Few realise that such places must finance not only their mission but also their maintenance with neither government grants nor large ancient endowments.Admission charges to St Paul's were first introduced in 1709. We long to see someone portray the vibrancy and joy of Africa which is as much a part of our daily experience as the tragedy and loss.DR MONDE MUYOYETADR PAUL KELLYBARTS & THE LONDON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE LONDON E1 Why cathedral charges visitors Sir: The visitor to London's South Bank (letter, 30 June) is naturally surprised to find that the government grant enabling free entry to Tate Modern is not available to St Paul's Cathedral or indeed to any of our churches. While Sutcliffe laments that "only" 23,000 people got anti-retrovirals, remember that this is a remarkable achievement for a country whose population was deprived of them until only two years ago.Yes, Aids is a terrible scourge Yes, much more needs to be done But Africa is much more than tragedy. For every shocking young man who carries on willingly disseminating HIV to his sexual contacts there are many more struggling to behave responsibly to those around them.
For every church leader confusing his flock about condoms there are many more very caring, thoughtful clergy encouraging people to do whatever they have to to protect their families. However, we feel that a sense of balance is missing in this discussion. In our working lives in different African hospitals we have witnessed in the midst of this tide of suffering much to uplift us as well as to sadden us.Every day we see remarkable bravery. With a level playing field Africa can begin to solve its own problems. Yes Mr Geldof, I hear the message, have you?STUART BRUCEBRADFORD-ON-AVON, WILTSHIRE Aids tragedy is only one side of the story Sir: Thomas Sutcliffe is right that Dispatches was a brave and powerfully moving exposition on the terrible scourge of Aids in Zambia (Last Night's TV, 28 June).
Without the influence of African music, rock'n'roll and everything that followed wouldn't existWhat we want is a new deal for Africa. That deal involves a change in the way we look at Africa and its people Saturday was a great start and a missed opportunity. "Africa Calling" presented a beautiful and powerful cross section of African music today. Those bands at Hyde Park owe an enormous debt to the music of this vast and varied continent.