March 14: Port Elizabeth, Ubuntu Education Fund & Umhlobo Wenene

nobody@vox.com(Thembi Ngubane) — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:03:09 -0700

Ubuntu Education Fund is a great organization that works with high schools in the townships of Port Elizabeth. They invited me to Port Elizabeth to speak to some of their students.

It was here that I think I can say that I am officially famous. The presentation was in Xhosa in the township of Zwaide at Ndzondelelo High School to 100 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19. There was no electricity in most of the classrooms and we had to run a cable from one of the main rooms across the school. The presentation was originally for 40

Fans in Port Elizabeth

teenagers but many had heard me on the radio and saw me on SABC Morning Live, so they wanted to see me as well.

When I arrived teenagers were rushing to me and looking from far away with joy as if I was some super star. Others were singing and dancing trying to squeeze into the classroom. The presentation was in Xhosa and everyone was listening closely. Kids outside were pressing their eyes and ears up against the windows of the classroom trying to see and hear.

Port Elizabeth has one of the highest infection rates of the country here I was in the center knowing that everything I said could change how they saw AIDS. I know that they live surrounded by HIV/AIDS, the way I do in

Students squeezing tight

Khayelitsha. I tried to make it clear that this was only challenge and they had the power to change things. They were happy to have someone hip speak to them openly about AIDS.

After the presentation herds of young people crowded me, asking for

Autographs

autographs, begging for postcards and asking me to sign their shirts, arms, socks. It was such a strange and great experience. Many of them are girls that could be my friends. I knew them and could see in their eyes that they needed a person to look up to. Someone to tell them that AIDS is only one little obstacle in life and that the best thing you can do is live your life fully and not care what anyone else thinks.

The head of Ubuntu Education Fund ended the presentation by saying that we are all the face of AIDS. If one person has AIDS, are all infected. He also said that medicine alone cannot cure AIDS but working together, discussing and supporting each other is the only way to really fight it.

We don't fit inside

Umhlobo Venene

We then went to the famous Xhosa radio station, Umhlobo Venene. This

Melikhaya's first radio interview

time the interview was with me and Melikhaya, so it was very exciting. All kinds of people called telling us how much they admired us for loving each other and asking us for advice.

I gave my phone number on the air and over the next two hours received more than fifteen calls from all over the country. Women with no access to clinics and a young girl asking how long she should keep her virginity. Others asking me to go speak at their communities, asking about ARV's, access to them and side effects. Many just wanted advice.

I loved it! It felt like one of those advice articles you read in magazines.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Thembi's AIDS Diary Tour: South Africa

March 14: Port Elizabeth, Ubuntu Education Fund & Umhlobo Wenene