What makes Christmas Christmas [to you]? (Amy Swenson)

In my time here in South Africa, I feel as if I have been blessed with time to reflect, and many new experiences to reflect upon. I am a reflective person by nature, and when I take the time to do so, I find it breathes new life into me. In this month’s newsletter, I invite you to take some time to reflect as well. As we consider Christmas, I would like to propose two questions for you to reflect upon:

(1)What makes Christmas Christmas?

(2)What makes Christmas Christmas to you?

When I think about these questions, and ask them of others, I find that many, if not most, will answer these two questions differently. For Christians, the first question seems almost too simple. Is it a trick question? No. Many answer that what truly makes Christmas Christmas is Christ’s birth, of course—the fact that God sent his Son to be born on this earth, to walk with the people, to show them the way. We are given the greatest gift of all at Christmastime—the birth of our Savior.

But then, when we begin to think about the second question, our answers change. When you add a “to you” at the end, people often perceive this to mean ‘what is your Christmas like’? (As you may have already done!) And so, when I think about what makes Christmas Christmas to me, I think of the traditions in our family, the decorations that I see everywhere, the music that plays in all the stores and on radio stations, the Christmas movies that play again and again as we count down to Christmas, the snow outside, the buying of gifts, the excitement of waiting to give and receive gifts, and so much more.

But for me, maybe I’ve become more reflective this Advent season since my answer to question #2 has been turned upside down due to my current physical location. When Christmas comes in the middle of summer, when the decorations are not the same, when I am not with my family, when there is no snow, no Christmas movies, and few Christmas songs, when buying gifts becomes very different because of place and people and money, it makes me think even more of what Christmas means to me.

Should we be answering these two questions with the same answer? Why is it that the answers differ? What does it really mean for you that Christ came to this earth? During the season of Advent, what is it that we are waiting for? What are we looking for? For you, what makes Christmas Christmas?

I also begin to wonder about how this question would be answered by people in different situations, at different economic levels, in different work places, with different family structures, and different things to worry about in different parts of the world. What makes Christmas Christmas to those who are wondering where their next meal might come from, or where they might sleep tonight?

What makes Christmas Christmas for those who are serving overseas in the military? For those who are recently widowed or grieving? For those who might have to spend Christmas in a hospital? For those who are in the midst of war-torn countries, living as refugees running for their lives?

So with all of that in mind, I leave you with two questions to reflect upon:

(1)What makes Christmas Christmas?

(2)What makes Christmas Christmas to you?

Amy Swenson is an ELCA-MUD volunteer serving in Pretoria.

Jesus and the Promise of Christmas (James Carrol)

When the Christian holiday dominates the culture, sometimes oppressively, a newspaper column may not seem the most appropriate venue for personal reflections on the meaning of Jesus. Yet even as Western Civilization has been nourished by religious and philosophical traditions that have nothing to do with Jesus, it has also been profoundly influenced by the memory of this man. It can be more than merely sectarian to ask, Who was he?

The stories told about the nativity - Caesar's census order, Bethlehem, Herod's threat, three kings, star, no-room-at-the-inn, manger, angels, slaughter, flight - do not aim to be historical, yet in its deeper meaning, the beloved Christmas narrative gives us a portrait of a person that squares with the most important features of the actual Jesus. He was a counter-force to the Roman emperor. He was of the poor and powerless. He conveyed his message by indirection - more by poetry than doctrine. At heart, his story is tragic. Yet it is a source of hope and joy, which is why his friends clung to his memory. The problem he addressed was violence.

Violence was overwhelmingly the normal condition of the world into which Jesus was born. Jerusalem and its environs had long been what the scholar John Dominic Crossan calls the "cockpit of empire," a crossroads region that had been the scene of brutal imperial conflicts going back 1,000 years. The Jewish people had mostly lived as vassals of one foreign sovereign or another, with oppressive violence a steady note of the Hebrew situation. Survival of Jewish nationhood in this milieu was a marvel, and key to that survival was a conscientious wrestling with the problem of violence, the record of which is the Bible.

Rome, when it came, was the most brutal imperial force of all, and its violence peaked several times during the century of Jesus and his movement, beginning with the savaging of the region around Nazareth not long before Jesus was born, and ending with the final destruction of Jerusalem as the story of Jesus was assuming the form we know.

But Jesus was not a mere victim of this violence. Acting in his Jewish tradition, he confronted it, rejected it, and proposed a new way to think of it. His followers knew at the outset, and ever after, that they failed to live up to the standard he set, but that very knowledge shows that the myth of what Crossan calls the normalcy of violence is broken.

Humans have an inbuilt tendency to find the solution of violence in yet more violence, with the result that it spirals on forever. The victory of coercive force is inevitably the cause of the next outbreak of coercive force. Jesus proposed that the answer to violence is not more violence, but is forgiveness and righteousness - or, as we would put it, peace and justice. For 2,000 years, this program has been able to be dismissed as piety's dream. But something new is afoot. Since 1945, the normalcy of violence is armed with weapons that will surely render the human species extinct unless a different way of thinking of violence is found.

That is the promise of Christmas.

A different way of thinking of violence has already lodged itself in human consciousness. This is not just a Christian phenomenon. The great religions of the world - Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism - and the no-religion of rationalism have all countered the normalcy of violence with assertions of compassion and loving kindness. In the history of Western Civilization, no figure has represented that ideal more resolutely than Jesus. His story offers a masterpiece expression of the possibility of forgiveness and righteousness not only as a saving program, but as the basis of an intensely personal relationship.

Because Jesus is understood by those who believe in him as offering not only a sign of what is needed, but a way to achieve it - "I am the way," he said - he has survived even for those who regard him in purely worldly terms as an image of a hope that cannot be fully articulated, and that can never be exclusively claimed by any group, including Christians. In that sense, the observances of this week can belong to everyone who chooses to enjoy them.

James Carroll's column appears regularly in the Boston Globe.

Christmas: What's love got to do with it? (Tinyiko Sam Maluleke)

Ever since the early Christians set aside a day and a date for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, now known to us as Christmas, the day has come to mean many things. Layers of myth, tradition and ritual have been used to embellish, design, describe and proscribe Christmas. Two thousand years later, a great Christmas industry of merchandise and folklore - complete with reindeer, carols, boxed presents, Christmas trees, Josephs, Marys and Santa Clauses of all shapes and sizes - has been born.

How has the birth of one child inspired such an industry, such fantastical imagination, such demand and such insatiable consumption? What has all of these things to do with Christmas? What have they to do with Jesus? All the noises, the things, the aromas, the colors and feelings we have come to associate with Christmas - what have they do to with Christmas? Has the Christmas industry developed its own logic so that it has become a logical and merely physical constellation of events culminating on the 25th of December? Is the Christmas industry something that appears so logical that we ‘have no choice’ but to be part of - something evocatively physical and powerfully practical to which we succumb rather than subscribe?

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

In her celebrated and well-known song, Tina Turner sang of the ‘logic of the logical’ and the powerful ‘attraction of the physical’ mediated or diluted by love - which is but a ‘second-hand emotion’. She was, of course, not talking of Christmas but of the difference between committed loving relationships and non-committal physical relationships. But the question she asks repeatedly in the song is worth directing at our Christmas traditions and practices as they have evolved. What has love to do with any of the things that we have come to associate with Christmas? Christmas has become busy, practical and logical with little room left for love which is not mediated through the materials associated with it. As a matter of fact, love is and should be what Christmas is all about.

First, we may talk of love, at the level of Mary and Joseph. Inherited tradition and teachings tend to discourage us thinking of Joseph and Mary as a couple, let alone as a loving couple. Instead they are presented to us like a loveless couple who are propelled by duty and obedience to become husband and wife. Even as husband and wife their roles are functional and utilitarian - they were just a channel through which the baby Jesus was to be born and protected. What has love to do with this picture of Joseph and Mary? Almost nothing. Yet surely, only a couple with deep love for one another could go through all the things that the two of them went through. No amount of angelic interventions and admonitions is going to make a man stick around a woman he has no feeling for and vice versa!

Second, despite the hype with which we now approach Christmas and despite the consumerist excesses of the event, love does not seem central to our Christmas practices. Is this why the so-called festive season is also the loneliest most miserable season for many? Is this the reason why some of the highest suicide rate statistics in many countries of the world fall between 24 December and 2 January?

Third, love as understood in the story of Christmas is not merely love for self and love for one’s own kin and kith. God had no business to love humans but loves them all the same. When Christmas is construed as a time for love for one’s inner circle – a time for ‘family’ in the narrowest and exclusive sense of the word, then we are distorting both Christmas and God’s intention.

Behind our folkloric embellishments and behind the marketing razz matazz that accompanies our Christmases, lies the simple story of a child whose birth indicates and symbolizes - for Christians at least - the most direct intervention by God in the lives of human beings ever. In other words, the most complete demonstration of God’s love for human beings. Therefore, at the heart of the Christmas story, is the story of love. So; what’s love got to do with Christmas? Well, what Christmas outside of and without love? We therefore need to sing a different song from that of Tina Turner. Love has everything to do with Christmas. Indeed Christmas is all about love. This then is the time to have a heart and risk it being broken. Just like God does in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Professor Tinyiko Sam Maluleke is the Executive Director for Research at The University of South Africa (UNISA). The above Bible reflection was constructed in cooperation with the Ujamaa Centre of the University of KwaZulu-Natal's School of Religion and Theology.

Silent Night (Jim Wallis)

Silent Night, by Stanley Weintraub, is the story of Christmas Eve, 1914, on the World War I battlefield in Flanders. As the German, British, and French troops facing each other were settling in for the night, a young German soldier began to sing “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht." Others joined in. When they had finished, the British and French responded with other Christmas carols.

Eventually, the men from both sides left their trenches and met in the middle. They shook hands, exchanged gifts, and shared pictures of their families. Informal soccer games began in what had been “no-man’s-land." And a joint service was held to bury the dead of both sides.

The generals, of course, were not pleased with these events. Men who have come to know each other’s names and seen each other’s families are much less likely to want to kill each other. War seems to require a nameless, faceless enemy.

So, following that magical night the men on both sides spent a few days simply firing aimlessly into the sky. Then the war was back in earnest and continued for three more bloody years. Yet the story of that Christmas Eve lingered - a night when the angels really did sing of peace on earth.

Folksinger John McCutcheon wrote a song about that night in Belgium, titled “Christmas in the Trenches,” from the viewpoint of a young British solder. Several poignant verses are:

“The next they sang was “Stille Nacht,” “Tis ‘Silent Night’,” says I.
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky
“There’s someone coming towards us!” the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one lone figure coming from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright
As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man’s land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave ‘em hell.
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night
“Whose family have I fixed within my sights?”
‘Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they’d kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone for evermore.”

Our prayer for the new year is for a nation and world where people can come out of their trenches and together sing their hopes for peace.

Jim Wallis is the Editor-In-Chief of Sojourners magazine and author of numerous books, including: God's Politics and The Great Awakening.

What is "Boxing Day"?

"Boxing Day" is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. In South Africa, this public holiday is now known as "The Day of Goodwill". It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less financially fortunate members of society.

Boxing Day officially began in England in the middle of the 19th century under the rule of Queen Victoria. It was a day to thank the community for all their efforts throughout the year. The maids, drivers and other service workers were thanked with gifts of food, money, clothing, and other goods (...many gifts were placed in boxes for easy distribution, and some used boxes to collect offerings before handing out the items, thus the name "Boxing Day".)

While December 26th is now often seen as a "shopping holiday" associated with after-Christmas sales and material accumulations (...as if we did not get enough shopping already!), perhaps those that do not traditionally celebrate "Boxing Day" may use this occasion to consider their various blessings, be mindful of the gross income disparities in our world, and seek peace and justice through giving and charity. Perhaps Boxing Day will spark us to consider the less fortunate, not only for one day, but throughout the year.

Being Mindful of Our Blessings (Seth Naicker)

During this time of Advent, a season of cheer and joy, there are people who do not have much in economic standings or bank balances to be cheerful or grateful for. Such people can be located in the most developed of countries as well as within the most underdeveloped countries of our 21st-century world.

The economic meltdown as recognized after the crash on Wall Street has had global effects. People are living in the aftermath of what is best described as “best as they can.” It must be admitted, however, that while people of different race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and religion face economic hardship throughout the world, it is the poorest of the poor who will feel it most.

Some will argue that in times of personal discomfort, it is not easy to acknowledge another’s pain, or the fact that one is better off than the other. I believe it to be quite natural for you and I to feel our individual and personal pain, thus operating from it as a reference. It is on the other hand possible to recognize that even within one’s personal pain or discomfort, there are those who are less fortunate and in greater distress. If we allow our individual reference to become our preference of understanding the world, we are choosing to recognize our personal hardship and deny the reality of those who have less.

In No Future Without Forgiveness, Bishop Desmond Tutu points out that while South Africa was in the midst of celebrating our victory over apartheid and the beginnings of our new democracy, we displayed a total inaction and silence to our brothers and sisters suffering through the horrendous Rwandan genocide. Bishop Tutu’s voice must be harkened in our current-day South Africa as it relates to our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters. While gathering with family and friends this festive season, may we have awareness and a concern for those who are less fortunate and people who are in dire circumstances.

In these times of excessive shopping, carol-singing, or sharing gifts, may we be mindful of the blessings we have. May we be practical and exemplary in ensuring that from the little or the much that we have, that we will seek to be a blessing to people around us. I was most inspired by my parents who, with their own financial burdens, were able to rally together with my siblings and a couple from the U.S. to organize and facilitate a Christmas party for about 450 children from a community in south-side Johannesburg. My parents hope to continue running programs and initiatives within this community, in partnership with local businesses, churches, community members, schools, etc., which will ensure the healthy development of young people, their families, and their community.

A coming together of people from diverse backgrounds of religion and faith, economic standing, ethnicity, and race may be the inspiration required to stimulate initiatives and programs that may start during this Christmas season, but continue beyond it because this Christmas became about our existence being bound up in our brother and sister’s calamity. May the spirit of the holidays be lived out with people of faith who will proclaim the love and mercy of God in tangible and practical ways — ways that will encompass our heads and hearts, minds and feet, words and deeds, and, most definitely, our money and our long-term commitment.

Seth Naicker is an activist for justice and reconciliation from South Africa. He is currently studying and working at Bethel University, in St. Paul, Minnesota, as the program and projects director for the Office of Reconciliation Studies.

Church and State (Rev. Dean Jerohme J. Kannemeyer)

On the political scene I am convinced that the breaking away of prominent political leaders from the ruling party (ANC) raises concerns for the ordinary citizen in this country and the international community. Speaking as an activist in the previous dispensation and vicious fighter for the rights of the disadvantaged people, I find that the black community is at a crossroads. The formation of the recent convention in Sandton and the call for a new political party, I believe is long overdue, however the masses are trapped between the values of a noble fight for liberation and that of discontent with the movement that ensured their freedoms.

This may not necessarily bring about dramatic changes in lifestyles, but might secure the values of enshrined in our new constitution, that of freedom of association, freedom of speech and alike.

My major frustration with the ruling party in governance was that the racial card has been played when matters such as employment, housing and enrichment opportunities has been discussed and deployed. Government contributed to the establishment of a “black elite” to the extent of causing a huge gap between the poor and the affluent. On the educational front I have another frustration that of playing faith-based organizations against each other, by introducing unacceptable policies of practicing one’s faith in a free dispensation. Business and related issues where clearly a mismatch of the people’s expectations in finding mostly those in top leadership and governance having had the opportunities to enter this arena. This, in the name of black economic empowerment.

Currently, as an activist of Jesus Christ and that of bringing people to the cross, I have observed for the past 10 years that the Church in S.A. has become just another entity to call upon when the ANC in governance is faced with tremendous difficulty. The Church, which has been a partner in the past (during the years of struggle against apartheid) has been ignored and sidelined. Now we are called upon to pray, of which I believe we are capable of doing much more. Government has forgotten that the Church was a platform to assist in the fight against apartheid. We did not only pray then! The Church has got some resources and effective infrastructure to assist in the fight against poverty and HIV/Aids.

As a Church we are already involved in many programs which are directed at bettering the lives of our people and they are not in opposition to the programs government is supposed to deliver, rather as a complimentary and additional support. Unfortunately the contributions from the Church are not recognized and appreciated.

My call on government is to acknowledge the work done by organizations outside the government and to compliment programs and activities of the same nature and substance. Furthermore, to foster good working relationships that can bring about sufficient results in favor of the poor, homeless and the unemployed.

Rev. Dean Jerohme J. Kannemeyer serves the Moria Circuit in the Cape Orange Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa.

Food for thought (Alicia Kelly)

Why do bad things happen to good people? It's a question that often plagues me because there is no definitive answer. I can research 1,000 books and Google the Internet however the response is not a simple one. There are no simple answers because it is not a simple question.

The question recently returned to the fore-front of mind when I had a visit with a lady named Auntie Ann. I asked to go along with the Pastor as he went on his visits to give Communion to the sick and shut-in. I have taken communion numerous times at church and have come to expect the routine. I went on the outing with the intent and purpose of being a blessing, prayer warrior and kind face to someone; not in the least expecting to gain as much as I did from this experience. Auntie Ann is an elderly woman who has had both of her legs amputated due to diabetes. She lives in a one-room shack with her husband in the back of someone's home (one must actually go through the person's house to get to her). The room is well kept and has all the makings of a “home” although it doesn't have a complete kitchen or indoor toilet. During the pastor's conversation with the couple (spoken half in English half in Afrikanns) I was able to understand that Auntie also had cancer and recently found out that the cancer had spread to 4 more places in her body. Though she had undergone some chemo treatments I was surprised to find that she still had her long hair – thinning and tyed back in a scarf. When asked about her medications and what she was taking for pain - her response was a simple one - "I don't take pain medication because I have no pain." From what I know of cancer, this woman appeared to be a miracle sitting before my eyes. She stated she no longer receives many visitors, not even her children and that the only people she feels she can truly depend on are (1) her husband and (2) God. Her circumstances alone could have her feeling depressed and fault seeking, but with a wide smile, smooth skin, and calming demeanor, she professes quite frankly that no matter what her situation may “look” like, she feels extremely blessed.

This month I was asked to reflect on “What it means to be a Christian called into God's mission” and “How I see myself as a missionary as well as others?" Missionary is not a term I would use to describe myself but I could possibly fall into the category because I love doing charitable work for the shear joy of helping others and being a blessing to those in need while being blessed in the process. The definition of a missionary, in my view, is someone who is called to be a messenger of God's word often doing work of charity in a land foreign to them. With the experience of meeting Auntie Ann, I now see my definition as limiting because to me this lady clearly exemplifies a missionary in every sense of the word. Her method may not be systematic, but I'm convinced her example spreads the message of faith and love and she didn't even happen to be a foreigner. I think she answered God's Call to mission because she lives and breathes faith and hope and willingly shares it with others. Missionaries are not always “bible-toting” super-beings but can easily be your neighbor or the person in line behind you.

So back to my initial question - Why do bad things happen to good people? For now I will have to live with the response that I have been able to see with my own two eyes - that even though there is bad in the world – somehow God gives us the hope, faith and peace of mind that it's in His hands and everything will work according to His will. Managing to keep the faith and know that there is a God and heaven and that life may not be great for you here on earth but in Heaven all is perfect and there is an ultimate good. He gives us the tools we need to have peace if only we choose to hold on to them through upset, pain and hurt. He never promises that things will be easy only that He will bring us through. It's a hard pill to swallow knowing that there will Always be pain, hurt, evil and illness that even medical doctors and scientist have not found a cure or answers as to why. With so much suffering there is bound to be anger. One must seek inspiration and encouragement to move on knowing that God is a good.

“The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well...the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:15-16; James 5:11.

Alicia Kelly is an ELCA-MUD volunteer serving in Cape Town.

SA soccer starts team up for AIDS

The South African Football Players Union's campaign, "Show me your number,” aims to use football players to boost awareness around HIV and AIDS.

According to project manager Mabalane Mfundisi, the “show me your number” campaign aims to counter the ‘bad boy’ image that has become closely associated with the game by encouraging players and supporters alike to “clean up their act”.

“We are aware that people will make mistakes and people do make mistakes. But there are mistakes you can avoid. As soccer players we’re saying: ‘Just don’t go on doing wrong things. You need to take responsibility because people look up to you. And other than looking up to you scoring goals, they want to see you scoring goals of life, scoring goals of responsibility’. So, we want the players changed”, says Mfundisi.

With the support of the Premier Soccer League, Kick Off Magazine and SABC Sports the campaign will serve to educate players about the epidemic as part of a broader wellness program in the run-up to the 2010 soccer World Cup and beyond. Players will also go into communities to share their lessons to their young supporters and fans.

Mfundisi is acutely aware of the HIV and AIDS problem in South Africa. He added that soccer players are also reeling from the effects of the epidemic.

“They come from communities [that] bear the brunt of the pandemic. So they want something done and they want to be part of what needs to be done”.

Source: http://www.health-e.org.za

South Africa ends decade of denial on AIDS

Church bells tolled, workers put down their tools and court proceedings stopped Monday as South Africa marked a minute of silence for AIDS victims and ended a decade of denial about the epidemic.

Peter Piot, the top U.N. official dealing with the disease, joined political leaders and hundreds of AIDS activists at a rally in the coastal city of Durban to show his support for a government that has made a break with the discredited AIDS policies of former President Thabo Mbeki.

"We are the first to admit that a lot still needs to be done," said Baleka Mbete, the deputy president, as she lit a candle in remembrance of the victims.

South Africa has an estimated 5.5 million people living with the HIV virus -- the highest total of any country in the world and more than one-sixth of the global total. About 1,000 South Africans die each day of the disease and complications like tuberculosis. Even more become infected because prevention messages haven't worked.

And yet for years, Mbeki's government downplayed the extent of the crisis. Mbeki himself doubted the link between HIV and AIDS. His health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang openly mistrusted conventional AIDS drugs and instead promoted the value of lemons, garlic, beetroot and the African potato.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health last month calculated that government delays in introducing AIDS drugs between 2000 and 2005 cost more than 330,000 lives in South Africa. The study said that an additional 35,000 babies were born with HIV during the same period because authorities were reluctant to roll out mother-to-child prevention programs.

"We have to mourn the lives of those we have not saved," said Barbara Hogan, the health minister who replaced Tshabalala-Msimang after Mbeki was ousted in October. She cited the example of an 8-year-old boy battling both AIDS-related TB and meningitis who was on a waiting list for drugs when he died.

"We could have saved his life," Hogan said. She promised to improve HIV treatment and prevention programs, and to increase the supply of drugs to HIV positive women to stop them from passing the virus on to their unborn children.

South Africa has the biggest program for AIDS drugs in the world. And yet, about half the 800,000 people who need drugs are not receiving them. Experts estimate that within five years, about 5.5 million people with HIV will need medication to prevent their immune systems from worsening.

The government wants to halve new infections by 2011 and ensure that 80 percent of people with the disease get treatment and care.

But it faces a mammoth task. The Global Fund on AIDS, TB and Malaria has rejected a South African request for nearly $92 million over the next two years for AIDS projects and $68 million for TB prevention and treatment. AIDS campaigners blamed the former health minister for failing to respect the fund's strict operating rules.

The Durban ceremony marked an unprecedented show of unity between government, big business, trade unions and activists. In the past, activists and doctors had to resort to the courts to force government to provide AIDS drugs.

Church bells rang for a minute's silence at noon, and all banks agreed to cease business for that time. Murder trials were briefly interrupted. Trade union and business chiefs said they would have a 30-minute work stoppage to talk to their employees and encourage them to be tested -- which still remains largely taboo among men. Cell phone services sent text messages to their teenage subscribers.

"With the young and working age dying in droves, South Africa's death statistics resemble those of a country in a terrible war," the Confederation of South African Trade Unions said.

This article can be found in its entirety at CNN Health International.

World AIDS Day and the challenges it highlights (Christine Courcol)

As World Aids Day is marked on Monday, December 1, the fight against the syndrome remains stymied by the dearth of adequate treatment in poor countries and setbacks in finding an effective vaccine, experts say.

To be sure, there have been plenty of advances over the past two decades. While 33-million people have the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, more are enjoying healthier, longer lives thanks to powerful new medications.

Organizers of World AIDS Day – built around the themes of leadership, self-responsibility and activism – are calling on governments to follow through on promises of universal treatment, prevention, care and support.

"We have effective treatments. We have no other choice than to offer them to all those who need them," said Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the French National Research Agency on AIDS and viral hepatitis (ANRS).

But affordable and effective treatment remains a rarity in Africa, home to the majority of HIV-positive people, making prospects of universal access to medication remote in the near future.

In poorer countries, the choice may eventually be between treating millions of HIV-positive patients, or offering more expensive treatment to about 500,000 people who are resistant to mainstream therapies, Delfraissy said.

Even in wealthier nations like France, where 5,200 new HIV-positive cases were registered last year, thousands of others remain unaware they are infected.

"Don't let AIDS pick up speed!" urges the French association AIDES, which plans to install a huge counter on the Paris opera house showing the lag between new infections and treatment.

On Friday, the United Nations urged countries to focus on the roots of the pandemic and draw on a panoply of tried-and-tested tools to help HIV from spreading among people most at risk.

"There is no single magic bullet for HIV prevention," said outgoing UNAids executive director Peter Piot.

Hopes for such a magic bullet were shattered last year, when scientists were forced to abandon two advanced clinical trials of an HIV/Aids vaccine by pharmaceutical company Merck, after they appeared to actually heighten the risk of infection.

But Aids research was given a boost in October when the 2008 Nobel Medicine Prize was bestowed to a pair of scientists who discovered HIV.

Researchers have also discovered new molecules and have launched tests on new triple treatments that have proved effective for patients no longer responding to other therapies

Meanwhile, research on finding an effective AIDS shot continues. US scientists recently discovered a gene that may pave the way for a vaccine.

Delfraissy, of ANRS, also predicts a revival in basic research to find molecules capable of attacking the virus at a stage where it has not yet been detected.

Scientists are also interested in the cases of some HIV-positive people who never develop full-blown AIDS.

"We have an impressive arsenal," said Father Pierre-Marie Girard, who heads the infectious disease unit for the Saint Antoine Hospital in Paris.

One mark of success, he said, is those with HIV today talk of living and aging well with the virus -- with hopes of enjoying the same lifespan as those without.

Christine Courcol contributes to the Mail & Guardian.