1A: Main Message of the Text The main message of the text is a call to recognize and address the ongoing issue of racial discrimination and its detrimental effects on human rights and public health.
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Read the text and write your response to tasks 1A and 1B below.
Recommended length for tasks 1A and 1B combined: 200–300 words. Remember to read the entire text. You may have to scroll.
The text below is the UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima’s message on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2022.
Briefly state what the main message of the text is.
Comment on and explain the effects of some of the language features and/or literary devices used in the text to enhance the message. Use examples from the text in your answer.
It has been more than half a century since the United Nations proclaimed the 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. On that day in 1960 police opened fire on a crowd of peaceful protesters standing up and speaking out against apartheid in South Africa. Dozens were killed that day. It took a further 30-year bitter battle for apartheid legislation to be repealed, during which time millions of black Africans were removed from their homes and forced into segregated neighbourhoods. The world said never again …
Yet today racism continues to thrive, deepening inequalities, fracturing societies and denying people their basic human rights, including their right to health.
Racism is a public health and human rights issue of global concern. It is recognised that racism is a key determinant of disease and defines who has access to life-saving prevention, treatment, quality health care and overall well-being.
The large racial and ethnic disparities in access to HIV services are evident. Although black Africans account for the vast majority of the population in South Africa and for the large majority of people living with HIV, the public sector services on which black South Africans rely are typically of poorer quality than the private sector services available to white South Africans. In the United States of America, African American people account for 12% of the national population but for 41% of new HIV diagnoses and AIDS-related deaths. To end AIDS it is imperative to close the inequalities that drive it and that includes addressing racial inequalities.
History should have taught us all the most appalling life-costing consequences of racism and inequity, yet racism remains rife across countries and within countries. The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing vaccine apartheid is a stark reminder of this and has cost each one of us the quickest and least harmful exit route from the crisis.
Failure to tackle racism will continue to cost millions of lives and livelihoods around the world; to stall progress on tackling poverty; to block development efforts and threaten global public health and economic security. Because, make no mistake, the costs of inequality are not confined to those living in the poorest countries.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination we must chart a new path to secure the rights of all people in all nations and raise our voices for action against racism.
1A: Main Message of the Text
The main message of the text is a call to recognize and address the ongoing issue of racial discrimination and its detrimental effects on human rights and public health, particularly in the context of HIV and AIDS. Winnie Byanyima emphasizes the deep inequalities created by racism, noting that these disparities persist despite historical efforts to eradicate them. She stresses the importance of confronting racism as a public health issue, particularly in the distribution of healthcare services, and calls for global action to close these racial inequalities in order to eliminate AIDS and other public health threats.
1B: Language Features and Literary Devices
The text uses several effective language features to enhance its message. One notable feature is the use of contrast between past and present events, such as the reference to the police shootings of peaceful protesters in South Africa in 1960 and the continued racism today. This contrast emphasizes the failure to fully address racism, despite the lessons of history. By mentioning specific statistics, such as the racial disparities in access to HIV services, Byanyima uses data to substantiate her argument, making the issue tangible and urgent.
Additionally, the phrase "the costs of inequality are not confined to those living in the poorest countries" uses irony, as it highlights how racial inequalities in health and society ultimately affect everyone, regardless of their country's wealth. The repetition of phrases like "costs of inequality" and "racism is a public health and human rights issue" creates a sense of urgency and reinforces the core message of the text. Finally, Byanyima's closing sentence, "we must chart a new path," uses a call to action, inspiring readers to actively fight against racism.