Every once in a while here at Code Z we hear about someone pulling some artifact out of a dusty, old attic or out from under a bed and presenting it to the world in a whole new light. Remember the Roz Payne DVD? Now we find that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta has its own share of hidden corners that need exploring.
Louise Shaw with Global Health Odyssey at the CDC recently told us about a set of African smallpox vaccination posters that have been sitting around the CDC for 10 years without seeing much action, but are now on display for the public. The posters represent a variety of mainly West African nations--Nigeria, Ghana, Sénégal--and are written in English, French, and a variety of indigenous languages. Most date from the tumultuous, yet optimistic era of 1967-1969 when the campaign to eradicate smallpox was hitting its stride.
Louise noted that the posters had been brought from Africa for the 40-year reunion of the smallpox vaccination workers at the CDC, but that "no one had ever focused on how fantastic they were." Which stands to reason as many of the posters were made by pedigreed African printmakers who had studied art or graphic design at one of Nigeria's British-modeled universities: among the artists were Agbo Folarin and Eke Okaybulu. The posters are on display for an indefinite period.
Comments
I adore these! thanks for showing.
great posters. however, with the aids epidemic at new heights and theories pointing the finger at the cdc, seeing visual images like these, spearheaded by "outsiders," makes the argument that the disease was man-made and strategically imposed on afrikan people that much more sound.