Debunking delusions
The inside story of the treatment action campaign
Published on 10. March 2010
Book
256 pages
978-1-77009-781-0 (ISBN)
Description
An insider's view of the state-supported AIDS denial of South African leaders Thabo Mbeki and Manto Shabalala-Msimang, this memoir describes a great triumph of citizen activism. The account begins with the efforts of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) to rouse public alarm over the puzzling intransigence of the government and the lack of drugs for people suffering from untreated AIDS. Finally, this book details how TAC ultimately succeeded on a much larger scale, as the group exposed corrupt doctors Matthias Rath and Zeblon Gwala and publicized the case of patient Andile Madondile, who had been deceived about his medicine.
Reviews / Votes
"Between these covers you will find all the passion and intelligence Nathan Geffen devoted to the fight against quackery in South Africa. The Mbeki government's march of folly is fully exposed here. One hopes that this book will serve, not only as a record, but as a lesson." - Jonny Steinberg "An intellectually incisive, engagingly written history of a policy calamity - and the courageous activism it unleashed - that has important implications for our country's understanding of its past, as well as its future course." - Edwin CameronMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Johannesburg
South Africa
Publishing group
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
500 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-77009-781-0 (9781770097810)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Nathan Geffen has been one of the leaders of TAC since 2000. His work has involved confronting the AIDS denialist policies of Thabo Mbeki and Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. He was also the editor of TAC's magazine Equal Treatment. He has written extensively on AIDS and human rights. He previously co-authored two chapters in Edwin Cameron's book Witness to Aids, winner of the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award. This is Geffen's first full book.