As the horror of apartheid becomes a memory and as our young democracy unfolds, an even more frightening crisis is now confronting us all - the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Unlike apartheid, this new enemy is colour blind and does not discriminate. It is ruthless and aims to kill whoever it can touch. It is spreading at an alarming rate because it exploits the most basic human process - procreation. It is a sinister enemy far worse than any civil war. Loved ones are killing one another, without intent. This silent virus lulls us into inactivity. Everything "looks normal" until it is almost too late. It is a well resourced enemy. It has supporters called: stigma, denial, shame, humiliation, poverty, malnutrition, neglect and ignorance. It ploughs through communities creating emotional and economic havoc. Hard won skills are being destroyed and whole communities are at risk of annihilation.
The threat to our society is as painful and as devastating as apartheid. Parents die in their thousands leaving orphans of young children struggling to support younger siblings. Fear and neglect is creating our own "untouchables". Many who live with the virus have to endure the loneliness of being made to feel guilty and ashamed. They are shunned by friends and sometimes their own families.
This "silent monster" grows unchallenged. The threat is so large, we all need an URGENT wake up call. The bombs are falling and most are not hearing the explosions. For some, it is as if we are playing a "computer game" that will go away when turned off.
Tragically it is not a game. People are dying, the mortuaries are full. Daily funerals for family members, friends, employees and colleagues are the norm. The growing army of orphans is already at pandemic level. What will our future landscape look like if we do not all take responsibility and participate in strategies that effectively mobilize our communities to defend themselves? We are now at war and yet we are all walking blindly like cannon fodder into the fire.
We ask - why are we are not effectively mobilizing our communities to defend themselves from national suicide and extinction? Why do we believe the problem is and will be addressed by somebody else?
Perhaps the answers lie in the sexual basis of how the virus is spread. Perhaps the answer lies in religious ignorance that promotes the bizarre belief that victims are suffering the wrath of God’s punishment. Perhaps the answer lies in a false belief that diagnosis is an instant death sentence. We all have death coming, so it cannot just be the realization that we will die. Whatever is the answer, stigma and denial that is now the norm only isolates our victims and reduces our ability to survive as a nation.
ENOUGH is ENOUGH. It is time to stand up and face our fears.
If it is a war we are to fight – then lets fight it to win. The first lesson in war – ensure every soldier knows, if wounded, they will not be abandoned. There lies our first lesson. We as individuals and as a society need to mobilize our intellectual capacity and resources to ensure those who have become victims will be supported to continue productive lives. Long term survivors David Patience and Judge Edwin Cameron show us - what is possible. Good nutrition, positive living and medicine when required are tools that can be mobilized to ensure there is hope. "Wounded soldiers" need to know that instant death sentences will not be the norm. Denial hides vital information and is therefore a luxury we cannot afford. With accurate information it is possible to get the appropriate support to "wounded soldiers".
For those who have family members living with the virus, let us together support them with dignity. As fallen 'soldiers' they must not be stigmatized into feeling guilty. There are so many casualties we need to involve everybody in solutions that can become part of a coordinated campaign of survival. Only then will we effectively mobilize our total society to fight the enormous crisis we face.
Mass movements that change the future result from the collective actions of individuals. Mass coordinated consciousness can move mountains. Each of us have a role to play. Let us use Kennedy's call to mobilize: "Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask: what can we do for our country.".
So let us all take up the challenge. We need to face our fears, end the stigma, become informed, change the inappropriate policy behind which we hide and - together - participate in mobilizing our nation to win this fight.
By
Basil Kransdorff
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