Two puppets standing on top of the world, one with a case on its head bearing the words 'Canada, Zimbabwe and Namibia', the other holding a camera with a city emerging to the right; an advertisement for a play entitled 'Township to Tundra' by Puppets Against AIDS. Colour lithograph by Andrew Lindsay, 1992.

[South Africa] : Puppets Against AIDS [African Research and Educational Puppetry Programme], 1992 ([Ottawa [Canada]; Allied Printing Trades Council, Ottawa, Dnt)

1 print : lithograph, printed in colours ; sheet 70.8 x 47 cm

Puppets against AIDS Township to Tundra. Morag Productions. Arepp. Oxfam Canada. Date. Time. Place. Produced by Barbara Doran, Morag Productions. A co-production with the Canadian International Development Agency with funding from the Canadian Independent Film & Video Fund, Health & Welfare Canada, The Indian & Northern Affairs, Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Co-op, & Levis-Strauss. Distributed by McNabb & Connelly. Poster printed on recycled paper. Bears logo of Allied Printing Trades Council, Ottawa, Canada

Puppets Against Aids' was launched by Gary Friedman in Johannesburg in late 1987, on his return from studying 'Puppetry for Film and Television' with Jim Henson in France. He set up the African Research and Educational Puppetry Programme in order to research traditions of puppet and mask theatre on the African continent. At the same time, he aimed at introducing puppetry into communities that hadn't been exposed to the art before. Puppets Against Aids' used both humour and entertainment to help spread the Aids prevention message worldwide, through live performance and workshops. These took place throughout Africa, Canada, Australia and Europe over the next nine years.

The premise for puppetry, tested in South Africa in the 80's in anti-apartheid work, is that "puppets can do anything they want without fear of harassment." (extract from http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/html )

Wellcome Collection 679946i

Andrew Lindsay (illustration) African Research and Educational Puppetry Programme Morag Productions Oxfam Canada Canadian International Development Agency 1992 African Research and Educational Puppetry Programme South Africa 22/09/2009 current contact for AREPP: info@africanpuppet.com UkLW UK Transcription from the item