Poetry in an age of AIDS

Transcript

Duration:  4min 39sec

Sound effect: Ntsiki poem praising a woman.  

THANDEKA: Kufuneka imibongo, imidlalo yezeqonga, imingqqungqo nemiculo ibonise yaye iveze ukubaluleka kokufundiswa kokuzinakekela kugawulayo utsho uNtsiki Mazwai oyimbongi nomculi nomchweli. Uthi ukutyholatyholana nokujongana ngezikhondo zamehlo akusoze kuncede nto ememelela ekubeni kufuneka kubanjisenwe kuliwe lobhubhane. Uthi amadoda nabafazi, abadala nabanci kufuneka bezinonophele ukunqanda ukunwenwa kukagawulayo uthi umyalezo kufuneka uphume macala onke kwezeqonga, imibongo, imidlalo yezeqonga nalapho kuzanyanwa nokwazisa uluntu ngalobhubhane khonukuze luzokucacelwa kakuhle ukuba ayiyondlalo le.

Translation: Poems, music and drama can play a meaningful role in promoting the use of safe sex and prevention measures to curb spread of HIV/AIDS says Ntsiki Mazwai. Her poems   promotes awareness of HIV/AIDS and safe sex especially to the youth. She says pointing fingers at one another won’€™t help. Instead people should support each other. She says AIDS is everybody’€™s responsibility. It is important to have protected sex and she emphasized that men and women, girls and boys should take it upon themselves the to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. Ntsiki Mazwai says a clear message should be sent in poetry and music to try and minimize HIV infections.  

NTSIKI: Since poetry talks about the standards we use, the set of value we choose as young people, of course it’€™s gonna play a role because we are the one’€™s preaching and saying what is right or wrong. Definitely the message is always the same whether you’€™re in poetry, in music or in IT: In our view safe sex or no sex at.

Translation: Njengokuba umbongo uthetha ngendlela yokuziphatha nangendlela esizibekela yona ebomini bethu bokuphila njengabantu abatsha ekwazini okulungileyo nokungalunganga. Nakanjani umyalezo soloko umnye nokuba uyimbongi, imvumi, ingcaphephe yobugcisa wokuba uzikhusele okanye ungayi esondweni qha.

THANDEKA: Uyabafundisa nah abantu xa edla eqongeni ngentsholongwane?

Translation: So do you tell your audience about HIV?

 NTSIKI: Definitely, I mean there are poems as myself and part of   ‘€œThe Feela Sister Collective’€. AIDS comes up everywhere. It is a reality we’€™re facing right now. So definitely there’€™s lots of words about AIDS.

Translation: Ugawulayo ufumaneka kwiindawo zonke, siyazama njenge Feela Sister Collective iqela lam ukuba sithethe ngogawulayo. Kuyathethwa kakhulu ngogawulayo njengoko nexesha esiphila kulo lisitsho njalo

THANDEKA: Nangona encoma imisebenzi yokuveza nokufundisa ngogawulayo kodwa uthi akaxolanga ncam.

Translation: She acknowledges that a lot is being done to address HIV and AIDS but she is worried about the negative response of many people..

My only problem with the whole thing, I find the perception, I mean we are still very fearful and it’€™s still an ugly thing or scary thing. I think what needs to change is how we deal with the matter as from a point where we would accept it so right now we’€™re still pointing fingers at it we haven’€™t quite embraced it as a reality.

Translation: Ingxaki yam kukuba sisoyika ukuthetha ngalomba nothi ufaniswe njengento embi nelinyala oko kufuneka kuphelisiwe kuzayanywe indlela esingabambisana ngayo silwe lobhubhane.

 THANDEKA: Bambalwa kakhulu abantu abanokuthetha ngogawulayo ngokuphandle bexhasa abahlobo nezizalwana eziphila nogawulayo ngaphandle kokoyika ukunyenjwa noNtsiki Mazwai akohlukanga kwabo bantu. Ndimbuzile ukuba ngaba kukhona umhlobo okanye isizalwana sakhe esakhe saphuma elubala nesiphila nentsholongwane kagawulayo?

Translation: There are few people who can come out and speak about relatives and friends who are HIV positive without fearing the stigma attached to it. It is no different for Ntsiki. I asked her whether she knows of a friend or family member who has come out with his or her HIV positive status?

NTSIKI: It is in my face everyday. Everyday it is in my face I can see it. It’€™s a reality. Like I said safe sex or no sex, you don’€™t have to have lots of partners that’€™s like a new thing. Don’€™t believe the hype sex is an emotional thing, you know.

Translation: Ugawulayo usijamele emehlweni ngalo lonke ixesha ifuthe lakhe liyabonakala. Uyinyani. Njengoko besenditshilo kukuba uzikhusele ngezingxobo okanye ungazibandakanyi ngesondo kuba isondo yinto yobumnandi nje.

 THANDEKA: USizwe Msutu ongumdlali weqonga nomboniso bhanyabhanya nosebenze iminyaka engamashumi amabini uthi abantwana kufuneka baxhotyiswe bacaciselwe ngogawulayo. Uthi ukuba abadlali beqonga, bhanyabhanya neemvumi bangamanyana bedlulisa umyalezo oluqilima ngesisifo lonto inganemfuziselo eyiyo.

Translation: Sizwe Msutu, who has been in the acting industry for the past 20 years, says children have to be told about HIV/AIDS. He says if actors and musicians can unite and send constructive messages about HIV/AIDS that can help boost awareness about the pandemic.

 SIZWE: It is very important for thina ukuba sihambe siyokuzihlola and know istatus sakho because when we know istatus sakho, you know what you’€™re dealing with in your body. And when you don’€™t know istatus sakho you don’€™t know what you’€™re dealing with in your body. You become like a reckless driver, uzakutshayisa xa uqhuba nje ungaziyobut if you’€™re HIV positive and you know that you’€™re HIV positive you will be very careful with your life.   To be careful in the sense that ukosulela abanye abantu, ukubeka ubomi babanye abantu esichengeni. Thatha lenxaxheba, think about it that you go and have itest. The tests today are confidential bantu bakuthi akukho mntu umele ukuba aveze ii-results zakho ukuba wena uye wanegative okanye wapositive it is very confedential.

THANDEKA: Uthi kufuneka uluntu lucingelane kungabikho bantu bangoodlalani ukuba benza oko kufuneka bazikhusele ngezingxobo.

Translation: People should be responsible and concentrate on one relationship and condomise.

 SIZWE: Stop sleeping around even if you’€™re HIV negative if uneproblem yalonto leyo, please help yourself and the other person and condomise. Ubuze wedwa uzakuhamba wedwa let us stop manipulating lamantombazana. Let us respect these partners that we have. I know into yesincwaso ikhona bantu bakuthi, it is reality. When we drive kukho isign engu cul de sac la sign it you can drive there but you cannot go through there. Let us stop condemning indlela abantwana abangamantombazana abanxiba ngayo and say aba bantwana bazibizela irape ngendlela abanxiba ngayo. If lomntwana uthanda ukunxiba ihot pants luhlobo lwakhe that’€™s her character. It doesn’€™t mean that lamntu makareytshwe.

Translation: Stop sleeping around even if you’€™re HIV negative. If you have a problem with that, please help yourself and the other person and condomise. You came alone in this earth and you’€™ll leave alone, stop manipulating girls. Let us respect these partners that we have. I know it is common for men to look at women but let’€™s think of the cul de sac sign that says that we can drive to a certain point but we cannot go through there. Let us stop undermining the dress code of girls and see them as possible victims for rape when they wear hot pants and we say they have invited for it. Let us not try and change people’€™s characters by choosing what they should wear or not. Everybody has a choice to choose what she wants to do. Wearing a mini skirt does not mean that you should be raped.

E-mail Thandeka Teyise

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