Peter Busse

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Peter Graham Busse
Peter Busse.jpg
Born(1958-02-13)February 13, 1958
East London, South Africa
DiedJanuary 6, 2006(2006-01-06) (aged 47)
Johannesburg
Education University of Cape Town
Occupation(s)AIDS activist and educator
Organization(s)Township AIDS Project, National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS
Known forOne of the first South Africans to disclose their HIV positive status

Peter Busse (1958-2006) was a South African AIDS activist. After his diagnosis in 1985, he became involved in HIV/AIDS advocacy and education, including co-founding the Township AIDS Project (TAP) with Simon Nkoli. One of the first South Africans to publicly disclose their HIV-positive status, he also co-founded the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA). In his later years, he worked as a consultant and workshop facilitator for various NGOs and institutions.

Contents

Biography

Early life and education

Peter Graham Busse was born on 13 February 1958 in East London. [1] [2] He had two brothers and was raised in Cape Town, where he attended Abbotts College for secondary school. [1] [2] Busse knew he was gay from a young age and began his first relationship at age 25. [3] At the University of Cape Town, he studied to be a librarian. [1] [4] [5] As a white South African during apartheid, he was required to serve in the South African Defense Force, but he left the country so he would not be conscripted. First he moved to the Netherlands and then to Swaziland, where he served as Chief Librarian for the National Library Service. [1] [2]

HIV diagnosis and activism (1987-1992)

In 1985, while living in Swaziland, Busse was diagnosed with HIV. [6] [7] [2] His doctor did not provide him with counseling or education during his diagnosis; he later stated that this experience motivated him to become an HIV counselor to provide support to people who were newly diagnosed with HIV. [6] [5] [3] Busse moved back to South Africa, where he volunteered as an HIV counselor in Johannesburg. [2] [1] He co-founded the Township AIDS Project (TAP) with Simon Nkoli in 1989. [6] [5] [8] TAP was a Soweto-based organization that provided HIV/AIDS education to the Black and LGBTQ communities. [6] [9] Busse was also a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Organization of Witwatersrand (GLOW), a gay rights organization closely affiliated with TAP. [7] [6] [9] GLOW launched South Africa's first gay pride parade in 1990, which Busse described as having an "incredible sense of excitement and of history in the making." [3]

In the early 1990s, Busse became one of the first South Africans to publicly disclose their HIV-positive status. [8] [1] [6] In 1991, during the pride march, a tree was planted at Pieter Roos Park in Johannesburg to honor people who had died of AIDS and those who were dealing with related illnesses. Busse spoke about living with HIV at the ceremony. [6] [3] At a 1992 National AIDS Committee of South Africa (NACOSA) meeting about creating a national AIDS policy, he surmised that nobody else in the room was HIV-positive. When it was his turn to introduce himself at the meeting he stated: "I’ve... been HIV positive since 1985 and I’m living with HIV. I’d like to bring that perspective into the writing of the National AIDS Plan." [10] [5] [11]

National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (1994-1999)

Busse co-founded the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) with Mercy Makhalemela in 1994 and later became director in 1997. [11] [5] NAPWA advocated and provided support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. [5] In 1998, NAPWA launched the "Disclosure and Acceptance" campaign which aimed to help people disclose their positive HIV statuses and combat HIV stigma. [12] [13] [14] At the time, Busse estimated that fewer than 100 South Africans were openly living with HIV. [15] [16] On World AIDS Day, NAPWA volunteer Gugu Dlamini disclosed her status on television and radio; she was murdered at her home by a mob later that month. [13] [14] [15] Busse stated that Dlamini's death demonstrated the immense need to combat negative attitudes against people with HIV. [13] Several years later, he pointed to issues with the campaign, including lack of planning and resources. [12]

Along with other AIDS activists like Simon Nkoli, Busse assisted Kim Berman in launching an arts initiative called Paper Prayers. Paper Prayers ran printmaking workshops where participants created anonymous HIV-related messages and learned about HIV/AIDS. The messages were displayed in various art galleries and other venues on World AIDS Day and sold to raise money for HIV/AIDS organizations like TAP and NAPWA. [9] [17] [18]

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which aimed to increase access to HIV medication, was initially established as part of NAPWA in late 1998. [6] [5] [19] TAC soon broke away from NAPWA because of disagreements about tactics; in particular, TAC wanted NAPWA to be more progressive and militant. [6] [5] [20] Some NAPWA members challenged Busse's leadership, alleging mismanagement and racism, while Busse maintained that his detractors opposed him because he was white and gay. [2] [6] In 1999, Busse resigned as director of NAPWA and dealt with a series of illnesses. [21] [1] [6]

Later life (2000-2006)

Busse then worked as an HIV/AIDS consultant to various NGOs and other institutions as well as a workshop facilitator and educator. [8] [6] [2] HIV and Me, a workshop he created in 2002, centers the needs of people living with HIV and seeks to "personalize" HIV for participants. The workshop continued to be delivered after his death. [22] [23] [24] Ibis released a short documentary about Busse delivering the workshop in Namibia. [25] [26] Busse also assisted in running International AIDS Society conferences, including their 2000 conference in Durban for which he co-chaired the Community Programme Committee [1] [27] [28] with Clarence Mini. [8]

To commemorate 20 years of living with AIDS, Busse held a "Celebration of Life" party in April 2005. [29] [2] [27] He credited his survival to HIV medication, his optimism, and the support of his loved ones. [30] [31] Around 250 people attended. [30] Busse died on 6 January 2006 in Johannesburg. [27] [31] His cremation and memorial service were held on 14 January in Johannesburg. [31] [4] Some of his friends believed that poor adherence to HIV medication contributed to his death. [1] [32] [31] A collection of his photographs, letters, and other items is stored at GALA Queer Archive. [7]

Views

Busse believed that disclosing one's positive HIV status was important to minimize HIV/AIDS denial and to serve as a role model for others. He stated that it was necessary to work within communities to destigmatize HIV so that people would be supported after they disclosed their status. [10] [14] In an interview for a GALA Queer Archive anthology, [7] he stated: "I don’t like presenting only parts of myself and having to hide away other parts. I am completely open and transparent." [3] [6] He compared disclosing his HIV status to coming out as a gay man. [33] [6] [3]

Busse was known for his positive outlook on living with HIV, [1] [4] which inspired others dealing with an HIV diagnosis. [34] [30] In an interview, Busse said that using the word "victim" was stigmatizing; "We don’t want to just be seen as people with AIDS, we want the living component added, so it’s people living with HIV/AIDS." [35] He later stated that: "Positive living in a very broad sense of the word is having hope and believing that HIV is not equal to AIDS and not equal to death." [7] In Sue Williamson's From the Inside, a series of public artworks featuring statements from people living with AIDS, Busse's quote was included: "Being diagnosed HIV + can be a new beginning. You reassess what is important." [36] [37] [38]

In the late 1990s, there was a debate about whether foreign drug companies should be allowed to conduct clinical trials for HIV medication in South Africa because most participants would not be able to access treatment after the trials ended. In a 1997 article in the British Medical Journal, Busse argued that people with AIDS should be able to make their own decisions about enrolling in trials and that "many people feel that access to limited and potentially beneficial treatment is better than no treatment at all". [39] [40] [1]

Selected works and media appearances

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Barron, Chris (2006-01-15). "Peter Busse: A warrior in the AIDS Battle" . Sunday Times. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mazibuko, Lucky (2006-01-11). "Peter's Positive Life" (PDF). The Sowetan– via GALA Queer Archive.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Busse, Peter (2006). "There Was an Incredible Sense of Excitement and History in the Making". In de Waal, Shaun; Manion, Anthony (eds.). Pride: Protest and Celebration. Sunnyside: Jacana. pp. 38–42.
  4. 1 2 3 Thom, Anso (2006-01-10). "Remembering Peter Busse". Health e-News. Archived from the original on 2006-02-03. Retrieved 2025-10-03– via allafrica.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Moyle, Didi (2015). Speaking Truth to Power: The Story of the AIDS Law Project. Jacana Media. pp. 30, 90–92. ISBN   978-1-928232-08-7.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Mbali, Mandisa (2013). South African AIDS Activism and Global Health Politics. Springer. pp. 51, 57, 108, 120. doi:10.1057/9781137312167.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Chernis, Linda (2018-09-01). "The Peter Busse Collection" (PDF). GALA – Queer Archive.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "A role model for positive living". The Mail & Guardian. 2006-01-13. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  9. 1 2 3 Davidow, Jackson (September 2019). Viral Visions: Art, Activism, and Epidemiology in the Global AIDS Pandemic (PDF) (PhD thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  10. 1 2 Busse, Peter (February 2000). "LIVING OPENLY: Stories and images of HIV positive South Africans" (PDF). Department of Health. p. 55 – via CADRE.
  11. 1 2 Harris, Joseph (2017-09-15). Achieving Access: Professional Movements and the Politics of Health Universalism. Cornell University Press. p. 175. ISBN   978-1-5017-1474-0.
  12. 1 2 "To the Other Side of the Mountain: The faces and voices of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa". Department of Health, Republic of South Africa. May 2003. pp. 48, 63–69. Retrieved 2025-10-03– via yumpu.com.
  13. 1 2 3 "South Africa's Moment of Truth". POZ. 1999-07-01. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  14. 1 2 3 Baleta, Adele (1999-01-09). "Widespread horror over killing of AIDS activist in South Africa". The Lancet. 353 (9147): 130. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)76172-9. ISSN   0140-6736. PMID   10023913.
  15. 1 2 "Neighbors Kill an H.I.V.-Positive AIDS Activist in South Africa (Published 1998)". The New York Times. 1998-12-28. Archived from the original on 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  16. ↑ "AIDS Is Everywhere, but Africa Looks Away". The New York Times. 1998-12-04. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27.
  17. ↑ Berman, Kim (March 2010). "Exploring the link between art, social justice and health" (PDF). Proceedings of the Art and Social Justice Conference. p. 68.
  18. ↑ "Prayers for the living". The Mail & Guardian. 1998-11-27. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  19. ↑ "HIV/AIDS TREATMENT ACTION CAMPAIGN 10 DECEMBER 1998 — DAY OF ACTION INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY". Treatment Action Campaign. 1998-12-10. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  20. ↑ Grebe, Eduard (2011). "The Treatment Action Campaign's Struggle for AIDS Treatment in South Africa: Coalition-building Through Networks". Journal of Southern African Studies. 37 (4): 849–868. ISSN   0305-7070.
  21. ↑ "Who Should Speak For People Living With HIV/AIDS?". Health-e News. 2000-04-14. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  22. ↑ "LILO Inclusion Facilitator Manual" (PDF). ECID. 2021.
  23. ↑ Mondry, Lee; Walters, Ricardo (February 2018). "MAKE IT WORK: Applying the learning from LILO to the IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE of personalisation-based programming" (PDF). Positive Vibees.
  24. ↑ "Thematic segment: The role of communities in ending AIDS by 2030" (PDF). UNAIDS. 2016-06-16.
  25. ↑ Phiri, Leo (2021-11-27). AIDS and Me. Mubasen Film & Video Productions. Ibis. Retrieved 2025-10-03– via YouTube.
  26. ↑ Steve, Mister (2023-04-25). "Steve Felton Films". Medium. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  27. 1 2 3 "A TRIBUTE TO PETER BUSSE" (PDF). UNAIDS. 2006-01-09.
  28. ↑ Heywood, Mark (2020-05-14). "Dr Clarence Mini (1951-2020): A champion for health and human rights". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  29. ↑ "Life, love and HIV". The New Humanitarian. 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  30. 1 2 3 Bodibe, Khopotso (2005-04-20). "A Life Worth CelebratingLiving With AIDS # 211". Health-e News. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Bodibe, Khopotso (2006-01-12). "A Tribute To PeterLiving With AIDS #243". Health-e News. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  32. ↑ Bodibe, Khopotso (2006-02-02). "Explaining AdherenceLiving With AIDS #246". Health-e News. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  33. ↑ Bodibe, Khopotso (2005-04-26). "One Person's Disclosure Living With AIDS #212". Health-e News. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  34. ↑ Shigwedha, Absalom (2004-03-12). "HIV-AIDS: 'Namibia is under attack'". The Namibian. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  35. ↑ "siyam'kela: measuring HIV/AIDS related stigma" (PDF). UNESCO. March 2004. p. 31.
  36. ↑ "Turning inside out". The Mail & Guardian. 2002-04-18. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  37. ↑ "From the Inside". Sue Williamson. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  38. ↑ "Sue Williamson | From the Inside: Peter Busse (2002)". MutualArt. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  39. ↑ Busse, Peter (1997-03-22). "Strident, but essential: the voices of people with AIDS". BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 314 (7084): 888–889. doi:10.1136/bmj.314.7084.888. ISSN   0959-8138. PMC   2126222 . PMID   9093105.
  40. ↑ Wertheimer, Alan (2015-02-01). "The ethics of promulgating principles of research ethics: the problem of diversion effects". Journal of Law and the Biosciences. 2 (1). doi:10.1093/jlb/l. Archived from the original on 2019-05-11.
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