Personal Story - Living with HIV, 2006

on December 1, 2006
Category: HIV/AIDS, African Women, Gender Violence

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Last year on World Aids Day I spoke with Rose about her experience of living with HIV . Rose has chosen to leave a comment revealing her true self and revealing the name of the person from who she contracted HIV, something she has only ever done to one person. She explains why she has chosen to do this at this time and what it means to her to make these revelations.

This year, whilst in Johannesburg, I spoke with Mpho, a young woman who is also HIV positive. Unlike Rose who has been positive for 20 years, Mpho only found out in April this year after she was raped last October. For her the journey is twofold. Coming to terms with being raped and having to see her rapist walk the streets in freedom; and beginning her journey of an HIV positive life.

There are some similarities between the two women. Rose was 23 when she found out she had HIV and Mpho is just 24 and both are lesbian identified women. Another similiarity is the continued stigma attached to HIV throughout the world including the West and the continued lack of education and information. At the time Rose was diagnosed, HIV was a death sentence because there were no drugs at all. Today it continues to be a death sentence in many places because of poverty and lack of access to the drugs that do now exist. For example in South Africa access to ARVs is only available for those whose CD4 count is below 200 whilst in the West where Rose lives, access is NOW available almost irrespective of your CD4 count.

Mpho has started to blog her poems, stories and hopefully in the future her photos as well. Her blog is called My Realities.

Links: Lesbians and AIDS, Postive Living LBT women

Tags: World Aids Day South Africa Rape

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8 Comments so far

1. Del

December 1st, 2006 at 8:31 pm

Thank you, Mpho and Cherynne.

I’m speechless and deeply moved by your courage; sharing something so personal, so intimate that has impacted your life in such a profound way. Many of us reading this cannot begin to imagine your daily journey

Here, in the states, we are still battling homophobia in the black community which is so pivotal to the new infection rates among black women and their unborn children….We still can’t get past the fact that some men do sleep with other men!!! And the black church has embraced a “faith-based” fairytale that has made us all less educated, more embracing of a fundamentalist/reactionary Christian ethos, and less tolerant of the sexual diversity that has always existed in the black community.

But more than that, like everything else really wrong and awful in the world, this epidemic is about human rights, it’s about our humanity and sheer WILL to insist that we all live with dignity and have equal access to EVERYTHING we need. That’s really it for me…
This epidemic is just a horrible reminder of the awful things we are capable of doing to each other.

How pharmaceuticals can’t supply enough drugs due to their greed; governments can’t provide adequate healthcare/education because resources are earmarked for insane military spending and multinationals; and communities shame people into leading double lives and doing desperate things that makes life hard for us all, comes down to our ability to really love everybody on planet earth (we certainly say we do on Sunday mornings!!) and possess a “collective” willingness to make sure we all enjoy a good, healthy existence.

My love to both of you, keep speaking, fighting, sharing your courage—we are watching, we are listening…

One Love,

Del

2. Global Voices Online » Blog Archive » World AIDS Day

December 2nd, 2006 at 3:09 am

[…] Sokari Ekine tells the story of 24-year-old HIV positive woman she met in Johannesburg: Last year on World Aids Day I spoke with Rose about her experience of living with HIV . Rose has chosen to leave a comment revealing her true self and revealing the name of the person from who she contracted HIV, something she has only ever done to one person. She explains why she has chosen to do this at this time and what it means to her to make these revelations. […]

3. Sokari

December 2nd, 2006 at 7:17 am

I am a bit disappointed that more people have not listened to Mpho’s story which was supposed to be the main focus here. Please do take the time to listen to what this young woman has to say about her life. thank you.

HIV Quilt

4. cherynne

December 2nd, 2006 at 2:25 pm

Dear Mpho,
Thank you so much for having the courage to speak out about so many of your personal experiences which are still taboo and stigmatised. Just one of those things, being a survivor of sexual abuse, or rape, or hiv would be enough to break someones spirit at your young age. You ARE strong.You are so brave to be open about your sexuality and your status.Keep speaking and keep writing your feelings.It IS poetry. I have read it on your blog.You are a beautiful young Lesbian Woman who has a whole life ahead of you. Dont let anyone take that away from you.You are already making changes and you can achieve all you want. Inchallah we might meet one day and you can take my photo and write my poem. I wish you all the strentgh and courage you will need and send you my love and respect. Cherynne xxxx

PS readers check mpho’s poems at
http://latifah.wordpress.com/

5. Del

December 3rd, 2006 at 5:32 pm

Hello,

I highly recommend the documentary titled “The Origin of AIDS” directed by Peter Chappell and Catherine Peix which chronicles the controversy around Edward Hopper’s book, The River.
Here’s a link to Mr. Hopper’s website:http://www.aidsorigins.com/

I watched it this morning on the U.S. cable channel, Sundance. I’m troubled by Sundance’s disclaimer: “This documentary explores a controversial theory. Sundance Channel presents this documentary as a theory, not as a factual account.”

The fear of reprise is evident here but I am grateful this was aired. No one wants the medical community coming after them. I can’t understand why we have such a hard time admitting that the AIDS epidemic is quite possibly the result of horrific scientific deception.

There are severals horror stories here that start with the U.S. experimenting on live “subjects” in orphanages and correctional facilities; the primate genocide; and the colonial framework that served as the perfect backdrop to launch the virus.

Human beings are strange creatures, we watch, read and sometimes witness awful events and allow the experts to hold conferences and gatherings to dispel everything based on evidence. OR look us straight in the face and tell us we did not actually see what we saw.

ACT UP!

6. It makes a difference who you are! at African Women

December 6th, 2006 at 12:56 pm

[…] Thanks for the quote Magoo - I guess Mpho isnt quite that exciting - no visuals, poor audio, no flash with black and white “sexy” intro and then the title Bloodline - what the hell does that mean? How about giving Mpho and her friends a camera and letting them tell their story themselves - how about that for once! […]

7. Armenia » Blog Archive » The International Carnival of Pozitivities”World AIDS Day Edition, 2006

January 26th, 2007 at 8:31 am

[…] In her second installment, Sokari presents Personal Story ? Living with HIV 2006, an account of the lives to two different women who are living with HIV/AIDS. Be sure to listen to the recorded message from Mpho and visit the article about Rose that is linked in the first paragraph. Rose has since revealed her real identity and the circumstances of her infection in the comment section of that article. […]