When the Wall fell, popular culture rose to a new level of social relevance. Wind of Change? More like a tsunami! The Nineties washed over the increasingly globalized media landscape in a tidal wave of catchy tunes, cult movies, TV series and show stars. FACES rolls up the decade – and publishes an encyclopaedia on the age of grunge, girl groups, GZSZ and AIDS prevention.
Not us! HIV is only contracted by fixers, johns and the fuck brothers in the gay disco. Many think so. Too many. Too long. The wind changed in the nineties.
Hihi. “No ding, no bang!” Adolescents in Switzerland giggle at least as much as they do when their teacher rolls a condom onto the cucumber to demonstrate. But before the comedy comes the shock. It hits the general population when they realize that the virus has long been raging in their ranks. And not just the marginalized and indecent, i.e. junkies, hookers and sex tourists. Tennis legend Arthur Ashe and pop art icon Keith Haring in 1990, rapper Eazy-E in 1995, Freddie Mercury in 1991 of course, various Hollywood actors – anyone can catch it. Unless they’re careful.
Campaigns commissioned by health ministers everywhere are raising awareness of how this can be done. In 1988, the WHO declared the 1. December on World Aids Day. The logo of the “Don’t give Aids a chance” campaign, which ran until 1992, is still one of the best known in Germany today, and the slogan mentioned at the beginning enjoys cult status in Switzerland. More and more celebrities are showing the red ribbon of solidarity with those suffering from the as yet incurable infection. The number of deaths is declining, of course. However, according to the 2018 UN report, West and South Africa alone have a combined total of over 25 million infected people – out of almost 38 worldwide.
