Yoko was diagnosed as HIV-positive in February 2000. At the time, she was a teacher with two small children, then ages eight and 10. She spent the next four months bedridden and unable to work, then realized that in order to care for her two children she would have to get help. She began researching HIV/AIDS on the Internet. She also decided that the virus would win if she remained silent.
The first person Yoko discussed her HIV-positive status with was herself. “I communicated with my virus,” says Yoko. “I said, ‘I know you don’t want to die just like me, so let’s work together.’”
Joining Bush Radio
She also joined a support group to help her come to terms with her status, and she soon began doing volunteer work for various HIV/AIDS organizations. Her activism gained the attention of Bush Radio, a community radio station in the Cape Town suburb of Salt River. Nine months after her HIV diagnosis, Yoko hit the airwaves as the host of Positive Living.
When she began with Bush Radio, Yoko knew nothing about radio broadcasting. She quickly learned.
“Ntombi was a natural,” says Zane Ibrahim, manager of Bush Radio. Each day, some 250,000 to 300,000 people listen to her show, which reaches squatter townships in the Cape Flats section of Cape Town, one of the city’s most violent and lowest income areas. Even though less than 5 percent of people in the Cape Flats own telephones, many call into the show using pay phones or calling cards, says Ibrahim. From April to October 2002, the number of callers to the show rose by 300 percent.
“There is a lot more interactive participation by other people living with the virus,” says Ibrahim. “We only hope that the little we are doing can help as many people as possible.”
Using herself as an example, Yoko encourages people living with HIV/AIDS to disclose their status and “live positively,” as she puts it.
The Realities of Living with HIV/AIDS
“I can inform people about what the realities are like for someone living with HIV/AIDS,” says Yoko. “It’s easy to fall into believing that people living with HIV/AIDS fade away and don’t work anymore.”
Listeners trust her advice so much, they often call or visit her at home. Whenever possible, she personally assists them.
“I remember one time I was telling a domestic worker about her rights. Someone called and said, ‘come to my house.’ So, I went there,” recalls Yoko. “I sent her to someone who gave her legal advice because she was tested by her employer for HIV without her permission. It’s illegal.”
Although she no longer works as a teacher, Yoko sees education as her mission. The HIV infection rate continues to grow rapidly in the Cape Flats, says Yoko. She wants to dispel the myths about the disease and reiterate the realities that can help save lives.
No Condom, No Sex
“They know about safe sex, but they don’t practice it,” says Yoko, who contracted the disease through unprotected sex. “They are negligent, but it’s not because they lack information. They take it as a joke. I must change people’s sexual behavior and attitude.”
“No condom, no sex,” she urged in one of her broadcasts, encouraging listeners to find out more by calling the national hotline on HIV/AIDS.
Yoko covers a range of topics and discussions during the half-hour show, from health tips, such as proper nutrition, to in-depth interviews with government officials and community leaders, non-governmental organizations, and people living with HIV/AIDS. When the show first aired, Yoko provided basic information about HIV/AIDS—what it is, how it is contracted, how it affects the immune system. In the past two years, the show has evolved and now also tackles other related issues, such as the role of the church, community and schools in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Bush Radio steers clear of the South African political debates on HIV/AIDS, however.
“We have not entered into the debate around the issue of whether the virus causes AIDS or not. We can’t afford the luxury of participating in this debate. Our people are dying likes flies and we simply want to help get the message out,” says Ibrahim.
Positive Living airs Monday to Friday, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m on 89.5FM. Yoko broadcasts the show in Xhosa mixed with English.
Ibrahim says that there’s been a great demand to rebroadcast it at another time during the day. Yoko and the show have also received coverage in local newspapers, but Ibrahim stresses that Positive Living is not Yoko’s show.
Community Activist
“We do not encourage personality-driven programming,” he says. “It too often shifts people’s focus from the important issues we are trying to bring to their attention. Our slogan states, ‘We don’t want to be popular. We want to be necessary.’”
The sign in Bush Radio's lobby reads, “Let’s Talk About AIDS … Bush Radio Helping You Make Informed Choices.” Positive Living is just one of many initiatives the station has undertaken to help eradicate HIV/AIDS. Twice a week, the station’s staffers and volunteers visit schools in the area to conduct AIDS awareness programs. Another project uses rap music to teach youth about HIV/AIDS.
Bush Radio broadcasts Positive Living from schools in the Cape Flats whenever possible. When Ntombi Yoko visits high schools, she gives the students T-shirts and CDs that promote the message of living with HIV/AIDS. To further educate herself on HIV/AIDS, she also attends workshops, seminars and conferences on the topic. In turn, she shares her knowledge by speaking before church groups and community organizations.
“I engage myself with many AIDS activities in the community to educate and empower,” she says.
“She has gained the respect of the many people who are active in the struggle against the virus,” says Ibrahim. “We need people like her and Bush Radio is blessed to have someone like her on board.”
Ntombi Yoko participated in the African Women’s Media Center’s workshop on reporting on HIV/AIDS for radio journalists in 2002 and in the AWMC’s advanced workshop for radio journalists in March 2003.
Rita Colorito is a freelance writer based in Cincinnati, Ohio.