Title: Safe Spaces for the Youth
“They have to talk about you, because when they talk about themselves no one listens.” These are words from South African celebrity, author and businesswoman Bonang Matheba. I relate well with these words, especially when it comes to how we as young people have approached HIV issues in Botswana. Although HIV has been a part of our lives for a long time, we are still fearful to take action by testing in order to know our HIV status. Despite everything that has been done over the years, it is still difficult for youth to talk about HIV openly. This fear and silence is holding us back from the life we should be living. Youth of Botswana, listen up. This is about you and no one else. People may talk about you, but I say, ‘Let them talk.’ If they have the audacity to talk about you, it simply means that you are doing something right. Always remember this is about you and you only. I urge you to make that decision and get tested. Whether the results come back negative or positive, this is your life. You have a right to know your status and a right to treatment if you are HIV-positive. If your test shows you are HIV-positive, don’t despair, there is still a full life waiting for you with treatment. You can still achieve your dreams. Some youth are not taking care of themselves, living as if there is no tomorrow. I just want to encourage youth to live each day with purpose and determination. We need to live with the expectation that our future is there for the taking. On December 1st, we will commemorate the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day under the theme, “Know Your Status.” Earlier this year, Youth Day was held under the theme, “Safe Spaces for the Youth.” These are the most important messages for us to embrace as young Batswana. We must create safe spaces for youth to freely test for HIV and do it regularly, without holding back or being sceptical about it. Likewise, we need to create safe spaces for youth taking ARV treatment to go for their regular check-ups on time, especially those in tertiary schools. Safe spaces will help them to adhere well to their medication and we will make progress in preventing new infections by increasing the number of people with HIV who are virally suppressed. As a nation, we need to work together to create safe spaces for people to take their medications without being discriminated or judged. I would love to see us create safe spaces where we can just take our ARVs, like we do with paracetamol or any other medicine. There is no reason that people should not feel welcome to take their pills in public spaces, whether in the bus, at the rank, at the office, or in school. How can we let something as small as a virus to come between us and take away that sense of belonging within us? Let’s have each other’s backs all the time. We are bigger than HIV. If we get behind this initiative, we can make the end of AIDS a reality in the near future. This is our Botswana, our youth, our space spaces!