Millions of women in Africa are living on their own Robben Islands, imprisoned _ and often in solitary confinement _ because of the AIDS virus, former South African President Nelson Mandela said Saturday. At his second concert to raise awareness of AIDS, Mandela told a crowd of about 20,000 that the pandemic which has infected some 25 million people in Africa «carries the face of women» who bear the brunt both in terms of sickness and caring for the sick. «Today there are millions of women in Africa living on their own Robben Islands, struggling against terrible odds, alone and often without much hope,» said Mandela. Since stepping down as South Africa's first black president in 1999, Mandela has championed the cause of AIDS victims. His eldest son died of the disease earlier this year.
