Thebe Mabanga
The British rock guitarist Brian May once noted how “we live in interesting times. But we also live in dangerous times.”
He may very well have been talking to South Africa’s youth. For although some of South Africa’s 16- to 30-year-olds are justifiably despondent in the face of rising unemployment, those who have the means and resources to take advantage of opportunities can safely claim to have bright prospects.
Unfortunately, the prospect of being wealthier than their parents is fraught with ills, such as being a victim of violent crime or contracting HIV/Aids. Efforts to combat the spread of HIV/Aids by using education are steadily gaining momentum.
Like many community-oriented initiatives, sexual health education started out as isolated efforts from health and community workers, as well as people directly affected by teenage pregnancy, rape and HIV/Aids. It has since evolved to a point where it’s presented using refined pedagogics and accompanied by eye-catching, glossy advertising campaigns.
One person who has worked through these changes is Wandile Mazibuko, chair of the Oasis Rover Crew.
The Oasis Rover Crew was founded in 1990 and is dedicated to HIV/Aids-awareness education. In addition it provides motivational talks and capacity-building to other NGOs.
As a member of the crew, Mazibuko has seen youths’ attitudes towards HIV/Aids education change.
“When we started out people gave us the ‘it’s not my problem’ attitude,” he says. “These days they take the trouble to actually listen.”
Mazibuko believes that with their 20 fieldworkers, the crew have the capacity to reach about 3E000 people a week.
Their efforts have received support from various quarters, including the Gauteng Department of Health, which recently gave them R58 000 to continue their work mainly in their Greater Springs area on the Far East Rand.
The mass media have also begun to play a more active role in educating the youth on dating etiquette, partying with caution and choosing condoms.
One television programme that has taken the aids pandemic seriously is S’camto.
S’camto uses the premise that if you cannot talk about sex openly, it is difficult to engage in a meaningful discussion on a range of sexual health related issues. Crews of young people visit various parts of the country to solicit, from their peers, stories relating to their sexual experiences.
Another TV programme along the same lines is the youth sex talk show Fresh.