Wow! What an interesting event. I am a member of the youth advocacy council in Nigeria.  We are known as the Association of Youth Advocates (AYA).  I was sponsored by Advocates for Youth to attend the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).  ICASA is a program designed as a forum to disseminate recent findings and new discoveries on HIV, AIDS, and STIs in Africa.  I started my work here in Dakar with the Pre-Conference beginning from the 29^th of December.  The meeting facilitated cooperation and exchange to encourage greater synergy in future activities.  The team of the ICASA for this year 2008 was titled, “Leadership,” like the theme for World AIDS Day 2008.  Youth are voicing out by saying “Yes, we can!” meaning that we can take the lead if given the opportunity. 

The Pre-Conference was a great forum made for youth to put heads together and map out strategies on how to take the lead in our home countries.  The Pre-Conference, where many sessions were held by many facilitators to help empower enlighten the youth on what and how to go about the fight.  On the first day of December, World AIDS Day, we celebrated the unity of youth at Goree Island, a few kilometers from Dakar, Senegal.  Goree Island was wonderful! We had a candlelight vigil which was awesome!  That night we made the promise of fighting this epidemic befalling us in our various countries and the whole world at large most especially Africa, because we are most affected. 

The Pre-Conference ended on the 2^nd of December on that day the youth gathered together to discuss solutions and drafted out an objective which is as follows:

1)    Enhancing information and exchanging frameworks;

2)    Research for health to develop stakeholders; and

3)    Success in enhancing public awareness

After the program, we went to the rally which was glamorous! We danced, sang, snapped photos, with friends and some dressed in traditional African attire.  A famous Senegalese singer performed and we sang with the crowd that knew her music.  The first First-Lady of Senegal gave her speech on the plan towards eradicating AIDS.

Being at the Main Conference now, which is taking place from the 3^rd through the 7^th, the opening ceremony was indeed during the Main Conference.  We heard from many dignatories from different parts of the world on several topics listed on the Conference program.  We had to decide which sessions we wanted to participate in, which was very hard because so many topics were interested.  I just hope after this program, we will see changes with the solutions put in place. 

If not us, who? If not now, when? If not here, where? If not you, who? If not now, when? If not Africa, which?