AIDS 2014 Newsmaker: Conference Logo Designer Yohana Haule
Yohana Haule and James Chau
The logo for the AIDS 2014 conference is ubiquitous, on signs all over the conference hall, posters, stationery and web materials. It perfectly mirrors this year's theme: Stepping Up the Pace, Moving Forward, Moving Together.
Who designed it? Yohana Haule, a gifted young artist from Tanzania, who won the conference logo contest. The organizers selected his simple design for his creativity and the concept behind it. The footprint is an image used by aboriginal Australians and symbolizes the steps forward toward advancing the scientific, medical and social understanding of HIV/AIDS. Their different sizes represent the effect of the disease on men, women and children.
In his early twenties, Haule traveled for the first time outside of Tanzania and took the stage in Melbourne earlier this week. "I have always had a passion for art," he said to loud applause, with his winning design behind him on the big screen.
Haule was "discovered" in Dar es Salaam in 2011 by the organizers of a group called Africa's Children-Africa's Future. Drawn to his talent, they awarded him the first AC-AF Youth Leadership Award, which honors and strengthens artistic promise in young people. He is now the group's resident artist, producing artwork for AC-AF where he learned about the contest.
"This is an incredible achievement for a young man from Dar es Salaam who, like many youth in Tanzania, has faced many hardships to get to where he is today," explained AC-AF executive director Dave Christie, in an interview last year.
"When we first met Yohana, we were not only struck by his talent, but by the messages that he was portraying through his art," Christie continued. "One of the first images he showed to us was a depiction of the roles women play in Tanzania – both in the strength they bring to the country but the burdens they also face. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the burden on women in the AIDS epidemic is particularly harsh, and here was a young man willing to confront some of those issues."
Haule plans to pursue his love of art and design. "My hope is that I can continue in developing skills," he explained, "and find an art school where I can learn more about art and pursue a passion professionally."
About HIV/AIDS, he added, "we all need as a community to defend against new infections, stigma and discrimination."
To see the runner-up designs, click here.
Linda Villarosa runs the journalism program at City College in Harlem and writes frequently about health and social issues. This is the sixth International AIDS conference she has attended as a volunteer reporter. Follow her on Twitter @lindavillarosa.