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HIVhop: an informed decision saves lives
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| Mr Devious, Shaheen Ariefdien and Shamiel Adams at the Amsterdam-Cape Town Block Jam |
"I'm not the threat, AIDS is a threat
I'm a HIV-positive victim faced with a test
I'll display my prerogative before they lay me to rest
You need to stop it when you portray me unlike the rest
You think you're different, ‘cause infection didn't show up on your test"
In April 2000, this message was carried by the voice of Devious, a 24-year-old rapper from Mitchell's Plain, a township to the east of Cape Town. The song 'Don't front on me', written from the perspective of a stigmatized HIV-positive person, left many listeners under theimpression that the artist was talking about his own experiences.
Bush Radio, the community radio station that had initiated the recording, received many emotional calls from young listeners expressing their appreciation of Devious’ handling of this topic.
Though recorded in a recording studio using minimal equipment, the hip-hop track was aired all throughout the Cape Flats and reached beyond Bush Radio’s immediate target area.
Many listeners had been recording the song from the air and playing it to their friends. As one listener put it: "Devious? That track is dope! All my friends got it on tape, and we have been discussing the lyrics."
Edutainment
Devious was one of the faces of the 'HIVhop', a five-week campaign that presented itself in Bush Radio's youth programs on a number of occasions throughout the year 2000.
Building on previous experiences with message-based raps, a team of radio producers at Bush Radio set out to work with NiZA and Madunia Foundation to research the possibilities of using rap as an effective medium to present messages about topics like domestic violence, HIV/AIDS or drug abuse.
Not a single radio station in the country has had a systematic approach towards informing young people about HIV/AIDS. As a regional training center, Bush Radio would be in a good position to share its experiences with other stations.
Bush Radio started a pilot radio campaign. Public surveys of students from three secondary schools around the Cape Flats showed that township kids were insufficiently reached by existing campaigns about HIV/AIDS. The current campaigns were generally perceived as 'boring' or even as 'not telling the truth'.
‘Edutainment’ (mixing entertainment with education through popular culture) was considered to have greater potential to successfully capture their attention. Bush Radio's existing hip-hop show, aired every Friday night, was taken as a starting point for the HIV radio campaign, aptly called 'HIVhop'.
The outcome of the HIVhop-campaign included 10 hip hop tracks by local artists dealing with key issues in the campaign. The HIVhop team chose to actively involve students in the shows and was open to creative contributions by rappers in the audience.
The 'HIVhop' CD mixed discussion, hip-hop instrumentals and the HIVhop lyrics in a creative way. The mixture was rebroadcast several times and was made available to other radio stations.
Dar es Salaam
Its fascinating experiences with the new medium of rap led NiZA to expand its support for hip-hop-related activities as part of its Media programme.
In October 2000, Shaheen Ariefdien (rapper and team leader of HIVhop), Shamiel Adams (hiphop DJ and team member) and rapper Mr Devious visited Amsterdam in an exchange project which transposed the spirit of HIVhop to the Bijlmer area of Amsterdam.
Local rappers were invited to take part in workshops and the results of the collaboration were presented at the 'Amsterdam-Cape Town Blockjam' in an Amsterdam nightclub. Rappers Fit and Complex, two Dutch workshop participants, were invited to visit Bush Radio in December where, among others, they joined in a rap concert on World AIDS Day.
In March 2001, the programme was expand ed to include Tanzania, with two Dutch rappers and two South Africans travelling to Dar es Salaam. In the course of two weeks, they participated in workshops, a conference, a concert and studio recording sessions.
The studio recordings, which bring together the rappers from 3 countries, will be made available to local radio stations in the Netherlands.
Text by: Thomas Gesthuizen. He is a committee member of Madunia Foundation (Development in music) Gesthuizen has cooperated with the HIVhop-team as a NiZA consultant.
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