Puto Kame: SIDA mata

Back in February of last year a student of mine, Gift, asked if I could help him make some music videos for songs he had written.  At the time I had no video editing software and only my small point-and-shoot camera, but we spent a day and recorded five different songs in various locations in my yard.  Nothing much happened for a long time after that, but in October I told him that I had recently gotten some video editing software.  For a few weeks we worked on editing some of his music videos and putting them on youtube.  Then I had an idea.  "Would you be interested in writing some songs about HIV or malaria?" I asked.  "Sure," he said, "but I have no money record the songs. It costs 350 meticais to record a song." "I can pay for the recording if you write the songs," I said.  350 meticais is about 12 dollars.  The next day he came to my house with the lyrics to his HIV/AIDS song and malaria song.  It was only a few days before I left for the states so I gave him some money to record one of the songs.  "When I get back, we'll make the music video," I told him.

A few days after I got back from the states Gift appeared at my house and played me his song.  He had chosen to record the HIV/AIDS song first.  A few days later we spent the morning making a music video to go with the music.  Here is a link to the video we made:
http://youtu.be/x6QpnUC3UTk

The title of the song is called SIDA mata, which means AIDS kills.  Here are the rest of the lyrics in English:
AIDS, AIDS, AIDS kills mama
AIDS, AIDS, AIDS kills papa
AIDS, AIDS, AIDS, kills friends 

Be careful with AIDS, it kills you
Be careful with HIV
If you play with AIDS papa, you will die young
If you play with AIDS mama, you will die young
If you play with AIDS brother, you will die young
AIDS kills

AIDS has no friends
AIDS has no family
Mama, use a condom to protect yourself
Papa, use a condom to protect yourself
Friend, use a condom to protect yourself

AIDS, AIDS, AIDS kills mama
AIDS, AIDS, AIDS kills papa
AIDS, AIDS, AIDS, kills friends

I am so proud of this project and happy for opportunity to spread awareness and information about HIV/AIDS.  I have heard that the HIV rate in Zobue is 30% (since it is a border town) and in Mozambique overall it is 12%.

Next project, malaria.

band photos