First Person

First Person is a project that grew out of TRIAD’s Performing Arts and Media programs. First Person is testimonial theatre. It seeks to tell the stories of ordinary people living amidst the realities of HIV and AIDS.

Members of TRIAD’s ImprovED Troupe, local journalists from the Nkomazi Voice and TRIAD’s staff conduct the interviews. TRIAD’s Arts and Media staff works with the ImprovED Troupe and local newspaper staff to create a stable of thoughtful, sensitive and evocative questions so the local stakeholders can continue the process after we leave.

The ImprovED Troupe translates these experiences in monologues that can be used as not merely emotional theatre, but as educational theatre. By sharing individuals’ stories, we hope to encourage dialogue, increase awareness, and foster understanding. All the stakeholders in First Person hope to connect those who have been isolated and marginalized by HIV/AIDS

Audio, video, and photography will also be used to document these stories.

First Person aims to be an organic and evolving performance piece. Unfortunately new stories will be available. We all look forward to the day where First Person is no longer current events and can be deemed historical drama.

Here is some of the source material that has been culled from poetry and journalsof the young people who participate in our training programs, and from interviews with people from the communities in which we work.  These are their words, their thoughts, their sadness, their hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Being positive is not the end of the world
Being positive is not the end of the road
Many of our leaders, heroes, family members and friends
Have taken a bow to this killer disease
People are sick and dying everyday coz of dis disease
But we will hold on and fight u distroyer of lives
AIDS u will never destroy us bcoz we are positive about life
If I were you AIDS I would give up
Bcoz many people know u very well & how dengerous u are

That why the choose condomise those who hate
Your cousin condom they choose to abstain

If I were you AIDS I would give up
Bcoz now I know that a person who is HIV positive
Is still my brother and sister and is still a

Friend 2 me.

 

 

 

-anonymous

~~~~~~~~~~~

My mother is sick and she is very thin. One day she goes to the clinic and get treatment. She eat treatment and I ask here did you ask the doctor to test you HIV/AIDS she say no. and I try to tell here the important of knowing your status and the she went again to the clinic and they test her found that she is infected but she didn’t give me here result she says; the doctor didn’t give me the paper of my result. So I see that may be she throw away because of scared. Around here month there is some sores, pains always in her body always she caugh and blood sometimes come out even today she is sick.

-Precious

~~~~~~~~~~

Mom you were my Hero
Mom you were my life sever
You made me believe to myself
You showed me what was best for me
Now that you are gone mom
Gone to a place that you cannot
Return to me

Gone to our Late Relatives
Gone to the shrines of our for fathers

Mom I missed your spirit
I missed your love
I missed your passion

I hope me and you
We are going to meet
Every soon.

This is the feel about my Mom. My Hero. I will never forget you mom.

 

 

-Sanele

~~~~~~~~~

AIDS
Being positive is not The End
Being positive is not The End
Many of our solders have taken a
Bow to this killer Disease

But we will Hold on And fight you
Aids - Distroyer of lives
But Aids you will never Distroy us

Because we are positive about life
We will keep Holding on until we win
The fight.

Brother and sisters Bewere of this
enemy it kill u might be a pritty

as a princess ad handsome as a prince but aids do not distriminate.

 

 

-Narcia

~~~~~~~~~~

My Story is About Me & My sister
Im Narcia and my sister is Marcia. My sister is HIV positive and is 24 years. She discover that when was 22. She was scard to told me about her status But if a good day she said to me Narcia what do you do if u will find out that Im positive and How do u will treat me.
To me it wasn’t a problem Because now I have a knowledge about the po people who are positive so I said to her I will treat you as I treat u now so she told me that is she is positive.  She encourage me to go and test for HIV and she also teach me about the disease and I agree ad go to test with her and now I know my HIV stutes Im Negative. 3 time ive being Tested for HIV and im proud Because now I know my HIV stutes.

So I would like to dedicate this poem to those who lose confidence.

who are you
where is your origin
How can I cure you

You have cause a lot of confusion
Among families and communities

you have cause a millions of people
to distrust 1 another

oh aids may you pls show us
your side view Because, we never
seen u only your distration

You have kill so many people.
In and outside South African
who then do you think
will be the future paient of
our continet

Brother and sister bewere of
This anemy it kills you might
Be a prity as a princess
handsome as a prince But aids
do not discriminate

it has always gone for the Best
and we always go for the Best
so for to Be in the safer side take
my instration
and totally abstain from the

sex.

 

 

-Narcia

~~~~~~~~~~

When I was in school, I had a boyfriend who had contracted the virus a few months back. My ex-boyfriend was very secretive, that we dated for almost six months. without him letting me know about his status. Fortunately, he never forced his way to me, to have sexual intercourse. However, I wondered why he never asked me to have sex with him.
There were times that I felt hot & wanted him to have sex with me, but he could/would always find a way out of it. He kept his secret until he trusted me enough to talk about any matter, be it social, politics, or personal.
He came to me one night looking down & sad.

And he spoke so gently & soft. He said, “I know that after tonight a lot of things are going to change.” Well, I didnt understand or follow what he was trying to tell me. “If I told you that I am HIV positive, what would do> would you still love me the same or not.” he asked.

Without thinking, I said I would still love him just the same. He then went on & declared that he was indeed positive. I honestly thought I would go on dating him.

But, then, I made a biggest mistake of my life, I told some of my friends who strongly objected that I continue dating him. For some reasons I listened to them & abondoned the only true thing that ever happened to me.

I have been regretting how I handled the whole issue & how I betrayed his trust. I decided to become a volunteer and help people affected by HIV & AIDS. And I have learnt to keep & treat other people’s HIV status 100% confeditiality/highly confidential.

 

 

-Winile

~~~~~~~~~~

I have never thought of HIV & AIDS affecting me or any member of my family
But that thought changed drastically after the death of my best friend, who was also my neighbour.
His family revealed to me that my friend had died of HIV.

I have been trying so hard to come to terms with his sudden passing, but I was so difficult.

Recently, just when I was still mourning my friend’s death, his younger brother, who was also close to me got very ill and finally bowed out, also of HIV. It bugged me so much that I have in a short space of time lost two close friend because of HIV & AIDS. It also bothered me a lot that I did nothing to help my friends.

However, it has educated me alot. I have recently went to take an HIV test, which also helped me a lot, because I know that I must lead a positive life and stay negative as long as I can.
-Jub

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

My name is Thobile Pretty Matsaba, I live at Schoemansdal.  My mother died in 2003 and then my father died in 2005.
My careworker took me to a place called Thembalethu homebased care where they asked me questions they asked, ‘where are your Parents?’ My mother died in 2003 I answered and my father died in 2005.
We were two children in my home. It was me and my brother but i don’t know where my brother is, since our Parents died and I never see him again.

After all those questions they gave me some clothes and after giving me these clothes they sent me to a place called Goodhope, I was happy to have a new family except that I kept thinking about my brother because I do not know if he is fine or what.

I thank god that I have finally find a place to stay and there are lots of children that I see out there who do not have parents and place to stay, they don’t even have food to eat.

 

 

-Thobile

~~~~~~~~~~

It was in 2005 (but late 2005) when my brother started complaining about painful gums. As 2006 went by he started gaining other deseases, and as time went on it got worse. At the time I didn’t think of much cause I thought he was just sick, little did I know that this was something big. By September time my brother couldn’t walk anymore and just as we thought things couldn’t get any worse he lost his eye sight. My mom and my dad they used to take him to hospitals but still they didn’t know the cause of my brother’s sickness. One day my other brother told my mom and dad to stop doing anything to my sick brother and ask him what was realy the problem. My parents confronted him and he confessed he had HIV (the he was HIV +). By the time he told my parents it was realy late, His CD4 count was realy low. By 7th November 2006 my brother died. My dad was realy hurt and my dad was also sick (but not HIV+) so my brother’s dying cause a lot of stress and depression for my dad then he died too, beginning of December on the 8th (the following month. End.
So what I want to say is people who don’t want to disclose their status to loved ones cause of the fear of being rejected and being deniel. This causes this deasses to keep on spreading and killing people. If people would take responsibility with their own lives and talk openly about HIV-AIDS about ways people who are infected and affected by this desease can live we would not have so many deaths caused by this desease cause the only thing that spreads faster is a positive attitude.
 

 

-Moncula

~~~~~~~~~~

I started taking the whole HIV & AIDS issue, just after I lost a beloved cousin.
We were very close, we did almost anything together.
One crazy day, she got very ill, in such a way that the whole family didn’t know what to do. At some point, the family elders suggested that my cousin be taken to a traditional healer. Eventually we consulted a sangoma (traditional healer) who instructed the family to take my cousin for a training course of sangomas. The traditional healer said that my cousin was possessed by evil spirits & therefore needed to be trained as a sangoma, so that the spirits may go away.
You see, the whole family, including myself, didn’t know much about HIV and so we never suspected that she might be suffering from it.
It was only when a fellow church member adviced us that we consider taking her to hospital, which we did.
At the hospital, they conducted some blood tests, which came positive.
I was shocked & didn’t know what to do.
But at the hospital, I have received a counselling and learnt how to cater for someone suffering from HIV & AIDS.
So it became easier for me to look after my cousin, who died at my hands.
And the whole incident cautioned me & taught me a great deal about life & HIV & AIDS.

 

 

-Gana

~~~~~~~~~~

In all my life I had to cry everyday wondering where to stay and what to eat. Life at home without a parent is very hard, especially if you are a young child having to look after your siblings. Everyday I had to defend myself and them.
The saddest thing I’ve seen was children going to school with their parents holding their tiny hands, while we had to stay behind.
It was a beautiful day the sky was blue and the sun was shinning very bright. I was walking along the street with bare foot. as I had no shoes, the one pair I had torn off weeks ago. So it was compulsory for me to walk bare foot. and now my feet were covered with blisters.

While I was walking I came across a woman who used by be my moms bestfriend. I had nothing to say but to ask for food. She refused to give us food but asked if we can move inn with her. We did so.

The woman was a single mother living in a shack of three rooms with five children of her own, working in one of the farms as a domestic worker. Leaving for work at 6 oclock am and coming home at 5 oclock pm. So me and my siblings we had to squash ourselves in those three rooms.

Now life was much better than before. We were now able to attend school. While some other days we had to be chased from school for not paying the school fee.

It was one of the good days. The sun was bright shinning and the sky was bright and blue. We were all out doors playing games, some climbing trees. Some playing skipping rob and some just running after one another.

Eventually we saw a woman coming along our street with a white lady. We got so surprised and very much confused. “Why a white lady in such a vellage? It got so strange when they strached their hands calling for us.

We came to them walking very slowly feel un-safe. Couse all we used to hear about white people was apartheid. The time we got closer, she just put up her wonderful smile and said hi we felt much safe.

That white lady was really a life saver cause she was there to help us. She was there to take me and my siblings to stay with her.

We stayed with her and everything changed, life was now good and enjoyable with someone to provide and with a shoulder to lean on when we feel weak.

Everything is so perfect now. My 2 younger brothers are in the African children choire and the youngest one is in the UK with the African childrens choir his a drumer

All the poverty and the strugles we’ve gone through was mainly coused by the monster which is Hiv and aid, which lots of people don’t really believe that it is out there and destroying the beaty of our country

I am now very much aware on what causes the Hiv to spread faster in poor villages than in developed villages or places.

Most guys are taking advantages of valnarable teenagers. They confuse them with cash.

 

 

-Thandie

~~~~~~~~~~

After a whole month of coughing non-stop, I decided to go for professional help.
Upon my arrival at the clinic, the health care workers adviced me to go for a T.B test, which I took. Fortunately enough for me, the results came back positive. After that, a specialist doctor sat me down trying to counsel me on a number of issues. He eventually touched on the HIV & AIDS issue, which I had been taking for granted for too long.
After our brief discussion with the doctor, I came to a conclusion to take a rapid HIV test. The doctor was good enough, that he again counselled me, until he was certain that I fully understand everything.
Finally, we took the test & again they came negative.
And from that day on, I made a pledge to lead a positive life & help others who are living & affected by the virus.
 

 

-Cyril

~~~~~~~~~

In 2005, I lost both my mother and father, due to HIV & AIDS related illnesses.
By then AIDS, was not really a big issue to me, as a teenager.
But, after their passing I came to realize that, maybe this virus is real.
Then I decided to conduct my own private research on HIV & AIDS.
And through my research, I came to know Thembalethu. This orginisation put me under its wings and taught me more about HIV & AIDS.
Then, in 2007, when I had more knowledge about the virus, I decided to go an HIV test myself.
The results came back negative. And from that day, I have been trying to stay negative but ensuring that those who are positive get all the help & love they need in order for them to live longer not stressing about the virus.
 

 

-Makuiu

~~~~~~~~~~

My name is Neobile Nomcebo Ngeobo. I am 17 years old I live at schoemandal. I learn at Ligebhuta high school My subject that I learn are
-siswat
-science
-geograph
-biological
-English

My home language is Sizulu I when I finish school I want to be a doctor now I am doing grade 11 I want to go to university why I Want to be a doctor it because more people die of HIV/AIDS and more doctors can’t heal this disease. I want to go to try my best to fight against this disease and my father was a doctor and my father was a doctor and my father die with car accident so I want to follow my father.

-Nomcebo

~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up in a land full of sorrow
I wake up in a land full of grief
I wake up in a land full of disapointment.
I walk slowly as I fear the evils
I walk slowly as I can be able
To runbeck of fear

I walk slowly as it is said not
To be afraid of going slowly but
Being afraid of standing still

I see so much people losing hope
I see so much people leting go.

I see people turning their beck
On children reaching for their care.

I feel I could say everything
Will be alright
I feel like I could be the answer

I feel like I could re-create the world

I am a child full of dreams
I am a child full of passion
I am a child full of hopes where there’s no hope at all

I feel I could remove the black

Colour which makes the people
Feel lyk everything is so dark
I feel I could remove the dark
Smoke from their eyes and show
Them hope.

 

 

-Thandie