Piece Comment

Review of Livehopelove


This is an exceptional piece of audio. Kwame Dawes' poetic-narration is vivid, beautiful, and effective. Using a poetic form rather than prose to prepare the listener for each section allows the folks featured in this piece more autonomy to tell their own story than a traditional narration would have. Live Hope Love shows the listener that while contracting AIDS is a tragedy, AIDS patients are not, by definition, victims.

The music is excellent, and effectively integrated within the spoken word and audio footage. The reggae and hiphop convey a distinct sense of place, lift the spirit of the story, and communicate that AIDS is no longer a death sentence; it is a disease people can live and survive with.