Karakia and interviews from before and after the official presentations at the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt display. The event was held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa on 10 March 2023. A special thanks to the organisers, participants and attendees for allowing this to be recorded and shared.
Audio and Text Download mp3 Download HQ mp3Plain Text (for Gen AI)At the end of the recording, Welby reads Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W.B. Yeats. The poem is written on the quilt Welby made for Ian.
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Summary
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa hosted a poignant event commemorating the impact of AIDS in New Zealand, specifically marking 40 years since the first reported cases in the country. The event included the display of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt blocks, each telling stories of lives lost to the epidemic. The Quilt serves as a powerful memorial, weaving together the narratives of those who passed, their loved ones, and the broader societal reactions during the crisis.
Several speakers were invited, including activists from within the HIV/AIDS community, volunteers from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand (LAGANZ), and representatives from the Prostitutes Collective. They addressed the history, the evolution of societal attitudes, the struggle for legal reforms, and the activism that transformed New Zealand's response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. The event also allowed a moment to remember Georgina Beyer, a well-known activist whose legacy continues to resonate within the community.
During the event, individuals engaged with the Quilt recalled personal memories, reflecting on the changes in New Zealand from a time when HIV/AIDS was heavily stigmatized to the present, where the Quilt is preserved and honored in the national museum. One moving account centered on a quilt block featuring a painted portrait of a loved one, exemplifying the emotional weight and personal connections imbued within the fabric of the Quilt.
The interviews and speeches underscored the interconnectedness of personal and public histories, illustrating the transformation through generational efforts in activism. The recording of this event, complete with dynamic interactions and reflections, is held at the Alexander Turnbull Library for those interested in a more in-depth account.
This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.
Voices
Tags
1980s, 1990s, 2010s, 2020s, aotearoa new zealand, bena jackson, bisexual, burnett foundation aotearoa, catherine healy, chanel hati, clare o'leary, clive aspin, condoms, covid-19 (coronavirus), funeral, gay, georgina beyer, grief, health, hetty rodenburg, hiv / aids, hiv stigma, hiv testing and prevention, homophobia, homosexual law reform, intergenerational, jane bruning, jason myers, joe rich, lesbian, lesbian and gay archives of new zealand (laganz), mary potter hospice, museum of new zealand te papa tongarewa, national people living with aids union, new zealand aids memorial quilt, nzaf Āwhina centre, nzpc: aotearoa new zealand sex workers' collective, peter wells, poetry, police, positive speakers bureau, rachael le mesurier, reuben love, russell wells, sex work, stephanie gibson, tangi, taonga, te herekiekie haerehuka herewini, tom o'donoghue, transgender, tīwhanawhana, w.b. yeats, welby ings, wellington, wellington pride festival, wellington pride festival (2023)
Tags (computer generated)
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