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Kwaito star, Zombo: Learning more than just music from his life and death
Fungai Machirori
February 28, 2008

As a teenager living in Bulawayo, just a bus-ride away from Johannesburg, the kwaito music capital, it was almost inevitable that I would grow up immersed in the kwaito culture so well imported from our neighbour, South Africa. Kombis and radios all over our small city blared out the latest kwaito songs, raps and beats while on television we watched the accompanying music videos that featured intricate dance moves every schoolchild tried to master with varying results. And so upon reading that Zombo, a member of one of my then favourite groups, Aba Shante, had died, I was shocked and saddened by the news.

Zombo, real name Tebogo Ndlovu, was the blond-haired rapper of the mostly female group. He died mid-February from AIDS-related illness, a few months shy of his 29th birthday. Once a chubby and exuberant performer, he had apparently whittled down to an almost unrecognisable physical form, finally announcing that he was living with HIV on South African national television and in the press early in the year. Without means to take care of his financial costs, his former manager, Arthur Mafokate, had opened a trust fund for well-wishers to donate funds towards Zombo-s medicinal and nutritional needs. Lavish spending is generally thought to be the reason for his bankruptcy at the time of his death.

As I trawled through blogs and websites that discussed his public HIV disclosure and close-following death, something became quite apparent to me by the tone and content of many of the messages - the South African public-s empathy for, and patience with celebrities and their 'wayward- and often detrimental lifestyle choices is growing thin. Below are just a few messages, posted prior to Zombo-s death:

"Zombo knew about condoms and the dangers of not using one . . . .so he must give us a break. Like any other South African who is infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS, he must accept his condition, get help and live positively."

Some were a little skeptical of donating funds to celebrity trusts, with one blogger writing;

"I give big ups for Zombo for coming out but he-s not getting my R5 coin. He had his chance when he was balling with groupies and sipping on cognac. He should have known better by saving some cash on the side. There is no pension fund in the entertainment industry and it-s up to the artist to look after his/her future."

Another contributor wrote,

"Arthur Mafokate, his former boss and manager, has since opened a Trust Fund for him to buy groceries and medicine. And of course we (concerned fans) must fork out our hard-earned money for somebody-s promiscuity."

While many others offered their support and sought to remember the positive aspects of Zombo-s short music career, it was quite evident that a number of people were not satisfied with 'candy-coating- the issues underlying such unnecessary loss of life and believed that Zombo should have taken better care of his social and financial being.

When I had a conversation on Zombo-s death with some friends, I bemoaned the fact that fame and wealth often blur a person-s judgement and values, so much so that they forget to be responsible for their own lives.

"But the more wealth you have, then surely the more money you have to buy condoms!" reasoned one of my friends who was adamant that we show no pity for those who know better yet still become infected with HIV.

Talking tough about HIV, though at times it may sound harsh, is perhaps what we fail to do often enough. Condoms are one of the cheapest products on the market and can even be accessed free of charge from certain clinics and centres, and yet people still contract HIV from unprotected sex. And here, we are talking about consensual sexual contact between willing adults, not violent or forced sex. Yes, people give reasons and excuses stating that condoms decrease sexual sensation and pleasure, that wearing one gets forgotten in the heat of lust and emotions and that asking a potential partner to go for an HIV test would cause them too much offense Abstinence, still the only foolproof HIV prevention method, is often frowned upon as an unnatural or impossible state.

So, I ask, what shall we do then? If a few moments of risky pleasure or fear of confronting a partner still outsize the magnitude (emotional, social, physical, financial) of living with HIV, what does this say about our beliefs about the virus?

Well, its either people still don-t believe that they can ever get infected, or they still gauge the health of their sexual partners by their physical appearance. Or perhaps even more worrying, the thought of HIV never actually so much as crosses their minds. This is 2008, more than 25 years since the discovery of HIV. We live in a time when almost everyone knows someone living with the virus, or who has died from AIDS; an era where almost every form of messaging and programming around the epidemic exists. What excuses can we continue to give for new infections among those with the power to avoid them? What interventions can we devise?

At a conference I attended last year, one participant suggested that we start producing behavior change materials for the bedroom - pillowcases, sheets, duvets and even underwear bearing anti-HIV sex messages. She offered these choices in despair of the fact that though so much information about HIV and AIDS exists around us, nations still record new HIV infections daily. Much as her suggestion might be worth pursuing, I foresee the same problems we have with conventional programming on the epidemic. Not all-sexual encounters take place in a bed, and in the same bed for that matter, and people could just as easily lose those messages in the heat of the moment they credit for not practicing safe sex anyway.

It is only the internalization of what HIV and AIDS mean to individuals that can ever affect their behavior. What we say, print and produce can only act as external stimuli to help instill or reinforce attitudes and beliefs that have to exist or be created from within. If there are no realistic beliefs, no attitudes and no positive values, and no leaning towards acquiring these in an individual, then none of what we say matters.

Zombo took a commendable step by disclosing his HIV status to his fans. Hopefully, he sobred them to the reality that the idea of invincibility is a fallacy and that responsible behaviour is essential for the times in which we live. As one of his fans wrote after his death:

"Zombo was one of South Africa's celebs and like other celebrities we watch and listen to what they say. Zombo took a big step by disclosing his status to the people who loved him and listened to his music. I was very touched the night I watched him live the other week and couldn't sleep because I didn't believe what I saw. I wish people could start thinking with their heads and not their bodies... Rest in Peace."

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