Nawaal Deane, Pule waga Mabe, Ntuthuko Maphumulo and Roshila Pillay A young woman with a box full of condoms is having fun on the rocky streets of Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, handing out free condoms to passers-by. It is Saturday morning, and most people are still suffering from their Friday hangovers. As the woman enters a spaza shop to give out condoms, she is mobbed by a group of young men claiming that they use Lovers Plus condoms because the free ones are cheap and burst easily. She becomes increasingly demoralised after hearing from another onlooker that condoms are sometimes used as balloons. She eventually gives up, leaving most of the condoms lying on the street. The condom distributor’s experience is indicative of the ignorance that characterises some young South Africans’ understanding of HIV/Aids and ways of preventing the spread of the disease. According to a snap survey by the Mail & Guardian, it would appear the state’s education campaigns on the disease still have a long way to go. When the issue of HIV/Aids is raised with a group of athletic sprinters, their banter continues uninterrupted by the introduction of this serious topic. Aged 22 to 26, these beer-drinking, club-hopping rugby fanatics are popular with the opposite sex. They’re also extremely disciplined when it comes to studying, sports and work. Yet despite being representative of educated youth – they all have university degrees – their attitude towards HIV/Aids is strikingly nonchalant. Only two out of the group of five admits to having been tested. Dennis (24), a mechanical engineer, says: “I am definitely not going to get a test. I know I was irresponsible in the past and I probably should get one, but I’m too scared.” “I will definitely wear a condom but that’s because I’m aware of the danger. The Aids campaigns have nothing to do with my choice,” says Stuart (25), a science teacher. He attributes his informed choice to his upbringing. Musi, a 24-year-old university graduate from Soweto, defends the campaigns, saying they create awareness. “I would not hesitate to use a condom even if I am in a long-term relationship,” he says. Two other guys admit that they definitely do not practise safe sex. “I might regret it the next day, but while I’m in the moment, having sex without a condom does not bother me,” says Richard, a chemical engineering student. He also uses alcohol as an excuse. “When you’re drinking and having a good time you don’t think of Aids.” Mike, a 22-year-old marketing graduate, sums it up. “The advertisement which talks about 101 uses for condoms impacted on me because although it is funny initially, at the end [actor] Hakeem leans on the fridge and says, ‘You think condoms are a turn-off – try Aids.'” Mike attributes the success of the advertisement to its innovation and creativity because it’s not just another boring Aids campaign telling you to “wear a condom”. The people the campaigns target have definite opinions about what the ads should be saying and how they should say it. A student at Wits Technikon says that “the only way to get our attention to listen about Aids is bring us in contact with people who have the disease and also to have TV programmes that show people with Aids”. Natalie (25), a sociology student from a posh northern Johannesburg suburb, says: “When dealing with Aids campaigns in South Africa you cannot ignore culture or sex. These campaigns do not target non-black people.” The campaigns have managed to marginalise certain cultural groups and perpetuate the misconception that black youths are promiscuous and the only ones in danger of contracting HIV. “Most of my friends don’t change their behaviour after seeing the Love Life billboards because there aren’t any white faces on them.” Rehana is a 23-year-old Muslim woman who has lived in the same community since birth. She attributes the failure of HIV campaigns to a lack of focus on religious beliefs. Culture plays an important role in the effectiveness of HIV/Aids campaigns. “In my religion sex is not permitted before marriage so Muslim parents automatically assume that HIV campaigns are not directed at their children,” Rehana explains. However, youths from all religious backgrounds are having sex.
Taking an Aids test is a problem: “There is a stigma attached as it would indicate to everyone that you are sexually active.” Cut to Centurion and a relatively smart suburban school where the standard of education is quite high. The group being interviewed about their knowledge of Aids is well-educated, mostly 17-year-olds. They’re top achievers, mostly prefects, very active teenagers and quite aware of what is going on in the world. A large percentage of the girls are prepared to talk openly about what they know regarding Aids. One of them, Lauren (16), is in a relationship with a 17-year-old boy. She’s very opinionated and without being prompted, asks: “What’s the big deal anyway?” She ignores the alarming statistics being thrown at her. After all, the virus does not affect anyone she knows or in her community. Few of the teenagers are aware of the Love Life programmes. A few educated black teenagers know about it, but still believe it is not relevant to them.
The children cannot comprehend why they’re the target of the government’s campaigns. “It’s something that happens in the rural areas – why are they talking to us about it? It’s their problem,” says Tumelo (17). She is a top student in her school, but is unaware of the technicalities of Aids. All she and her fellow students know is that there is a lot of coverage and that people are dying. But they don’t know how many people their age are dying from Aids. Somewhere along the line, 17-year-old David pipes up “What is all the fuss about – with President Mbeki and stuff?” After listening attentively to the explanation, the group is still not convinced. They don’t want to know. “I’m sick of hearing about Aids,” says Roshni (17). These are teenagers who look forward to a fun-filled life. You cannot go around telling them that unprotected sex can kill them. It’s a concept that is foreign to them – and too scary to consider. Also, many of them (especially the girls) assume their boyfriends/girlfriends are faithful to them. So they don’t see why it is necessary to be HIV/Aids-aware. They’re also not aware of how Aids is affecting people, especially young people. In their communities there are no Aids campaigns or activists telling them why they should be playing their part in curbing HIV/Aids. Furthermore, this age group generally has a short attention span – repetition of facts will not keep them riveted. Several youth interviewed said they throw away the free Aids pamphlets pressed on them because they “say the same thing over and over again. The government should come up with another way of explaining Aids.” And although pamphlets are available in all official languages, they claim distributors don’t give out pamphlets in their areas in their mother tongues.
Youths at Alexandra, asked if they would take an Aids test, said it was out of the question. Rachel (24), a woman living with HIV, is now an Aids activist. Finding out her status was an accident – she went for a pregnancy test and was told she was HIV-positive. At the time she knew nothing about the virus. Rachel says her first reaction was: “This can’t be happening to me – this is a white man’s disease.” Back in Soshanguve North, on the same Saturday that the young woman abandoned her condoms, a local college in the township tries to launch an Aids education campaign. The college caters for more than 2000, but only 150 people make it to the function.