Nobody Ever Said AIDS: Poems And Stories From Southern Africa

by Nobantu Rasebotsa (Editor)

While numerous texts have dealt with the AIDS pandemic in Africa from the clinical, economic, and sociological to the academic and technical this anthology of poems and short stories connects on a human level and reflects an entire society dealing with the challenges of overcoming AIDS and HIV. Well-known writers such as Achmat Dangor, Dambudzo Marechera, and Sindiwe Magona join 16 new writers selected from the "Share Your Story about HIV/AIDS" creative writing competition funded by the Swedish donor foundation, SIDA, and conducted in collaboration with the University of Cape Town. Their intimate stories and poems explore love, sexuality, stigma, and loss, bearing witness to the disease and responding to its silent taboo.

191 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Naori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a heartbeat. If you hold your breath and listen, every story, every poem, has a pulse. Something very human, very bodied, happens when you feel this text. This piece is about the ache of bodies, the thrust of them, the desire, the unknowing, and the sharing of them. A sharing in love, in lust, and quietly, an unknowing sharing that has caused an epidemic in many of our communities. But that sharing has also led writers like this to combine their voices and author the reality of their lives and their communities. And it is that sharing, both of bodies and voices, that gives this book a pulse. We’re connected to this. We are all connected in this. And I am thankful to have felt in my body, through reading this, the heartbeat of all those within.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody ever said AIDS – Stories & Poems from Southern AFRICA
Compiled and Edited by Nobantu Rasebotsa, Meg Samuelson and Kylie Thomas
Reviewed by Alina Oswald

The idea of an anthology of writings by or about people living with HIV/AIDS in southern Africa started in 2002, at a time when there was “virtually no published creative writing” in the region in English, as explained in the “Introduction” of Nobody ever said AIDS. The anthology interweaves works of well-known local writers and never-before-published writers selected through a writing competition meant to discover fresh voices.
Nobody ever said AIDS emerges as a unique collection in which contributors share their intimate, real life experiences about living with HIV/AIDS. In this sense, the book offers a fresh lesson in HIV/AIDS prevention, education and activism, while opening new avenues to fight the pandemic.
AIDS is the common element that traverses the entire anthology and shapes characters’ lives, no matter their social, economical, or cultural status. The stories and poems of Nobody ever said AIDS take us on a trip to southern Africa and offer an invaluable opportunity to learn about the local culture, customs, beliefs, and language. The writings talk about isolation and stigma, grief and mourning, about denial and beliefs, about AIDS education and activism. As explained in its “Foreword,” the anthology is not a book about death and dying, but about living and hope in a world free of AIDS. While some stories and poems teach about AIDS prevention and education, others approach readers—especially southern African readers—directly, encouraging them to find their freedom from AIDS the same way they found their freedom from various dominations.
Nobody ever said AIDS helps us better understand the global aspect of the AIDS crisis preparing us to fight and defeat the pandemic. It enlightens our spirit, while adding a fresh, more profound dimension to our everyday existence. We owe it to ourselves to read this anthology and learn from its wisdom.

This review was originally published in A&U Magazine--America's AIDS Magazine

[Baratang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the poems and stories was a Déjà Vu experience for me from beginning to end. They potrayed my neighbourhood; family (maternal and paternal; friends (educated professionals and illiterates alike); colleagues; work force; schools; hospitals; the police force; army and any sector that one finds herself interacting with; with unbelievable accuracy. The book is about my life; my family, friends and colleagues; it is about my country and my continent.

The effects of AIDS on infected people, care givers, orphans, and the economy has perfectly demonstrated that an injury to one is an injury to all, and why we must love one another and pull together on this one. As long as HIV is out there, we are all affected emotionally; psychologically; financially; physically; and at risk of being the next viral hosts ourselves.

The authors were excellent narrators.

[Elmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, haunting, and thought-provoking.