Talking about HIV/AIDS - The loveLife campaign

Driving along Johannesburg's M1 South highway, a large pink and purple billboard flashes past, bold and eye-catching, it makes you look twice, and then again, just to try and figure out the cryptic message. Then a purple and pink taxi drives past, with a slogan urging you to "Talk about it!".

Everywhere you go in South Africa, you're confronted with the pink and purple colours of loveLife - a controversial HIV/AIDS youth education campaign which encourages young South Africans to talk freely about sexual issues such as teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.

The loveLife advertising campaign has generated a lot of controversy over its "in your face" and obscure style of conveying messages about HIV/AIDS. In a country where an estimated 40 percent of deaths last year were due to HIV/AIDS, many have questioned the point of the sophisticated and ambiguous loveLife messages.

According to Angela Stuart, loveLife Information Manager, loveLife is marketed as a lifestyle brand, competing with aspirational brands like LEVI, SOVIET and DIESEL. "We chose to go the brand route rather than the usual programming message", she told PlusNews.

According to an evaluation report of the 2000 campaign, 60 percent of young South Africans recognise the brand, with the strongest recognition being in rural areas. The report adds that there is 98 percent awareness of HIV/AIDS in the country, but the patterns of condom use and sexual behaviour have not changed.

"The campaign has been designed to create interest, the ambiguous messages are meant to stimulate the youth to talk about these issues", she added. The call centre "Thetha Junction" receives between 8,000-10,000 calls per day from youth airing their views on sexuality and HIV/AIDS.

There is more to loveLife than their controversial billboards, Stuart insists. They also provide outreach services and support in the community with their youth centres and sports tournaments. It is at these youth centres where information about HIV/AIDS and other sexual issues are discussed with young people.

The Orange Farm youth centre is situated 40 km south of Johannesburg, in the township of Orange Farm. Turning into the dusty road from the highway, another loveLife billboard catches the eye, this time in bright pink and yellow, with a red heart and the question, "Do you love yourself enough?".

The purple buildings of the youth centre are a stark contrast to the dusty road and ramshackle buildings that surround it. A basketball match is in progress, with a handful of spectators sitting in the shade. Four eight-year-olds are running around playing catch, waiting to use the computers in the computer centre upstairs.

The centre runs daily afternoon activities in music, drama, art and sport. There is a "vitality centre", a clinic which provides counselling, contraceptives and testing services. As Life Skills Educator Nonkoliseko Selepe explains, because of the sometimes abusive treatment they receive from nursing sisters in local clinics, the children are apprehensive about approaching local clinics for help, so the vitality centre seeks to provide clinical services in a less threatening environment. It has a fully qualified nursing sister on hand.

In the brightly painted waiting room, two girls sit waiting for their turn to see the sister. The younger of the two, a shy 15-year-old who refuses to give her name, tells PlusNews that she's more comfortable here because she can "relax and not get any pressure from people".

Workshops are also held regularly to discuss HIV/AIDS and other issues and today about 20 teenagers are having a heated debate on the effects of teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS, with some of the girls sharing their own experiences.

Peer educator, Lebogang Mofokeng, points out that "you and you alone are responsible for your sex life, so make sure you act responsibly". When asked whether they understand the messages of the loveLife advertising campaign, the general consensus is that "they are a bit difficult to understand". "Its not because we're stupid, they just want us to think and talk about them," says 17 year old Thandi.

Driving back to Johannesburg from Orange Farm, the pink and yellow billboard - planted in the middle of a taxi rank - catches the eye. When asked what it means, 14-year-old Vuyo explains nonchalantly, "Ag its something about sex, but I don't know what!" The advertising campaign definitely grabs one's attention, but perhaps for children, the message needs to be clearer.