Congolese opinion is convinced that HIV/AIDS, at least in its present form, is of
foreign origin. The reason for this is that the first cases of AIDS, confirmed or suspected,
were affected people who had regular contact with foreigners. In Kinshasa, a group of
prostitutes known as the “Londoners”1 were amongst the first people to contract AIDS.
Testimonies such as that of Mr Kilo mention the death of the “Londoners” who practised their
profession in the seventies.
Nzali died a long time ago. She died because she was a Londoner. She was a beautiful girl who loved
only white men. In fact, all the Londoners in our area died of AIDS. [There follows a list of twenty
names.] All the men who associated with them are dead also.2
Franco Makiadi Lwambo, a well known popular Congolese musician who was known
to draw his inspiration from news items and current affairs also referred to prostitutes in his
well known song Attention na Sida:
Hey! Good gentlemen! Hey! Citizens! Beware of the prostitutes! And you, good ladies! Citizens as
well, make sure that your men folk use condoms.
Let us remember that at that time, in keeping with the doctrine of authenticity, the
Congolese were called “citizens” in order to distinguish them from “gentlemen”, in other
words, foreigners.
The conviction that AIDS was of foreign origin was upheld by well informed people
of repute like Professor Zirimwabagabo Lurhuma who stated in the magazine Jeune Afrique
that AIDS was brought into Lubumbashi by an HIV positive Pakistani who infected several
prostitutes during a stay in the town.3
In the interview mentioned above,
----- 引自 http://rds.refer.sn/IMG/pdf/19NKUKUKONDE.pdf |
|
