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Botswana: Speak Out, You Have Been Silent for Too Long
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
COLUMN
14 April 2008
Posted to the web 15 April 2008
Mosah Mokganedi
Gaborone
"Silence for too long, silence for too long, why can't you say something." These are the words of American award winning actress and AIDS activist Sheryl Lee-Ralph during her presentation on HIV/AIDS issues in Gaborone on Friday.
Lee-Ralph was here at the invitation of Godisa - a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dealing with the hearing impaired. The organisation invited her to help raise funds for its various programmes. The bouncy actress gave different inspiring HIV/AIDS messages. She related real HIV/AIDS stories that she collected from different women who are affected or infected by the disease.
She pointed out that the stories that she heard often made her cry, hence the theme "Sometimes I Cry". Lee- Ralph said as an AIDS activist she works with people from all walks of life and has experienced HIV/AIDS at all levels. However, he said it is the women who are mostly affected by HIV/AIDS and always die in silence. "How long are you going to be silent, say something because your silence is not going to save you," she urged women. She quoted the book of Jeremiah 8:14, which says: "Why are we sitting still, come on we will run to the fortified cities to die, God has condemned us and gave us poison to drink because we have sinned against him, we hoped for peace but terror came instead."
She said women should not wait and think anybody will save them if they do not save themselves. She added that women always fear talking about the disease or disclosing their status when affected because they fear their husbands would beat them up. In fact, in one of the many stories that she related she talks of a woman who was beaten by her husband after disclosing her HIV status to him after being infected by the man himself who was unaware of his status.
Lee-Ralph observed that it is surprising that with over 30 years of HIV/AIDS, people still do not want to talk about the disease. She said the reason people prefer to be silent about the disease is because they do not even know that they have it. Lee-Ralph believes HIV can be prevented. "Just take that one step to change, HIV is 100 percent preventable and it begins with you," she admonished. She also talked strongly against HIV-positive people who go back to their old irresponsible behaviour when they feel better because of the medication.
"We must learn from our mistakes and make sure we do not end up in the same trap again, change is possible," she advised. Lee-Ralph said when writing her stories she is always inspired by the Bible, which she uses a lot. Lee-Ralph has acted and produced a number of movies.
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As a producer she created Hollywood's acclaimed Divas Simply Singing, an evening of song and entertainment. Here, Batswana will remember her as Moesha's mother in the sitcom Moesha.
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