, AIDS and education, and AIDS and youth. In addition, AJANews is a free monthly email bulletin that is sent to interested persons in English, French, or Portuguese.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Rights.

Key Points

AJAN was officially launched on December 10, International Human Rights Day, in Lomé, Togo during the 8th Pan-African Assembly of the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS - Pax Romana).

Organisers were motivated by a belief that the AIDS crisis is not just medical; it is, they say, linked with poverty, injustice, inequalities, ignorance, migration, and culture.

Sources

Letter sent from Michael Czerny, S.J. to The Communication Initiative on January 20, 2003; and announcement published in HEADLINES, a monthly bulletin of the Social Justice Secretariat, Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Rome (located on the AJAN site).