Are we a lost nation?'

| Wednesday February 27, 2008 00:00

Teams from Lesotho and Swaziland varsities are here to continue the BOLESWA tradition. This is a noble social event that promotes cultural interaction. There is also notoriety related to this event, SEX? Sex orgies. -men and women-intergenerational sex. Moral decadence at its best.

Being the social conscious type and a student of research but more importantly a leader of tomorrow I saw something different.

What I saw led me to my article title; Are we a lost Generation? Are we that sex starved and hungry? What took place last weekend, especially Friday and Saturday and still ongoing leaves a lot to be desired. It causes a migraine. Its choking, a thought of it brings a lump to my throat. A feeling of irritation. The countless efforts undertaken by the state on behavioral change initiatives to curb the disease, the killer virus HIV and its latter consequence, AIDS.

By night fall, University of Botswana was looking like a Tokyo car show; you would have thought that the key car makers were there to display their latest toys and gadgets. Music was blaring loud and the air full of smoke, both shishanyama (barbecue) and stale cigarette smoke. The more flossy ones had unlit Cubans on their lips. The clothes were still crisp and very bright the colognes, my God. You would have thought a truck similar to those that carry fuel had turned over with colognes.

These were young Batswana, from the latest graduates, corporate world boys, CEO's, policy makers and kids (rich & poor). They had come to prey. They had come for the Swatis and so it seemed because that was the question that was on everyone's lips. Ba kae maswati? (Where are the Swatis?). If you know your statistics very well these are nationals of two countries that have been hard hit by the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa and they are preying on each other. Married men did not help the situation either, infidels.

What happened to the information that we preach everyday, did it fall on deaf ears. Is sex all that important to mankind that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have worked hard for and just let it go down the drain.

When we meet for good will, this is an opportunity to learn best practices of controlling and containing HIV& AIDS. Botswana is indeed a lost nation. When are we going to learn that life is too precious and that an infection is another cost to the country? Maybe the government should pause and review the provision of ARV to Batswana and this is not an issue of rights, it's a question of responsibility and accountability. To all the business people that sell condoms-you have made a killing from the intervarsity games- What are you offering back to the community to further control the BCIC strategy.

Botswana's population is growing at replacement level and with current attitudes and trends in behaviour we are soon going to be reduced in numbers and this is scary. There will be no one to manage these vast resources. Nnya batho!!! This should change immediately. We have spent a lot, lost a lot of lives, productivity levels have dropped and now they window of hope is shattering. It's never too late to make the right choice. We have to grow this nation and raise an AIDS free generation with no new infections. Lets be morally correct. Measure your success by the number of people that you allow and let live.

Next time there are games like these take place the level of entertainment should be limited.

The companies that supply alcohol should contribute to the HIV funds at NACA. The economic cost of these games to the nation far exceeds the purpose and maybe we should forget about these games and leave our friendships at SADC and SACU levels. There is no benefit at all.

* Amantle Mphoeng is a Year 2 student studying Economics and Population(Health & Social Policy) at the University of Botswana