Country watch. Chile

"A life...a story" is a quilt project for people affected by HIV/AIDS supported by the Chilean Corporation for the Prevention of AIDS. Unlike the quilts displayed at public events to commemorate people who have died, these quilts are also made by people who are still living with HIV/AIDS (PHIV) and their families. The project was conceived as a way to develop an organizing tool with two aims: to break through the barriers created by HIV infection between PHIV and their own families and to humanize the epidemic, which is often presented only in terms of statistics and "risk groups." Most of the quilt-makers are recruited through personal contacts, including family members of deceased persons. Through their artwork, the participants tell something about their lives and the way they are dealing with HIV/AIDS. A primary aim is to show the dignity of human beings who are confronting a challenge which is emotional, physical, familial and social. Some quilts relate stories of discrimination and subsequent solidarity; others are testimonies to courage and the process of going from ignorance through transformation to resistance. So far about half the quilts have been made by PHIV and half by friends and relatives of persons who died. They have been shown in nine exhibitions in various institutions and been used in two demonstrations. On occasion, the quilt-makers accompany their own quilts and speak at these events.