From 09:30 you can register for the symposium in the archway of the National Museum Zurich and enjoy coffee and croissants.

Welcome by Denise Tonella, Director of the Swiss National Museum, and Florian Vock, Deputy Executive Director of Aids-Hilfe Schweiz.

How does the culture of remembrance take shape during pandemics? Is the virus itself part of a narrative, and can objects help pass on memories of AIDS and society's response to it to future generations? 

These questions will be explored in the lectures “Silence = Death. Remembering ACT UP” (Monika Dommann), “Embodiment of Fear: Vampires and the AIDS Pandemic” (Elisabeth Bronfen), and “AIDS Quilts: Making the Invisible Visible” (Luca Tori). They will examine how cultural forms of expression and practices of remembrance help to preserve the past and raise awareness of exclusion in the present.

From 1987 onwards, quilts have played an important role in commemorating victims of AIDS in the United States, and subsequently in Europe. These textile mementos are collective testimonies of loss, love, activism and social transformation. At a time when HIV and AIDS posed profound social as well as medical challenges, these quilts emerged as a silent yet powerful form of remembrance. Each quilt tells a personal story embedded in a broader narrative of visibility and solidarity. 

To mark the anniversary celebrations, the National Museum is exhibiting selected quilts. Activists from the early days of the epidemic and individuals bereaved by it will participate in a panel discussion exploring the historical, social and personal significance of the quilts. Bea Aebersold and Vuyiseka Dubula will then draw parallels with global experiences and current challenges in dealing with HIV/AIDS.

Lunch will be served for all participants in the courtyard of the National Museum.

Despite medical progress, the stigmatization of and discrimination against people living with HIV remain particularly severe. What have we learned about society from the HIV epidemic? 

A brief presentation of studies on discrimination, followed by a legal perspective from our organization's legal office, and finally, an exchange with members of the Positive Life Advisory Board (pLAB) will allow for an in-depth exploration of the issue of discrimination in the context of the HIV pandemic. 

There is hope! 

For 40 years, HIV prevention has been providing impulses around the world for equal health opportunities, participatory work and innovative projects. With high-profile guests from Switzerland and abroad, we look ahead: Will we achieve the global goal by 2030? What can Switzerland learn from the world – and what do all of us have to contribute to ensure that there are no new infections and that people with HIV everywhere have a chance at the good life? 

Guided tour of the TECHNO exhibition focussing on ‘Aids’ as part of the symposium to mark the 40th anniversary of Aids-Hilfe Schweiz.

The guided tour is free of charge for participants of the symposium. Other participants pay the museum entrance fee. A reservation for the guided tour is required.

• 16:30-17:15 - Guided tour in German: Reservation
• 17:00-17:45 - Guided tour in German: Reservation
• 17:30-18:15 - Guided tour in French: Reservation
• 18:00-18:45 - Guided tour in German: Reservation

The participants of the symposium are invited to an exclusive aperitif.