Through positive eyes
March 29, 2010 – If there is one message we need to get out to people, it’s that HIV does to us only what we let it do…
HIV does not spell the end of an enriching family life, the opportunity to love and be loved, the opportunity to raise a family, the opportunity to worship your God, to go to church and be accepted as you are. It does not end the opportunity to lead a life that radiates through those you live among, the opportunity to be supported by friends and family, the opportunity to see beyond the Positive Test, and the opportunity to blur out the things that divide us and highlight those that unite us.
In the photo exhibition, Through Positive Eyes, we had an opportunity to share in the lives of HIV-positive people – not people dying from HIV, but ordinary people leading ordinary lives. People who are so full of life, beauty, radiance, joy, passion and all the feelings that form a lump in your throat; all the feelings that make your heart burst with joy; all the feelings that make you burst into song and dance without anybody telling you to in an unashamed celebration of life.
What we saw through the exhibition – and through the people who were standing next to their lives in pictures – was that of all things that we may lose in life, the thing we must hold dear is hope.
It is only with hope that we hold up the torch for others to see; it is through hope that we allow others to look at our lives and ask questions that we answer with truth, honesty and integrity. It is through hope that we picture our joys, our sorrows and struggles, our peace and happiness, and show how we have decided not be victims – that we will not put out our heads down in shame as we have done in the past.
We have already won when we allow our light to shine, when we allow our other people into our lives, and when we consciously choose not just the idea of living positively with HIV, but to live life to the full. We have won when we choose to live life as the next person does – or even better – because we know how to take care of ourselves and we value our health and the health of those we love.
One of the most touching scenes in the exhibition was that of a man with his beautiful wife and daughter standing next to him. In their eyes, we did not see people apologising for being alive or seeking validation for their existence. We did not see people seeking pity or anything from us other than to view their lives and see how they, like us, live a life filled with goodness that money cannot buy. What we thought we had to offer, they already had in abundance.
If there are those of us who are negative or think we are negative because we are afraid of being tested, then sadly we are denying ourselves and those who love us an opportunity to know who we are, to care for us and love us – not because they see our positiveness, but because they see our love. They see our love for life, our smiles, our exuberance, our hope and expectations for them, and our assurance that we will be responsible for their sake, that we will do everything in our power and beyond to make sure that we are there to witness their lives. Because all we truly need is somebody who, after all the pomp and fanfare is over, after the champagne has been popped and speeches made, simply says, “I am so proud of you. You have done so well.”
To view the photo gallery please click here.
By Tonderai Chiyindiko
MADA Drama for Life Scholar (2010)