Museum of Art
The Alexandra Health Clinic’s Battle with AIDS
Michael Goldblatt, HIV/AIDS Eduction outreach with Three Men and Fingers,ca. 1991, silver gelatin print
South Africa witnessed high rates of HIV/AIDS cases throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Early in the epidemic, the Alexandra Health Centre and University Clinic (AHC) launched an HIV/AIDS awareness program within its community health framework, which was notable given the lack of a national protocol for the disease. These photographs exemplify the clinic’s early work in sexual health activism. The program focused on clear, open communication with Alexandra residents about symptoms of infection and disease, as well as measures to prevent its spread. Education and activist programming changed perceptions and awareness of HIV/AIDS within the township but ultimately struggled to combat the enormous influx of cases. Displayed in the nearby case is a flyer from the AHC promoting the clinic’s Alex Community AIDS Project and educating the public on various sexual health services of the clinic.
Hazel Sheahan '28
Scroll down to read additional materials collected by Hazel Sheahan, '28 as part of class work for After Apartheid: History and Identity in Contemporary South Africa, Spring 2026.
Additional Materials
Alex Community AIDS Project Flyer
Alexandra Health Clinic
Anti-AIDS Campaign flyer.
An anti-AIDS campaign flyer produced by an anonymous right-wing group in 1990, accusing the African National
Congress (an organization known for its efforts in the liberation movement against the apartheid state) of causing the spread of AIDS in South Africa. This campaign contributed to the
misinformation spread across South Africa and provided little information on the disease and prevention methods.
Health Policy and Planning Journal Anthony Zwil, Deborah Bachmayer. 1990. HIV and AIDS in South Africa: What Is an Appropriate.
International AIDS Day Poster
An International AIDS Day poster created in 1996 by the Southern Transvaal AIDS Interest
poster was supported by the Alexandra Health Clinic’s efforts of condom promotion and education on condom usage. Despite the awareness this poster provides,
there is very little information alongside the imagery, an issue since one of the main problems with AIDS prevention was misinformation surrounding the disease.
South African History Online. “International Aids Day. : Dec. 1.”. Accessed May 5, 2026.