The voice of a young boy rises in the silence to sing a cappella The way we were. She accompanies the long codified ballet which begins to unfold the quilts. A shocking moment, like every year since 2011.
In light of World AIDS Day, the Fight Aids Monaco association mobilized its troops this Friday at midday at the Oceanographic Museum for its quilt ceremony.
A name given to large canvases on which the association’s affiliates summon the memory of those lost to illness, in drawings and colors.
After the ceremony, Princess Stéphanie, who chairs Fight Aids Monaco, the association she created twenty years ago to support people living with HIV, took the time to recall that the fight against AIDS is not finished.
For 13 years, quilts in Monaco have recalled the memory of those lost to HIV. What emotion does the ceremony give you?
It’s very moving each time, to share the memories of people who mattered in the lives of our affiliates. What always amazes me is the joy that comes out of these quilts, all these colors, it’s full of hope. That’s the beauty of this event. Even in sadness and mourning, to always see hope and love.
The year 2024 marked twenty years of Fight Aids’ commitment, how do you look back on these two decades?
I look at them with a lot of pride, proud that the association has arrived where it is today. I thank all the people who followed me from the start in this somewhat crazy adventure, in particular Hervé Aeschbach (who led the association for twenty years before retiring in July Editor’s note) We have accomplished incredible things. And we have plenty more to accomplish with Christophe Glasser now. I thank all the volunteers, the entire team without whom nothing would have been possible over these twenty years. Unfortunately we still have a lot of work to do. I wish I could say that Fight Aids is no longer necessary after twenty years, but no, AIDS is still here. We must continue to fight, to inform, to support people living with HIV.
Some pharmacies in the Alpes-Maritimes offer, and this is a first, testing free and anonymously in pharmacies. Today there are also tests to do at home. For you, screening remains a priority?
Mass testing is important because the new treatments make it possible to no longer be contaminating. So we could eradicate the epidemic. Personally, I’m not much for self-testing at home. Depending on the result, this is news that must be learned while being surrounded. This is not a pregnancy test. Your life changes completely with the announcement of your HIV status. It’s good to be able to do it yourself but better to do it with supervision. In a place with doctors, to be guided towards the right treatment. Because if a person tests themselves at home, because they have engaged in risky behavior, discovers they are positive and does not go to see a doctor for treatment, the test will have been of no use.
