I Am African, You Are African, We Are African

At the front line of the global war against the AIDS pandemic is Somali-born supermodel Iman. As the ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, Iman has sought to raise awareness of the program's one-dollar-a-day program that provides lifesaving antiretroviral drugs for children and families with AIDS in Africa. As part of her mission to raise awareness about Keep A Child Alive, Iman created the “I Am African” campaign which enlisted the help of countless celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Liu and Seal who all declared "I Am African." Predictably, the campaign generated controversy, especially among bloggers who were less than pleased over using Paltrow, Hollywood's "All American Girl," to promote the slogan "I am African." However, Iman says, "I was trying to come up with something that was unique but tying back to Africa. I came up with I Am African because I do believe that we all originated from Africa."

Irrespective of the controversy behind the campaign, the ultimate message is one that should not be forgotten: for a donation of one dollar a day, antiretroviral drugs that make AIDS a manageable chronic illness rather than a death sentence are provided to people living with HIV in various parts of Africa. For more information on how you can help, please visit www.keepachildalive.org

(Photo Credits: Keep A Child Alive)

MIMI Extra! Extra! Link: AIDS In Africa www.mimimagazine.com/december2006subscribers