Posted on May 22: Humanitarian Speaks of AIDS Crisis

Compile a list of current international issues, and you're sure to come up with many humanitarian, social, and political causes. However, you may not include the AIDS crisis in Africa.

Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, has seen first hand the effects of HIV/AIDS. He will be sharing his experiences at the second Aldwinckle Lecture.

Named for Dr. Russell Aldwinckle, a professor of philosophy and theology at McMaster University, this lectureship endeavors to raise consciousness about international social issues.

Dr. Ray Hobbs, chair of the organizing committee, sees the lecture as an appropriate way to remember Dr. Aldwinckle's many ecumenical activities. Shortly following Dr. Aldwinckle's death in 1992, his family established a fund to support the lectures. Muriel, Dr. Aldwinckle's wife, continues to be involved in the organization of the events.

The first Aldwinckle lecture in 1995 featured Terry Waite, a hostage negotiator of international fame. After gaining the release of hostages in Iran and Libya, Waite was kidnapped while negotiating the release of American hostages in Beirut. He was held hostage for five years. Released in September 1991, Waite now devotes himself to humanitarian causes as a lecturer and author. Waite spoke about humanitarian issues in the middle east.

Now, organizers of the second Aldwinckle lecture are looking to direct the public's attention to another issue. Explains Hobbs, “Recent events in the middle-east [and elsewhere] have overshadowed the major humanitarian crisis in Africa.”

He feels that the crisis is not only a crisis of AIDS/HIV, but also of lack of attention to the whole African continent.

A Canadian citizen, Lewis has had extensive experience as a politician, diplomat and humanitarian. Having served as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, he has recently been raising his voice in support of various humanitarian causes around the world, particularly in Africa and on HIV/AIDS.

“We look for speakers with compassion, concern, and passion,” states Hobbs. “And, I believe, Stephen Lewis definitely has those qualities.”

The lecture is meant to inform people and raise public consciousness.

Sponsored by MacNeil Baptist Church, the lecture will be held Saturday, May 24, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom, at 116 King St. West in Hamilton. Tickets will only be sold in advance. People interested in attending should call 905-525-5667, 905-528-0958 or email peace@mcmaster.ca.