TICAH works with university-based graduate training programs to encourage a more thorough and informed engagement with traditional cultures and indigenous knowledge, particularly as they relate to health and development. We are currently working in partnership with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London and are building bridges to like-minded departments in the Americas, Asia and Africa.

University of London Partnership

The first step in our partnership with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London was to support the design and development of a Master's level course, HIV, Culture, and Development. A faculty member hired through a Mellon fellowship is now teaching the course.

Between April and July 2008 the Brunei Gallery at SOAS are hosting our exhibition of body maps of HIV positive people from Africa and Asia, Our Positive Bodies. The exhibition includes portraits, paintings, photographs, and stories in Thai, Kiswahili, Hindi, and English, showing the power of expression, pointing to the problems with our programs, and sharing our strategies for staying healthy.

TICAH and SOAS are also laying the ground for the establishment of a Centre on HIV, Culture and Development. The aim of this Centre is to stimulate research and training attention to the links between cultural dimensions of health and by offering research awards, designing courses, and facilitating exchanges between universities and health organizations in Asia and Africa.

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Brunei exhibition press release