Murals Unveiled

Yesterday, I had a unique experience. Two of the Treatment Action Campaign murals I and some you sponsored are completed, and one had its official unveiling yesterday. The event started with a march from the TAC district headquarters in Khayelitsha (about 15 minutes drive from Guguletu). It was my first political march, of sorts, but obviously not TAC's. About 40 people marched for a little over a mile to the site of the second mural (the first is farther away but still within Khayelitsha). It was very well organized, from the city permit down to the chants and songs. I felt a little out of place - I looked like a yogurt raisin in a box of Sunmaids - but no one else seemed to notice.

There were plenty of onlookers, as the site is on one of the busiest roads in the township. Taxis were forced to slow down and go around us, so a lot of people got a look at us and the murals. There was one photographer from a local paper, as well.

The mural is in four parts. The first panel shows a couple going to the clinic to get tested. The words at the bottom mean Your Life, Your Health, Our Responsibility. The second panel shows the couple in the clinic meeting with a counselor. The third panel shows them relaxing in the park, something they can do because they know their status and how to be safe. (One of the peer educators from TAC, a high-school girl who teaches other kids about HIV and STDs, translated for me. She said that the parks aren't safe to sit in, so even though the panel shows a park these "meetings" would happen at home.) The last panel gives key telephone numbers for the police (to report crime or rape), ambulance (in case someone needs help), testing sites, and places to get education. The colors are really bright and you can't help but notice as you pass by. It only took the artists 5 days to finish the whole thing, including the white base coat.

I was asked to say a few words as the murals' sponsor. I said that we were proud to sponsor these murals, and if just one person was prevented from getting HIV because the mural helped them get educated, it was worth it.

We then marched to a street corner where a local DJ was set to have a little dance party for the neighborhood. A few minutes after we got there, a small group was asked to march back to the mural so TAC's videographer could film us arriving and a couple of us giving our speeches. So, back we went. In the 15 minutes we were gone, a local woman (in the orange shirt) had strung a line and hung her washing to dry right smack in front of the mural. She was very kind and took it down for us and then repeated the whole procedure when we were done. There were other clotheslines along the street, so apparently it was a great place to dry clothes.

I saw more of Khayelitsha than I had ever seen before. It's a lot like Guguletu, but poorer. I didn't see any proper (brick) homes in the neighborhood we were in, just lots of shacks and shops. I did get solicited by a nice young girl, who was on her way to a good drunk (at 11:30 am). It started innocently enough - her sunglass lens had popped out and she asked me if I could put it back in. No problem, I thought. After I fixed it we traded names like most Xhosa conversations start. Then she asked where I lived (twice, actually, because she forgot she asked already). I guess I was friendly enough because then she asked if I had a girl. When I said yes, she pouted and turned away. It was only then I realized what had just happened. I felt a little stupid, but I didn't expect that in broad daylight on a crowded street corner at 11:30 in the morning.

The third mural should be started in the next couple weeks. It will be good to have this project finished.

More to come.