By Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye
HIV/AIDS & STIGMA
Mura (pseudo) was a young man in my village, almost an age-mate to my big brother who i follow.
He had a well built body, walks with a pouncing gait, dark skinned, aged not more than 19years, he was full of life. He loved village path fights,his age mates knew he was strong, not easily humbled in a fight.
Mura did not make it so far in school, he was an irregular pupil at school, but very regular at the village Water-Well and common along the foot paths within the village. The village Water-Well was dug in his mother's land therefore it was obvious to bump into him on the way to fetch water or at the well yard.
His mother's land had a lot of natural fruit trees protected by the thicket of the heavy inter-twinned branches that made a generally dark like jungle along the foot path to the Water-Well.
He was good at traditional hoe-gardening therefore at every harvest he would have something to sell. His mother's house was surrounded by coffee trees thicket darkened by the heavy full grown bark trees. This made it habitable for all kinds of snakes, therefore , on several incidences the village youths would gather by his Mother's home trying to stone a snake on one of the heavy bark tree branches crossing over the main village road.
One day Mura, left the village for town to find a job. In town he had relatives therefore easily settled in there. After a year Mura came back to visit , he was different, neat, in new clothes, well kept and full of life, he looked better and promising. He moved with a spring-like gait, more pronounced pouncing and was always on the village main path all the days he was there before going back to town.
After he returned to town,he shortly re- appeared at the village with an elderly woman close to his mother's age-the village rumours begun...the elderly woman was Mura's wife, widow.
Not so long after Mura settled-in with his elderly wife, she fell sick, she was taken back to town. A few weeks after she was announced dead.
It was devastating for Mura, he cried like a baby-he moved from his mother's home loudly crying: children and women stood by the village road sides gazing in silence, whispering un founded gossip-all through to the high way where he took a public taxi to town, he cried, wailed and mourned
He returned the following day to the village, still wailing, mourning, crying and drawn back.
The days that followed,he kept at his mother's compound always crying, the village gossiping worsened every day that passed, people claimed that Mura's wife had HIV /AIDS therefore he was infected and was going to die any time.
Women and children started to tip-toe whenever they would be passing his Mother's compound on their way to the Water-Well.
Mura, developed a cough, he refused to take any medication neither eat, his fear was to go through the gostly-like look as one battles with AIDS, it was the common experience with most people who were said to have died of the disease went through.
He gave up on himself, he never stopped crying, he never ate, the gossip never stopped, the women lead gossipers never stopped to pass by his mother's house in pretence of standing with the family..he would hear the gossipers as he hides crying in the thicket of his mother's compound
Mura died a few weeks after his elderly wife died
There was no medical diagnosis of his condition but the village gossip had anyway made own diagnosis...Now Stigma killed more people than HIV/AIDS
I cant imagine what late Philly Lutaya was going through when he wrote his song ALONE
Out there somewhere
Alone and frightened
Of the darkness
The days are long
Life is hiding
No more making new contacts
No more loving arms
Thrown around my neck..
HIV/AIDS & STIGMA
Mura (pseudo) was a young man in my village, almost an age-mate to my big brother who i follow.
He had a well built body, walks with a pouncing gait, dark skinned, aged not more than 19years, he was full of life. He loved village path fights,his age mates knew he was strong, not easily humbled in a fight.
Mura did not make it so far in school, he was an irregular pupil at school, but very regular at the village Water-Well and common along the foot paths within the village. The village Water-Well was dug in his mother's land therefore it was obvious to bump into him on the way to fetch water or at the well yard.
His mother's land had a lot of natural fruit trees protected by the thicket of the heavy inter-twinned branches that made a generally dark like jungle along the foot path to the Water-Well.
He was good at traditional hoe-gardening therefore at every harvest he would have something to sell. His mother's house was surrounded by coffee trees thicket darkened by the heavy full grown bark trees. This made it habitable for all kinds of snakes, therefore , on several incidences the village youths would gather by his Mother's home trying to stone a snake on one of the heavy bark tree branches crossing over the main village road.
One day Mura, left the village for town to find a job. In town he had relatives therefore easily settled in there. After a year Mura came back to visit , he was different, neat, in new clothes, well kept and full of life, he looked better and promising. He moved with a spring-like gait, more pronounced pouncing and was always on the village main path all the days he was there before going back to town.
After he returned to town,he shortly re- appeared at the village with an elderly woman close to his mother's age-the village rumours begun...the elderly woman was Mura's wife, widow.
Not so long after Mura settled-in with his elderly wife, she fell sick, she was taken back to town. A few weeks after she was announced dead.
It was devastating for Mura, he cried like a baby-he moved from his mother's home loudly crying: children and women stood by the village road sides gazing in silence, whispering un founded gossip-all through to the high way where he took a public taxi to town, he cried, wailed and mourned
He returned the following day to the village, still wailing, mourning, crying and drawn back.
The days that followed,he kept at his mother's compound always crying, the village gossiping worsened every day that passed, people claimed that Mura's wife had HIV /AIDS therefore he was infected and was going to die any time.
Women and children started to tip-toe whenever they would be passing his Mother's compound on their way to the Water-Well.
Mura, developed a cough, he refused to take any medication neither eat, his fear was to go through the gostly-like look as one battles with AIDS, it was the common experience with most people who were said to have died of the disease went through.
He gave up on himself, he never stopped crying, he never ate, the gossip never stopped, the women lead gossipers never stopped to pass by his mother's house in pretence of standing with the family..he would hear the gossipers as he hides crying in the thicket of his mother's compound
Mura died a few weeks after his elderly wife died
There was no medical diagnosis of his condition but the village gossip had anyway made own diagnosis...Now Stigma killed more people than HIV/AIDS
I cant imagine what late Philly Lutaya was going through when he wrote his song ALONE
Out there somewhere
Alone and frightened
Of the darkness
The days are long
Life is hiding
No more making new contacts
No more loving arms
Thrown around my neck..
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