COMMEMORATION — 30 years of PILS: “AI kont diskriminasion”: three young people stand out

Alshaad Kara, Ismaïl Hossein and Paavesh Rajiah are three young people who stand out with videos supported by AI to condemn stigma. They participated in a competition launched by PILS, as part of its 30th anniversary, around the use of artificial intelligence to denounce stigma.

Paavesh Rajiah won the first prize with his short film featuring a young woman who is very loved by those around her, her parents, friends, neighbors. When she discovers that she has HIV and talks about it openly, on a public platform, she is immediately rejected, repulsed. Heartbroken, she also faces health concerns and finds refuge at a center. But the grief of the rejection caused by his family ends up getting the better of his desire to live. Gradually, the young woman gives up and dies.

Pavesh Rajiah concedes that he was very strongly influenced by Malini. “When I saw the campaign that PILS did so that Malini would not be forgotten, it touched me deeply. I can't accept that we reject a person because they carry a virus. It is with the desire to change this mindset that I shot my video. »

Alshaad Kara and Ismaïl Hossein who won the third and second prize respectively, agree with the same opinion. “For me, it is inconceivable that in 2026, in Mauritius, our compatriots living with the virus must be afraid to say that they are sick because they know somewhere that they will be brutally rejected. We all say we are Enn sel lepep. But does this translate into our actions? »

Ismaïl Hossein believes, for his part, that mentalities must change. “I used my knowledge of technology and AI to emphasize the fact that there are tragedies that should not exist. I take the example of my own father who is diabetic. When I saw the damage that only the disease causes, that is to say how he lost weight, his enthusiasm, his joy of living, and when I compare with a PLHIV, I tell myself that it is revolting to have stigmatizing behavior. HAS"