Not lighters and cellphones but condoms were held aloft by a slowly swaying crowd during Levi’s Rage for the Revolution concert last Saturday. A large poster of a pair of jeans folded into an Aids ribbon on the stage symbolised how the event used popular culture as a vehicle to promote HIV/Aids awareness.
There was a great line-up and it was well coordinated, but what I really appreciated was the sincere promotion of HIV/Aids messages by the organisers and some of the artists.
When you handed in your ticket at the door, you not only received a stamp on your forearm but also a handful of condoms — packaged in slim black folders. Sponsors’ logos decorated the outside and inside lay a flavoured Lovers’ Plus condom.
By the end of the concert, up to 15Â 000 condoms had been distributed to the estimated 5Â 000 audience members.
Inside, the atmosphere was animated but also had that laid-back feel of people who had been around for a while, possibly since the doors opened in the early afternoon.
The laid-back vibe was preferable to the slight hysteria that characterised J-Z’s concert in October. If both concerts had been playing the same night, you’d find me cruising down the Nelson Mandela Bridge to Newtown. The scene was much more relaxed, people were dressed more casually, the parking was easier and for a fifth of the price, you could see the artists up close.
The variety of musicians created a more diverse crowd, in terms of age and race, than you would find at most venues. More bluntly, Tuks Senganga played on the same stage a few months earlier and there weren’t half so many white people.
Plus, I got a kick out of seeing Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) perform with four back-up singers, drums, guitars, brass and keyboard as opposed to his usual partner and a DJ. It allowed for a bit more versatility and he indulgently taught the crowd the chorus with the help of his back-up performers.
But it was the artists’ messages to the crowd that made this event really different from other concerts. HHP urged audience members to hold up their condoms and it was affirming to see people flapping their Levi’s insignia packages in the air. He also reminded people to abstain, be faithful and condomise.
YFM DJ Unathi argued that women should say no to guys who want to go further than they do. In a tight-fitting corset top that half-revealed her breasts, she was clearly not suggesting that people repress their sexuality. Rather, she sought to empower women, leading the crowd in singing “no, no — no, no, no” to different tunes before encouraging everyone to shout, “No!”
“You ‘ave to ‘ave a plan,” was Jahseed of Bongo Maffin’s in-character contribution to the discussion on safe sex in the following performance.
The success of the concert pivoted on its ability to create a open environment where people could throw condoms about with abandon and affirm statements about HIV/Aids with the same enthusiasm as they cheered popular artists.
The tickets cost R50 or were free if you took an HIV test. But the concert was not cheaply executed, reflecting the organisers’ commitment to raising HIV/Aids awareness and the importance of testing.