From Fear to Action: Remembrance, Reflection and HIV/AIDS Education

Growing up with fear in the 90s

I grew up in the 90s, at the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This scourge left many families scarred for life, and ours was no exception. We lost our dear Uncle Kato in his early 20s, two aunties, my dad’s childhood friend Charles Kahigwa, and many others. The images of Philly Bongole Lutaya on TV talking about his struggle with the disease were terrifying for a child my age. But it was even scarier to see family and neighbors wither away before our eyes.

The sudden weight loss that made one look like a walking stick, the unnaturally pink lips that were a telltale sign, the thick hair that suddenly thinned and fell off, the “strange cough,” the hollowness of the eyes, and the big dark spots that looked like burned skin—these are images I still can’t get out of my head to this day.

Interventions from home

I remember our parents being strict about cutlery and utensils, everyone had their own, and there were even specific ones reserved for visitors. We were never allowed to share sharp objects, especially razors, and to this day, each one of us still has our own nail cutter. My dad was even stricter about visiting relatives without our mother or entering neighbors’ homes. Sleepovers were completely forbidden. These restrictions felt tyrannical at the time, but as I grew older, I understood that they were all meant to protect us from harm.

Government Interventions

This family vigilance was not our only “line of defense.” The government also ensured the public received as much information as possible through radio talk shows, TV programs, and school-based awareness campaigns. In primary school at BRPS, social workers often visited to teach us the ABC of HIV/AIDS: Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condom Use—with heavy emphasis on Abstinence. I will never forget the NBM slogan (Not Before Marriage), popularized by the hit TV show Bibaawo – These Things Happen by The Ebonies. There was also the Zimbabwean movie Consequences, which quite literally put the fear of God in me. Personally, those messages kept me on the straight and narrow, out of fear of getting an incurable disease.

My fear for the current generations, and a way forward

However, I worry about the younger generations, especially those born in the late 90s and beyond. My younger brother is part of this group that has no firsthand experience of what HIV/AIDS can do to the human body. They are both lucky and unlucky. Lucky, because they didn’t have to witness the devastation that haunted the rest of us. Unlucky, because, as the saying goes, “seeing is believing.”

Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) have brought immense relief to those suffering from the disease, giving them many more years to live, and for that, we are grateful. People no longer suffer like they used to, and the visible signs have largely disappeared. Because of this, younger generations cannot imagine how truly deadly HIV/AIDS is. Perhaps this is why many of them seem indifferent when the topic comes up. Over the years, I’ve heard some young people say they are “more afraid of getting pregnant than HIV/AIDS,” something unimaginable to anyone who witnessed what we did in the 90s. Still, I don’t place all the blame on them. Society, in many ways, has collectively moved on.

Yet we cannot ignore the fact that Uganda still has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in East Africa, with rising infection rates among those aged 15–24. This issue demands urgent attention. The sensitization methods of the 90s and early 2000s may not resonate today, but they can be repackaged for modern audiences. Radios and TV shows can give way to TikTok videos, YouTube shorts, and Instagram influencers. And while much has changed, Abstinence as a preventive measure should still be emphasized with the same urgency as other approaches. The younger generation needs to know that it remains a viable and powerful choice.

What are your experiences with HIV/AIDS? And how can we help the younger generation understand its dangers before history repeats itself?

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