Zeph Kajevu
28 June 2004
Breaking the silence, a concept adopted during the Durban 2000 AIDS conference, has proved very effective, the Managing Director and founder of Carlos, The Ram Botswana company, Charles Manyawu told Monitor last week.
He added that the concept has especially been effective in relieving emotional anxiety and disillusionment for those who have lost loved ones through HIV/AIDS related deaths. He said that breaking the silence underlies the company's commitment to intensify the fight against HIV/AIDS in partnership with stakeholders. The strategy ensures that all those involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS intensify their efforts in the total onslaught against the epidemic in line with the goals of Vision 2016.
The Zimbabwean born Manyawu (49) who is now a Botswana citizen, came to the country in 1979 and is married to Kefilwe from Mochudi. The couple has two daughters born in 1999 and 2000. The marketing specialist left employment in 1998 to devote himself to designing posters on HIV/AIDS. His decision was prompted by the untimely death of his elder sister Charity Mutsemi in 1998 due to HIV/AIDS. During her last days, he designed a poster reading: 'Are You a Careless, Ignorant or Stupid Person?' On seeing it his sister told him: "You have hit the nail on the head, my baby brother! I realise that I am dying because of ignorance".
Now Manyawu says that his mission is simple and straightforward. "I want to save lives. And while I am doing that, I may unintentionally insult or offend those who are already infected and affected. I have so far designed 60 posters although 15 of them are yet to be published," he said.
"Breaking the silence is probably going to be spiritually therapeutic because since the death of my sister, I have found it very difficult to forgive my brother-in-law, because my sister should not have been abused in this manner. This has, however, been the driving force behind my poster designs, which carry messages on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and living positively with the virus, for those infected and affected," he said.
Although Manyawu has designed posters for clients including government, he is incapacitated by lack of government's commitment to sponsor his initiatives. "As a Motswana, I am looking forward to the day when the government takes my campaign more seriously so that I can be able to get the message across."
Manyawu could not have reached the public without the support of his partner, Kefilwe. "When I married Charles he had designed his first poster: 'Are You A Careless, Ignorant or Stupid Person?' Although I could catch the meaning at first sight, his explanation helped me get the idea. After that I have always volunteered to be the role model in some of his posters to avert stigma associated with the virus," she said.
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