This booklet is a preparatory tool for individuals interested in facilitating a group discussion based on the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS presented in the documentary, State of Denial. The documentary was designed to provide alternative perspectives on the affects of the epidemic on South African people, narrating their personal stories alongside the views and decisions of government actors, health educators, non-governmental organisation spokespersons and HIV/AIDS research scientists. In presenting this conflicting network of arguments and ideas about the epidemic, the documentary “provides a complex lens that can serve as a catalyst for dialogue around issues of poverty, power, and policy.”

This booklet is designed to facilitate this dialogue in a manner that recognises key historical and scientific facts about the virus. Thus the booklet provides a brief history of South Africa and HIV/AIDS in Africa, an outline of the US and South African policies that have been adopted in the past and present in response to the epidemic, and information about the Treatment Action Campaign and the lobbying for Anti-retroviral drugs in South Africa.

Following these brief history lessons, the booklet provides a step-by-step programme for facilitating a group discussion centred around the various issues presented in State of Denial. These steps include:

• Suggestions for planning the event i.e. a screening of the documentary;
• Preparing yourself as a facilitator, which may include finding an appropriate individual to facilitate the discussion;
• Preparing your group for the discussion;
• General and specific discussion questions, including queries based on South African politics, personal beliefs and policy issues;
• Resource listings, including pertinent publications and websites, such as Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA).

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