AllMovie

As of 2003, the AIDS epidemic in Africa had surpassed all others throughout history -- including the dreaded bubonic plague -- with a staggering large death toll that had reached into the tens of millions. Throughout the continent, the numbers of people infected continue to rise sharply on a weekly and daily basis, with the exception of the Western coastal country of Angola. Director Andrew Young studied the circumstances surrounding this remarkable fact with his 2003 documentary AIDS Warriors. The oil-rich country had been embroiled in a civil war that had the unintended effect of keeping the disease from spreading as rapidly as it had in neighboring nations. After the nation's peace settlement, the Angolan leadership took an extraordinary tactic to fight the disease's spread by changing the nation's armed forces focus from warfare to education and prevention with the hopes of continuing to keep the spread of AIDS to a minimum. Part of the acclaimed PBS-produced Wide Angle documentary series, AIDS Warriors premiered July 24, 2003.