Let's Talk About Sex

This past week, my friend John came to visit. While he was here, we met with all the males (around 50) from my Senior 4 class to talk about a subject that is almost universally ignored in Ugandan society: sex. Students get very little or no information from parents or teachers and are forced to go searching for it on their own. Resources for that sort of information do not exist in the village. So the result is a large population of young people with inadequate knowledge and a lot of inaccurate beliefs about all facets of the topic.

We kicked off the session with a myths and facts game about HIV/AIDS and sex. Students were asked to identify whether a statement was a myth or a fact and then migrate to that particular side of the classroom. To give you an idea of some of the topics we discussed, I've included some of the statements below. So test yourself!

Note: Each one of these statements split the group up in some way, meaning, 100% of the boys never agreed one way or the other. Answers are at the bottom of the post.

Myth or Fact

1. AIDS exists in America.

2. America has a drug to cure AIDS and is not giving it to Africans.

3. AIDS kills people.

4. You are less likely to contract HIV/AIDS if you are circumcised.

5. You can be cured of HIV/AIDS by having sex with a virgin.

6. AIDS is a disease of immoral people, such as prostitutes.

7. Although HIV transmission is a risk for everyone, women and girls are more vulnerable to HIV infection than men and boys.

After discussing each one of the above, we moved to a question and answer session. We gave each boy a sheet of paper and asked him to write down a question he had for me and John. The process was kept anonymous. Below are some of their questions:

1. If you have sex with a woman and you do not ejaculate, will you acquire HIV/AIDS?

2. Is it true that condoms spread cancer?

3. If a girl takes ibuprofen before sex, can she still get pregnant?

4. If you use a condom twice, will you acquire HIV?

5. Why is it that some people with HIV/AIDS live longer than others?

6. Is it true that you whites, after having sex with your partner, will clean your penis with her mouth?

7. When you have sex while standing up, can you still get HIV/AIDS?

8. Why do some boys not erect during sex?

9. How can I abstain from sex so that I don't get HIV/AIDS?

10. Is sex sweet?

11. Which is better? A white girl or a black girl?

12. I am good at playing sex but I don't have a condom. Can you provide me with condoms from America in order to save my life from getting HIV/AIDS?

This activity went really well. The boys submitted a lot of questions and seemed very eager to hear our responses. I find myself wondering where in the world do they come up with some of these thoughts. Then I realize, we are in the villages of Uganda, these guys have absolutely no sources of valid, credible information. And sex is just something that is not discussed much. The youth is just expected to know these things, or figure them out for themselves.

Taking on a question from one of the students

I promise, Ugandans are more excited than they look in their pictures

Answers:

1. Fact, 2. Myth, 3. Myth, AIDS does not kill people, it only weakens your immune system, it's the subsequent opportunistic infections that ultimately kill, 4. Fact, 5. Myth, 6. Myth, 7. Fact, for several reasons involving the female anatomy and nature of fluid exchange during sex