The Independent in Britain is known for the clever use of its front page. The liberal daily often uses large photos or infographics splashed across the fold to highlight issues ranging from junk food to the Middle East. This week, it was the turn of HIV/AIDS.

On Tuesday, The Independent’s headline read: “No News Today”, with a footnote which stated: “Just 6 500 Africans died today as a result of a preventable, treatable disease. (HIV/Aids).”

The front page, designed by British artist Damien Hirst, uses irony to highlight international apathy around fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. “It’s a punch really; it’s a low sly punch,” Bono told the BBC (video).

“There’s too much information, in so many ways, for people to take in. Having a void on the front page of The Independent might be as eloquent as 10 headlines in bold type.”

Guest editor Bono used the “RED” edition of The Independent to publicise his Product RED campaign, which will see big-name brands like American Express, Gap and Motorola sharing profits from the RED-branded products they sell with the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. The Independent pledged half of the day’s revenues to fight AIDS in Africa.

The edition included interviews with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Chancellor Gordon Brown, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (about her musical preferences), and contributions from Nelson Mandela, Bob Geldof and British musician Elvis Costello.

Apparently, sales went well.

“Within hours of going on sale yesterday, copies of the newspaper, guest edited by Bono of the rock band U2, had become collectors’ items. One edition was bought for £9.90 on eBay and newsagents reported that copies had sold out,” wrote Maxine Frith in The Independent on Wednesday.

If anyone can turn HIV/AIDS into a brand, it’s Bono. I wonder if any South African celebrity would take such a prominent stand, if any South African company would go along with the RED branding campaign, if any publisher would have the guts to run a front page with a three-worded headline and a footnote (and no adverts; gasp!).

HIV/AIDS is often perceived as a health issue, but it is more than that; it is a social, political and economic issue – something that Bono has clearly grasped and acted upon, though media, diplomacy and fund-raising.

Now where is our South African hero? – Richard Frank

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