AFRO FUSION ACT ABBI TO FIGHT AIDS STIGMA

Kenyan Afro fusion act Abbi Nyinza is part of an anti-Aids stigma album that was launched at the French Cultural Centre on Tuesday night.
Titled Songs of Hope, the CD is a global effort by Family Health International (FHI) in partnership with people living with HIV/Aids and the musical community in seven countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Abbi’s track, The Little Tree is the second in the album. It’s a composition inspired by Sonia, a teenager at the Thika School of the Blind, who is living with HIV and is visually impaired. Her touching story inspired Abbi to write a song about a resilient life spirit that refuses to surrender to HIV.
“Sonia was born with the virus and her dream is that one day there will be a cure for HIV. By singing the song, the idea is to reach out to people living positively and not to stigmatise them,” Abbi said.
John McWilliam, Senior Director, FHI Africa Regional Office, said: “Songs are used in all cultures to express the deepest feelings of individuals. Through this project Family Health International wanted to capture the feelings and values of people dealing every day with HIV. By doing so and making these songs available to the public, others may gain the courage to sing their own songs of hope and the barriers of stigma and discrimination will be finally broken.”
The Songs of Hope music CD also features artistes from Senegal, Mozambique, Guyana, Haiti, Nepal, and China - and people living with HIV on the project.