Our Stories, Our Songs

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

In Our Stories, Our Songs, Deborah Ellis puts a human face on the AIDS
crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2003, she travelled to Malawi and
Zambia to interview children whose lives have been drastically affected
by AIDS; this book recounts their experiences in their own words.

Using the song motif, Ellis has grouped the stories and accompanying
photographs into three sections. Songs at the Edge includes accounts of
children who have lost either one or both parents to AIDS. Songs of
Survival contains accounts of those currently living with AIDS in the
family (either themselves or a family member). Songs of Victory
comprises stories of children making a difference in the social
environment, either through changing attitudes or using the power of the
arts to transcend the horrors of the everyday reality. Though most live
in inconceivable poverty and speak of deprivation and exploitation,
their heart-rending stories display amazing resilience and hope for
their future. Street kids talk of becoming lawyers or humanitarians to
help future street kids. Some children want to receive medical training
to relieve the suffering they witness daily. Others may have smaller
dreams (e.g., mechanic, secretary), but all dream of regular incomes to
ensure a hunger-free future.

Interspersed throughout are text boxes with statistics on AIDS,
poverty, and other relevant information, but it is the stories
themselves that will educate children about the depth of the problem and
how essential it is that we all “lead lives of dignity and hope.”
Highly recommended.