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Pate Marovich for NBC News
Sthokozo Mabaso (maroon top) and Mandisa Madikane (blue top), with GlobalGirl Media at the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Mandisa Madikane was just six years old when her neighbor grabbed her outside her mother’s home.
“All I saw was black coming out of my legs, his big body on top of my small body,” says Madikane, now 21. “I had no power to fight back. I kicked, screamed, cried but nobody heard. He had all the power to do what he wanted to do.”
That assault in Soweto, South Africa, the sprawling, crowded township where much of Johannesburg’s blacks live, left her more than traumatized. Her attacker gave her HIV.
Now 21, Madikane sees the chance for some power for herself. As she covers AIDS2012 in Washington, D.C, the giant international AIDS conference that brings together policymakers, advocates, protesters and scientists, Madikane is throwing questions at leaders.
“I want answers from people in government,” Madikane told NBC News in an interview. “I had a chance to ask the minister of health for South Africa about discrimination.”
The answer she got from Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi might have come across as a bit patronizing to some, but not to Madikane.
“He said if I got discriminated against, to put it on Facebook and people would let me know,” she said. “It was the most beautiful experience,” she said. “I love the feeling of being a journalist.”
Madikane was chosen to work with a non-profit called GlobalGirl Media, which trains high school girls from underprivileged backgrounds in digital media. Madikane and Sthokozo Mabaso, a 22-year-old who is also from Soweto and who is also HIV-positive, take turns interviewing conference delegates, operating their small digital camera and doing stand-ups. (Pronounced sto-KO-zo)
Pate Marovich for NBC News
Sthokozo Mabaso (maroon top) and Mandisa Madikane (blue top), with GlobalGirl Media at the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
They both looked a little dazed as they negotiated the hordes of conference attendees at the Washington Convention Center, some in outrageous costumes. Madikane’s head turned as she heard some African rhythms in the Global Village, part of the conference open to the public that features noisy demonstrations, plays about HIV, violence and discrimination and booths offering everything from free condoms to crafts made by sex workers. Soon she was dancing to pop music while Mabaso interviewed passers-by.
Mabaso was attending the University of Johannesburg on a scholarship, studying management, when she applied to join GlobalGirl Media a year ago. Her reports about domestic abuse caught some eyes and she is not only covering the conference, but presenting at it.
“Everyone likes to be in front of a camera,” she said. “Without this, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be on a panel talking about abused women.”
Tumi Mosadi, a filmmaker who works with Global Girl Media in Johannesburg, said the girls and young women get opportunities and training that can change their lives -- and perhaps change the lives of the people they report about.
“We give them a platform to talk about what is happening in their community,” Mosadi said as she watched Mabaso and Madikane interview AIDS workers. “It’s stuff that affects them.”
Neither young woman had been out of South Africa before. “It was wonderful, watching them get on a flight for the first time, watching them step off in the United States,” Mosadi said.
After the conference ends Friday, they head to New York for some intensive training in digital editing. Then it’s back home to Johannesburg.
Mabaso is not entirely happy with the conference coverage.
“I wanted to hear scientists say they actually have a cure for AIDS,” she said.
Scientists told those attending the conference this week that they have some tantalizing clues, but predicted a cure would be at least a decade away, if not more.
Madikane hopes to get in some shopping on her first trip abroad. She isn’t sure what career opportunities might come from her year with Global Girl Media. She’s a high school graduate but her family doesn’t have money for college.
“I don’t know if my life will change,” she said softly. “What I know is my voice is out there.”
More AIDS conference coverage:
- Two patients now virus-free. Is this a cure?
- Circumcision advocate tackles the cringe factor
- New focus on AIDS treatment saves lives, global report finds
- AIDS research turns scientists into advocates
- AIDS conference opens with eye to a cure
A moving video of Mandisa, a GlobalGirl reporter from Soweto who shares with us the reality of living as a young woman with HIV in South Africa. She very bravely talks about when she was raped by a neighbor at six years old.
Leave a Comment:
She was 6 when she was raped by a neighbor? What do they do with animals like him there? I hope they give them the tire necklace treatment...
the story should be war against the rebels, not aids, not hiv. but in the midst of constant war on this continent for the past thousands of years up to today, people still find ways to rape and have lots of fun unprotected sex up the wazoo, all the while begging productive nations for handouts for the past few decades to feed the illegitimate children and cover their food and medical bills. enough is enough already. stop the pity party.
Really? You call rape lots of fun unprotected sex. Nice
HotViagraGUY69.....with your name i can see why you made the dumb comment. I bet you rape your sister your cousin and your dog.
You have no idea what you are talking about and you know it.
"War for for the past thousands of years....."? Typical racist a-hole. You hate blacks ans don't care about the plight of black women and girls. Instead you want to condemn all the n-words. So you way "they are fighting....THEY are raping...they are having unprotected sex..... and getting hand outs!"
TRUTH: white men, and Spaniards have spent centuries sexually abusing black women and girls (introducing syphilis and more), then black men eagerly took over in abusing the same women and girls (a sad irony).
Freda: as vile as HVG69's post is, black men didn't "learn" to rape and abuse girls and women from "white men" and "Spaniards". Men of all ethnic backgrounds have been committing acts of rape since the advent of humankind. It's not an ethnic thing, nor is it a sexual thing- it's a way for some men (men who have some sort of mental defect or who have a lack of self-esteem) to exert power and control over those who are usually smaller and probably don't have the same physical strength.
@Freda:
Did you just blame white people for her neighbor raping her? Did you just say that the Zulu massacre of other tribes spanning an area of 1/5th of Africa is white racist propaganda? Did you just suggest that white people are the reasons why the Tutsi were chopped up with machetes? Are you saying that it's Americas fault 8 year olds kill woman and children with AK-47s and burn their villages for their warlord puppets regularly in Africa.
I think I'm drunk, or I have a head injury, because I can't make heads or tails of the english you just wrote.
Color is not an issue. Africa continues to live in tribal despotism and murderous tyranny. No one kills more Africans than Africans. That's just a historical fact and nothing for you to get all cracker hatin about.
What are the chances? Just 2 hours ago, I had to explain to someone that syphilis came from North America. The first reported cases in Europe were in 1494. Apparently one of the first trades with Native Americans was syphilis for smallpox. The Spaniards are most likely responsible for taking it to Africa, though. on that we can agree.
i am tired of seeing "help me!" ads from the african continent showing age-old photos and stock footage of people constantly starving dying while they breed unrelentlessly. i have yet to see a majority black-led-and-ruled country to be successful. these people can't get it together on their own. i don't want to dedicate our resources to parasites. if you just can't do it after all this help, you deserve to die. we can't sustain you for generations ad infinitum. maybe they should "use a condom once in a while," you know?
don't make it into a race issue as its basis. i can name countries in the middle east AND europe (your stupid "whitey" attack statement is useless here) that are filth and pure garbage but i don't see ads splashed across new york times and plenty o websites begging to the point of exhaustion and no shame or pride, nor do i see them breeding like rabbits and begging developed and productive nations to airdrop food water and medical supplies. this is beyond ridiculous. i just wonder why i don't see jews crying about the holocaust like blacks with their slavery reparations (btw, every society in the past had slavery, GET OVER IT ALREADY) but instead going to school and building their own societies in america. enough already!
This story is very sad, but if you are 21 years old- isn't it time to be referred to as a "woman" not " girl"??? IJS.
There needs to be a lot education in South Africa. Men there believe that if they rape a virgin, it will get rid of their AIDS.
Did you see Broadway's Book of Mormon, by any chance????????
Well now the world knows not to mess around with these two ugly tramps as they have been tampered with, and to do so one will recieve a death sentence by AIDS.
Lame trolling- yawn.
tramps? How is a six-year-old victim of rape a tramp?
@7.62x39mm, two ugly TRAMPS....! gosh...
Perhaps some Conservative Republican, with deep pockets and a caring heart, will pay for Mandisa's college education right here in the USA.
HUh?
AFRICAN MALES DO NOT!!!NOT!!! RAPE DUE TO BELIEF THAT IS CURES AIDS!
That was a bit of misinformation by those who were speculating at the reason. The truth is, there has been a rape epedimic in Africa for decades that has gone thru the roof by 2000. Haiti is also having it.
These rapes started out with women-not kids. But African men raped so many women that AIDS amongst these adult victims became a fear. Then African men started raping adolescents 12-17yrs old. Pregnancy and AIDS rates sky rocketed. Then they went after kids. Sure, witch doctors (men) suggested that virgins are clean and cure AIDS. But why didn't African men then rape 12 year olds - not 6 year olds and 2 month old babies? Answer" because they already raped the 12 year old for fun.
Sadly, PC and racial sensitivity has hurt black women and girls in this case (and others). If this were the middle east or China- no one would try ot explain this assualt on females. But, AIDS did not make African men rape. AIDS (amongst the groups they started victimizing) led to them seeking out younger, "cleaner" victims (ie kids). But these men were raping - no matter. AIDS education will not stop African or Haitian men and boys and soldier, and gang members from raping anyone.
I totally agree with you and what do you think our African leaders are doing? Absolutely nothing.
Yo well if all da black beotches in da Motherland wuz packing dem 9mm dis here would stop, an' it would only cost maybe $100 per beotches instead o' $500/monf fo' aids meds Ya' dig? Yo waste those evil bros an Don' make me come ova there ...
What is not well known is that Obama signed into law a law the repeals having to be checked for AIDS before being allowed into the US is you are a refugee or if you wish to come here to become an American. The prior policy was considered racist. Even though it was obviously a health issue.
The sad aspect in Africa is that, rapists get away with their crime all the time because its the power of men. Women or mothers for that matter are not protective of their children especially the girls. Mothers send their daughters to go and sell goods or food products far away from home, or send their daughters to go and borrow money from older men, or even live their daughters in the hands of men so that they can go and fetch water or go to the market, making these girls extremely vulnerable to rape. I have had that experience and it hurts that mothers fail enormously to protect their daughters and these girls are left in the hands of these useless vultures who raped these girls. When a girl reports rape to her mother, she is rather blamed for being a bad girl and tarnishing the image of her family, and sometimes no action is taken by the mother or the parents. Just imagine a 6 year old child been raped by an African man (beast). How do you think the girl will feel. Worthless. Now African leaders who even have their so called wives do not care about the future of young girls. rape is the order of the day, and in South African it is believed that if an HIV positive man has sex with a virgin (girl) that man will be cured of his HIV. This is leading to the spread of the disease aomng small girls, and it hurts that mothers and leaders of these African countries are not doing everything in their power to punish these rapists or protect young girls including children from being raped.
Crack head American black mother and has five dads all in prision for selling drugs.
Aids was introduced into civilization by homosexuals and by their own defination it is the gay plague. Aids has infected the heterosexual population thru bisexuals, blood transfusions etc. From the beginning aids was treated as a cilil rights issue. The public health was always and still is a secondary consideration. Our politicans shudder at offending the the gays. This disease is still spreading and is still out of control. If one has any doubts simply access the center for disease control website. The information speaks for itself. Effectively dealing with this aids epidemic is politically incorrect. Our leaders and too many people refuse to even associate aids and homosexuality. It would not surprise me that history will be rewritten and homosexuality will be removed as the cause of aids. The CDC does not conduct a national educational forum on aids because it is politically incorrect to associate gays with aids. This aids disease is still claiming victims because it is not a public health issue.It is a shame and a disgrace.
First, QUARINTINE them then cure them so they can be released from QUARINTINE
Like Leper Island?
I agree, stop the pity party. They always ask for handouts like welfare and food stamps, but are quick to blame the white man for all their problems. They like to be ignorant and blame the white man for slavery, when BLACKS sold and traded their own people to the europeans. You can still witness blacks committing horrible crimes against each other in Africa, blood diamonds use to be a big issue, child soldiers, murder, rape, robbing, etc.....but guess what? It's all the white mans fault, not the black man. Stop playing the victim card, every black thinks they are a victim, start taking responsibility for your own actions. And when people say they don't like blacks, it's not because they are racist, maybe it's because they don't like your attitude and how you think everyone owes you something, or how you're rude or want to fight if anyone pisses you off, or how you want to scream racism if something doesn't go your way, I could go on and on...
HotViagraGuy69 i have a bone to pick with u dude..HOW FLIPPING DARE U. LOOK U FEAN i was raped by both RACE U FAT CHUMP WANNA BE ACE and i will tell u something right now pal ..NO FLIPPING WOMAN SHOULD BE RAPED assmunch AND FUTHER MORE THE AFRICAN GOVERNMENT REALLY DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THEIR CITIZEN AND SO THEREFOR WE SHOULD AT LEAST TRY TO HELP ...u know? what if OUR FLIPPING CRAZY ASS MOTHA f ing COUNTRY WAS IN THE SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME MESS no food , no water , no lights NO NOTHING AND U EXPECT ALL OF US TO WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT RIGHT ?? yeah with a dude like u and an additute like that, WHO NEEDS AN EMPLOYEE ???!!!! F U GO TO HELL AND I HOPE THE HELL ANY OF UR FAMILY DON'T GET WHAT IS COMMING AND IF THEY DON'T START SCREAMING FOR PITTY dude
also I USE TO HAVE PITTY NOT ANYMORE IF A MAN COMES THROUGH MY DOOR BEST BELIEVE THAT EVEN THO I WAS BORN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY ...DON'T MEAN I CAN'T FIGHT AND TRUST ME NOW I CAN AND I WILL HAVE A NICE FLIPPIN LIFE