"Indaba"

Justice takes me to the city to another NGO for reasons he won’t really make known to me. I know these organizations like when rural Swazis work with “outsiders”- proof that they’re trying and are worthy of said NGO’s donations. So today, I am trophy white. Whatever. I don’t mind playing the part.

He pushes me in front of a woman who we shall call: Gloria. I can feel Justice’s nervous energy. His head looks down as his tail goes between his legs. We take a seat in front of her big, shiny, desk. Her big person Director title plaque sits in front of her. Here we go. I think. The two sit and talk in English. The fact that she’s using English to communicate, making direct eye contact, getting to her point quickly, and dressed up in Africa’s bright colors, tells me….she ain’t from around here. I’m guessing eastern Africa. Maybe Kenyan. She has yet to even look my direction. Fine by me, I try not to take control anymore. I’ve learned. Justice tells her I help with the youth club at his youth center.

“And who are you?’ She turns to ask, looking me up and down. “They call me Simphiwe.” I smile sweetly and extend my right arm out. She ignores my attempt at a handshake. “No. I don’t want that name. I want your REAL name.” Justice continues to look down. “Meredith.” I tell her. “So. Meredith. What do YOU do for this youth club? What do YOU have to offer THEM?” Holy fucking fuck fuck. I’m being judged inside the walls of an NGO. I thoughts I was cushioned between walls made of sunshine rainbows and licorice. These people are supposed to love everybody. Hello, Peace Corps. You’re only supposed to judge and make fun of us behind our backs.

“Well I ah. I teach.” I say.
“Simphiwe teaches us about HIV.” Justice backs me up.
“I want to hear from her Justice.” Gloria snaps back.
I hate telling people I teach about HIV. There’s so much more to it than that.
I continue. “I teach about other things than HIV. I talk about the outside world. I talk about different cultures and people in the world. I try to…”
“You try to what? Teach them that YOUR culture is BETTER than theirs?” Gloria snaps. Justice’s head remains down. Thanks buddy. I sit back in my seat and fold my arms across my chest.
“No. I would NEVER do that Gloria.” I can feel my mother's look on my face when she's pissed at me. Shit. I've inherited it.
“OK. Good. Now we can press on.” She turns to Justice. “Tell me more about your youth center.” She asks him.

For the next 8 or so minutes I have no idea what the two are discussing. Only my Peace Corps reputation holds me back from walking out the door and showing her how we, in my culture, say fuck you without any words.

I’m shaken from my vengeful daydream when I hear Justice and Gloria arguing about god knows what. Justice, again talking in circles not really making any point and Gloria misunderstanding him because English isn’t his first language.

“I can’t believe you think AIDS isn’t a problem because of ARV’s. It’s people like YOU that are causing this virus to be such a problem. My own nieces and nephews aren’t scared because of those tablets. When they should be!” Gloria shouts back.
I try to explain to her that’s not what he meant but she cuts me off to start the discussion of who’s to blame for the spread of HIV. I hate this conversation.

“It’s the men.” She says. “Transactional sex. The girls are trying to survive.”
“Well actually. If you talk to the girls who tell the truth, you’ll find a lot aren’t doing it for food. It’s hair extensions and cell phones a lot are after. Not all. But a lot.”
“So it’s the girls.” She says.
“No. It’s everyone. There’s a lack of direction for the youth in the rural areas. Just the other day I had to teach my girls what the word passion meant. They couldn’t even translate it into SiSwati. You can say I teach HIV. But really, I’m just trying to teach direction. Passion. To open them up to themselves. To live with confidence when no one else believes in them. That’s real prevention.”

My words carried a certain tune that she finally agreed with. Singing the same language now, she sits back and nods her head. “Sorry about earlier. I know I can come off a bit brash at times. I used to be a lawyer. And I had to make sure you were serious.” She tells me. I wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, so I just waited.

“Now.” She’s talking to me now. “Justice tells me you need things for your youth center? I am going to donate computers, couches, chairs, books.” Justice grins and thanks her over and over again. “How are we going to pay the electricity bill for those computers Justice? I thought we were here to start up an income generating project.” I ask him.
Gloria interjects. “I also want to help you with a workshop.” Oh Jesus fucking Christ. Not another workshop. I scream inside my head.
“My organization will donate one cow and a few speakers if you hold a Health Day Event.”
“What’s a Health Day Event?” I ask.
“An all day workshop where NGO’s come to your community and talk about HIV care and prevention. They’ll be testing booths and condom distribution. You provide the drinks and we’ll bring the cow.”
I remember the last one of these I was a part of. People sneaking in after the lectures, demanding food. Caregivers were going for seconds when children hadn’t even eaten yet. People lined up shouting outside when the food ran out.
I just nod and smile. Sure whatever. Gloria tells me about a campaign coming up at the end of the month. “It’s called Indaba. Held by us and NERCHA. You and Justice should come. We’re spending two days talking about ways we can better prevention. We’ll be talking about EVERYTHING.”

Screw the free couches and books; I want to bring my youth club to this event. So they can witness it themselves. It's time the people we're talking about and studying see what is being said about.. them.
“Can I bring my girls?” I ask.
She sits and thinks. “OK. I don’t see why not. It’d be good for them. It’s in the city. I’m sure they’d love it.”
“And transport?” I ask with a big fake smile.
“Transport?”
“We live an hour from the city and it’ll cost about 25R a person to get there.”
Gloria finally agrees. I, Justice, two other volunteers, and 8 of my girls are going to the city in a few weeks and this time, I’m OK said NGO is picking up the tab.


“Prevention is becoming a challenge to everybody and to the world. It’s why we are here today. There is no answer yet. 1986 was our first documented HIV case in Swaziland. The ABC and condom approach was the first reaction. Uganda became our mentor. ‘It worked in Uganda.’ Everyone was saying. Why did it work there and no where else? Uganda had just gotten out of a civil war. Their army had become infected with HIV. A civil war was looming and this created a political commitment. Everyone mobilized and became involved. The ABC approach worked. Then in 1994 to 2006 this pandemic ran away with us. We asked ourselves, what’s the missing piece? We looked at all the angles. We realized most of those getting infected were heterosexual men and women. This became about controlling sexual behavior. Unfortunately sexual behavior is driven by norms and values in a society. Why was there such an HIV explosion in Southern Africa?

Colonization. Christianity. Education. Consumerism. Migration.

Colonization brought new government structures and authority. We weren’t managing ourselves, but rather being managed.

Christianity told us to change. Become re-born. Forget our ancestors and values. There became a new formula. ‘Do it like we do.’ They came and confused. 85% of us are Christian, but we aren’t behaving like it. The philosophy is right but the setting is wrong. The way it was introduced was wrong.

Then we followed the world into consumerism. We wanted everything they had. There became a huge emphasis on the disposable quick fixes. The media was confusing us. Every Swazi now watches MTV. Jerry Spaniel, or whatever the guy’s name is. The media tells us what is acceptable behavior. Whole societies became confused with stimuli.

Migration became the root of what changed norms and values in our society. In the 1980’s, 50,000 Swazi men left home. 9 month contracts into Jo’berg with no recreation. Nothing but sex and booze at these camps. It became their lifestyle. Mining meant more money and they brought all their diseases back with them. What did their absence from home do to their relationships? Sex became about money, procreating, and bonding. Sex became a commodity and a recreation because of absence. Marriage no longer meant sex. There became no need for a wife. 23% of men are married in this country. 22% of the Swazi youth grow up with two parents. 38% are only with their mother. 34% with no biological parent. Socialization is all messed up. Who are the role models?

Society has changed. Relationships between men and women have changed. Women’s rights are becoming promoted. Men’s dominance increases out of insecurity. Incest and child abuse have become the norm. It’s all emerging and it wasn’t there before.

This pandemic is in context of a changing society.

How do relationships work in Swaziland? We’re trying to figure it out. We’re recording conversations of school children, discussing their sex lives and sugar daddies. The youth and their unwanted pregnancies. Married men tell each other get yourself a wife and a school girl. One for fun , one who cooks, and one who is fresh. This is how they think.

People have become dependent on others for economic benefits. The 3C’s and recreation. Women living with men who can’t get out. Totally dependent. Teachers exploiting children. Police raping sex workers. Pastors and school girls. Sex used as power.

So how do we deal? Enforce paternity. Ensure every child has a father. Every father has responsibility. Create laws on alcohol to youth. These are all separate epidemics. Separate approaches. There is a lot our government can do but a lot we can still do ourselves.”

I turn my tape recorder off and sit in awe. Tingles. I’m in an audience of Swazis at what they're calling the: Indaba, alongside my youth club. Are they hearing this? Do they see? Surely by now.

Derek Von Wissel, a poet in this HIV analysis, is Swaziland’s leader in this battle against AIDS. The director of NERCHA and asked, expected, to lower the HIV rate in Swaziland. To perform the impossible. What tricks does he have up his sleeves today? I sit and wonder. Derek, seated at every campaign, every panel and every event on HIV. He sits, always, on stage in front of an audience. His usual face of distain. Another speech, another deaf audience. He rubs his brow, head down, half asleep as the other presenters talk. Always looking so depressed. But can you really blame him? He’s been asked to lower the HIV rate in a country that is disinterested. A country that is waiting for the outside world to fix their problems. He’s on his own.

I daydream, while he talks. I show up at his office in the city. I waltz in with a confident swagger. I carry a six pack of microbrews, sent from home, and dump them on his desk. I tell him, “I think you could use a drink.” He leans back in his chair, exhales loudly…. “Let’s talk.” He’ll say. And for hours he and I sit and talk about Swaziland. I’ll tell him to just be real, no one’s listening. The Swazi Times isn’t here. And he’ll say, “OK, here it is Mere. Here’s the missing piece of the puzzle…” Afterwards, I’ll walk out with a bounce in my stride. Relieved. Enlightened. Filled with hope. Alive again.

Just a silly dream.

Next on the panel: Helen Jackson with UNAIDS. She’s here to lecture on the biomedical side of HIV prevention. With her thick British accent, I lean forward struggling to understand. “Male circumcision, PMTCT (preventing mother to child transmission), sexual reproductive health education, condoms, blood safety, and PEP. We know these work in the fight against this virus. STI management, HIV testing and counseling, microbicides, ARV/ART, and vaccinations are less evident to work.” I hear you Helen. I’m pickin up what you’re layin down. I look down at my girls. They’re long gone. Another world. Daydreaming of boys and cars. Can you blame them?

“Prevention equals reducing the incidence rate by reducing opportunities for infection. Lowering the infectivity of HIV positive people. And lowering susceptibility of HIV negative people.” She pauses to take a sip of her bottled water seated next to her.

“Is treatment prevention?” She asks. I remember my conversation with my UNAIDS Proud African Queen. “We need to stop letting these people live. We need to take away ARVs so people will start getting scared. That will change behavior. People will SEE what AIDS does to you and they will change how they behave.” Gloria said. The uninfected cracking a few eggs for the better of everyone. Helen asks us a good question. Is treatment prevention?

“ARV’s cause viral loads to go down. (Viral load: The amount of HIV living in the body. The less you have the less likely you are to get sick or pass it to others. ARV’s keep these levels down). ARV’s can make a person’s viral load go down so far it’s almost impossible for them to spread it. On the other hand, treatment can cause people to take more risks because they can.” She pauses to look up from her notes. Her glasses hang low, her hair in her face; it hasn’t been brushed in weeks. A true scientist: all the sex boiled right out of her. We wait for her to continue.

“All biomedical interventions require social and behavioral inputs as part of a minimum package.” She concludes, and takes a seat next to Derek on stage.

I look over at my girls. The only youth amongst 300 people in this conference center. Again, the world, the educators and scientists, talking at them as if they were American, French, or British. They (Swazis) need song. They need dance. They need rhythm. They need to feel the message being told.

A woman steps onto stage. She shines with copper and orange. Afro and bangles. She holds the microphone softly. She whispers at first. “I’d like to read you my poem.” She clears her throat. She unfolds and becomes alive. She emphasizes and sways at the rhythm of her words extending her arms out as if holding onto something fragile and precious.

“Not all that glitters is gold.
Live to tell the stories of our mothers
Our sisters
Our brothers
We’re burning for loss.
We’re hungry for life.
Kagema.
Kagema.
Hurry.
Hurry.
Don’t let it catch you.
This is our story.”

She steps down and I watch my girls in awe. It’s rare they see a woman with such confidence and grace. For the first time they’re feeling the message here today. I look back on stage. Derek, still seated with the rest of the panel, unphased with his arms folded against his chest leaning back in his chair. His head is down. Is he asleep?

Next, we break into groups. The men go with the men to one room. The women go with the women. The traditional healers leave with the traditional healers. And the youth go with the youth (or those working with the youth). The girls and I leave with the rest of those working with youth. For an hour we discuss issues such as: condom use, circumcision, PMTCT, MCP, and sex education. After an hour, we all return to the auditorium and share each group’s perspective.

And we’re talking. Finally, we’re talking together. For two days we have discussed all modes of prevention in this country. But right before us now we are doing it. If I had to pin point the biggest cause of HIV, in Swaziland, I’d say a serious lack of communication. And we’re doing it here. They call this campaign: Indaba. In SiSwati it means story. We all have ours and we all just need to share them.

Next on stage, we have the Dr. of Economics: Mr. Allen Whiteside. Born in Kenya, a citizen of South Africa, white, privileged?, and traveled up and down the northeast side of Africa. I’m curious to hear an economist’s view on this prevention campaign. What is HIS story?

He begins with a “global overview” of the pandemic. The incidence rate in Swaziland is this doctor’s main focus. With his power point presentation overhead and red laser pointer in hand, he takes us through chart after chart of Swaziland’s HIV incidence rate. Who’s getting it.

“When a person first receives HIV their viral load is incredibly high. After some time, however, that viral load goes way down. This makes it harder for this person to pass it on.” His laser pointer shows us the peak in the graph. “If we can control these people, the HIV incidence rate will go down, way down. How do we stop these people who’ve just become infected from passing it onto other people?” I can’t wait to hear this. Another shot at the impossible. My two favorite words they love to use: Behavior change. “We create a campaign that says, ‘A month of no sex!’. He yells, waiting for a response.

Say what!? Is this man mad? Spoken like a true economist. Absolutely no understanding of the people here. An uproar rises around me. Swazis and I, laugh. I look around at the few white faces around (I only say white because it gives me more opportunity to generalize and assume they have a distant view of the situation here....don't judge my judgment). They sit, calm and collected, almost confused by our reaction. One of them shoots me a nasty look and I start to feel like a fifth grader, laughing at the teacher and I’ve been spotted by one of the obedient ones seated in front. Can I help that I inherited my father’s obnoxious laugh?

“Oh come on,” Dr. Economics continues. “It can’t be THAT hard. We’re only asking for one month." I didn’t realize a transaction was being made. “If everyone stops for one month or engages in only safe sex, then fewer people are exposed during the recently infected’s high viral load. We need to cut them off at this peak.” Laser points to chart again. “We provide a one month condom pack. We encourage partners to test together. (Which we’re already doing. It’s called the ‘Love Test’. Romantic I know.) People will do it for their country.” He ends patriotically.

For hours we’ve heard the language of the US Universities, the Harvard grads, the economists, the scientists from France with their thick accents (“You ah.. take z… ah.. foreskin… and ah..). Everyone struggling to understand the echoes of international bureaucracies and their inane proposals. Talking at us. Us, the Swazi. You don’t need to speak SiSwati at Swazis. But you must be able to speak Swazi.

Before I give you my FULL reaction (which I’m sure by now you’re already getting), I want to share with you what the next presenter had to say.

A young Swazi man takes the stage. Baring no MD before his name, no title. Just Swazi. A nobody to the rest of the world, he looks scared out of his mind.

“Ah, hello.” He begins. “I am here today to talk to you about Multiple Concurrent Partners and HIV.” (MCP, a cheating web of sexual contact, and the biggest reason for the HIV rates here.) “Lets face it, we’re all doing it.” The audience braces themselves. They’re ready to listen and a discussion is beginning with clarity. The young man shows slides of newspaper clippings overhead. Story after story of those caught cheating and impregnating. Those using sex as power. The headline of the gospel singer, I met, pops on screen and the audience laughs.

“We’re all doing it.” He continues. “I know it because I live it. My boys and I joke. ‘She takes my HIV and gives it to you.’ We say to each other. One of my friends had sex with six different girls in one day.” The audience laughs in disbelief. “I’m not joking. He started north of Mbabane. He made his way down to Matsapha into Manzini then further south to Big Bend and that region. In one day he traveled the entire country for sex, and he didn’t even have a car.” We’re in awe; gasps of disbelief fill around us.

“Our socialization is facilitating this virus…..Thank you.” He steps off stage.

And there it was. Dr’s, lecturers, panel, are you listening? This disease is a reflection of what needs to change here. We cannot ignore the reasons and only do what is needed to TEMPORARILY fix the problem. “Donors are suffering from aid fatigue. The prevalence rate is not going down and they are now less inclined to donate anymore to this country.” Whiteside tells us. I can understand why this no sex for one month campaign can sound so appealing to those that are interested in more donations, whatever keeps the cash flow flowing. Donors are suffering from aid fatigue. Well the people here are suffering form AIDS fatigue. They don’t care anymore. AIDS is merely a symptom of what this culture has turned into. The people know condoms will save their life and yet they still refuse to use them. Why on earth would they care about their country’s well being and abstain for a month, if they don’t even care about their own? It’s like telling Americans not to use any electricity for one day to “Save the Planet”. We need to examine why AIDS is wiping out an entire generation here and go from there.

We’re treating them like spoiled children. You won’t use a condom, abstain, or be faithful? Then give us your foreskin and continue to behave the way you’re behaving. You won’t change, then just give us one month of no sex then you can continue to fuck your brains out.

“Are there any questions?” The MC asks the audience. A middle aged Swazi man stands. A young boy runs to hold the microphone to his mouth. “In our culture,” He beings softly. Nervous in front of a panel that comes from a culture where confidence, direct eye contact, and a college education is encouraged. “In our culture, we respect our elders. We obey them and we would never tell them what to do. Who are we to go out there and tell them now to circumcise? To not have sex? This is just not how it is done here. Ah. Thank you.”

We need to make sure our campaigns, our lectures, or “requests” do not seem so demeaning, so patronizing. These people are being asked to respond to an agenda imported from cities, do-gooder organizations, from Universities, from an ocean away with the “right” answers, from those who do not know their suffering. It’s obvious a change in mentality is needed, but it is needed in the hearts and minds of those with power- those that are not seated here today.

We break into groups again. We discuss similar topics and try to figure out a way to resolve the country’s social “problems”. When we return it’s the women’s group who takes stage. A delightfully, surprisingly, confident Swazi woman stands behind the podium. She tells us stories of women’s sexual dissatisfaction. A lack of communication in relationships. A curiosity of vibrators in a country that outlaws any and all sex toys. I hoot her on as the men chuckle in disbelief. She starts to loose her courage and laughs along with the men. I holler and whistle. I can’t believe what’s being said. The Swazi woman representing her Swazi women. The Swazi woman wants she’s telling them. The Swazi woman needs. The Swazi woman desires. The Swazi woman is not happy. This Swazi woman won’t keep quite anymore. Comments are being whispered in SiSwati amongst the men in the crowd. I make my youth group translate for me. I look down at the Swazi Times reporters ferociously writing. I can just read the headlines tomorrow. “Swazi Women Demand Vibrators! Swazi Women Sexually Unhappy! Professor of Economics tells Swazis ‘No more sex!’” I can just see it now.

The audience goes wild. And, again, I’m in love with dialogue.

Each group takes the stage and tries to give their solutions. Outsiders call it “Behavior Change”. It’s what needs to happen. But no one knows exactly how to do it. “We’ll fine anyone caught without condoms on them. We’ll have family monitors. People who go into homesteads and make sure they’re engaging in safe sex. Test or get fined! No sex for one month!” They scream.

Is forcing and making things compulsory the answer? I think hard about the brave Swazi man who stood up before this panel of doctrines and questioned their tactics. This doesn’t happen here. There’s a naïve trust and confidence in the outside world that Swazis have. “Don’t piss them off. They give us money.” Some are even starting to believe they are biologically less smart than the rest of the world. Just yesterday a man, like everyday, tells me he wants me. I ask why. He says, “Because you are white and everyone knows white people are smarter than black people.” And I hear this all the time. They tell me, “Swazis have black hearts and small brains.” So many have told me sub-Saharan Africans are just dumber than the rest. They've lost all confidence in themselves and wait for the outside world to fix their problems.

Are we encouraging blind faith? The only way we’ll get through this is to help them understand. We need more Indabas. We need more communication.

Derek takes the stage to close the ceremony. “I’ve discussed the causes to our HIV pandemic: colonization, Christianity, migration, denial and consumerism. And now we’re looking forward. We’ve come together for two days and the response has been beyond our expectations.”

I look around the theater. 300 people stay seated, asking question after question when lunch was served over an hour ago. I’ve never seen free food put on hold because of a desire for more information. I’m just as blown away.

“We’ve seen the crowd react to certain things. There’s been lots of buzz around female sexual gratification. We shall write a report. Come up with new programs to create a higher communication level between partners in the future. We need to decentralize this Indaba. Bring it to the community level and out to the rural areas. We’d like to create a National Youth group that meets on prevention. We want to work on this month of no infection and no sex. You doubt, but it has been scientifically proven to work in other countries. It took us two years to organize this event. We’ll try to listen to your contributions and get back to you. We’re going to redirect our efforts. A new dedication has begun.”

Indaba over.

I can’t believe that took them two years to plan. The amount of money and time that went into this two day event blows my mind. A buffet feast awaited us at the end of each lecture. My girls had never seen food like this before, some never even to the city. The second day they came prepared with Tupperware in their purses- shoving chicken legs, pasta, cupcakes, and lamb chops into their bags. Where did this money come from? What else could it have been spent on? Why was there such a delay in getting 300 people together who were already bound together in their work in the health care field?

I recall a conversation with another volunteer I had recently. A certain NGO in her area was given $80,000 USD to collect information on the people in her community. After 4 months and $80,000 spent, the NGO came to her, a Peace Corps Volunteer, needing information. “They had nothing on these people. We had been here just two months, with no car to get around in and the language barrier and we were the ones supplying them with the information. For free.”

I realize I run risk in writing about the poor and powerless. What I write could be used against them. Taken in the wrong way. I could be totally wrong about EVERYTHING. I am only here to show you- that I was here. At the same time, it's incredibly hard to be a dispassionate reporter. I write on PERSONAL experience. What I have seen with my own two eyes. It's hard not to judge when your work becomes your life. And not just your life.. two years of your life.

I hope Derek is true to his words. A redirection and new dedication is strongly strongly needed. Are no sex campaigns and fining people the answer? I know confronting the big picture seems like an overpowering challenge, messy, and can’t be put so simply on power point. But we need a better comprehension of the societal causes of what’s going on around us and why there is such a tolerance for it.