Camas

Camas ("Beds"), also known as Indiferencia ("Indifference") is a public service announcement produced by the agency Lautrec Nazca for the Argentine Ad Council and the HIV/AIDS non-profit foundation Fundación Huésped, which aims to raise awareness about how HIV/AIDS is not limited to marginalised groups. The PSA's text is based on the poem "First They Came..." by a German Lutheran pastor called Martin Niemöller.

Background
In 1992, ten years after the first HIV cases appeared in Argentina, the Argentine Ad Council worked with Fundación Huésped in order to create the first HIV/AIDS public service announcement campaigns addressed to the general public. In the early 90s, prejudice against HIV patients was still going strong, so it was considered necessary to make people aware that anyone could get HIV, as well as promote the use of condoms, include women and pregnancy in the conversation, and dispel any HIV-related myths.

As mentioned before, the PSA's text is based on Martin Niemöller's speech, which describes his indifference towards the Nazi regime and how it starts coming for different groups, until they come for him and it's too late to ask for help. The original words are:

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me —and there was no one left to speak for me."

Synopsis
A row of empty hospital beds are panned over, and the sounds of drums (as if preparing for an execution) can be heard. An Argentine actress (Cipe Lincovsky) reads the following (translated from Spanish):

"First they came for the homosexuals, but I didn't worry—

Because I was not a homosexual.

Then they came for the drug addicts, but I didn't worry—

Because I was not a drug addict.

Then they came for the haemophiliacs, but I didn't worry—

Because I was not a haemophiliac.

Now it's too late... they're knocking on my door."

Then the door suddenly opens with a loud bang, and some white letters over a black background say "AIDS. DON'T LET INDIFFERENCE COME FOR YOU. GET INFORMED." Finally, the telephone numbers for Fundación Huésped appear on screen.

It should be noted that the narrator says "se llevaron" rather than "they came for", meaning "they took away", alluding to the last military dictatorship, which kidnapped and killed ("disappeared") its dissidents.

Reception
According to the publication "25 Years of Fundación Huésped: Campaigns Against HIV/AIDS", the campaign was a huge success. Fundación Huésped started receiving 300 calls a day, many spurred after watching the PSAs. Even today, many people still remember these first campaigns as a sign of changing perceptions regarding HIV/AIDS.