Role Play: Awareness on HIV and
AIDS
Son, am I a Lion ?
Characters
Father (Johny), Mother, Kids, Friends, and Girls on the bar,
Doctor
Narrator:
It’s a story of a peacekeeper, the one who goes to maintain peace in a
different part of the world, far from family and far from home. But what
happens when the peace of his mind and family is lost when he contracts HIV. A
brief story of how he acquires HIV, how he feels, how he responds and lives
positively.
Stage 1
(Setting: Airport where the
family has gathered to see off the peacekeepers. The father holding an backpack)
Mother: Hope to see you soon
papa. You are going for a long time.
Hope you will take care of your self.
Kids: You are going to Africa,
papa. Africa is famous for lions and elephants. Get me some of those for me.
Father: Sure my son, sure. Mommy
don’t worry about me. I will take care of myself and you too take care of your
self and your kids. It is just a matter of few months. Our bad times will be
off when I get back from there.
Mother: (In a Satirical tone) I
hope so. I hope you don’t get a mistress from there. Like the last time you got
me gonorrhea when you were there in BOR.
Father: Don’t make fun of me. I
hope you guys will be fine here, when I am there.
Mother: bye dear
Kids: Bye papa bye
(The stage closes as the family
bids off each other)
(A group of participants cover the stage displaying playcards, clapping
the hands, bangings the shoes and chanting slogan)
OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN POUND OF
CURE
Stage 2:
Narrator: Few months later, he is
working now in the mission area. All alone, so enjoying the freedom of being
away from home. The boozes don’t
stop on the weekends and so does the catch of the fish. He visits friends and
sex workers indiscrimately for sex.
(Music playing in the
background. Group of men and women are
dancing in the club, drinking alcohol and enjoying. A girl passes in a
seductive dress and gesture to attract men.)
Friend : See
that chick, she is so hot. May be I should go and catch her. Do you know wvery
time I drink beer, I feel so Powerful.
So strong that I can kill a bear.
Johny: Hahaha. You can kill a
bear, i can tear the bear, I can ditch the bitch and suck the bloody leech as
well.
(Hahaha… there is a big
laughter)
(Johny approaches the girl in the
middle of the stage)
Johny: May I join you?
Girl: Why not. How do you do?
Johny: I am having a good time. Are
you having a good time.
Girl: yaa... I am having a very
good time.
Johny: You want to make it even
better.
Girl: Only if you have condom.
Johny: No No I don’t have a
condom. And I don’t like it as well. I hate the plastic between the meats. I
want to go between your thighs, skin to skin.
Girl: No that’s not good. You
have to be careful. You can contract
Sexually transmitted diseases and even the incurable HIV. I can get pregnant
without the use of condom.
Johny: I can pay the amount you
want if you have sex as I want it. And I want it without the condom.
Girl: No condom no sex. I am not interested in your offer. Thank you.
Johny: Fine then I will find
someone who will give me what I want.
(Johny winks at another girl, catches
her and leaves. She presents him with a condom which he throws towards the
audience and moves to the back of the stage.)
(A group of participants cover the stage displaying playcards, clapping
the hands, bangings the shoes and chanting slogan)
USE CONDOM: Stay Safe
Stage 3:
Narrator: The
next day
Friend: how was last night my friend?
Johny: It was all good. I had a
very good time.
Friend: Are not you worried my
friend? You are having unsafe sex
practices. You don’t use condoms, you have sex with anyone you find. Are
not you worried about your family, your wife, and your kids?
Johny: She looked all okay. She was healthy, she was fine. Why
should I be worried?
Friend: No my friend its not that. People living with HIV look all normal.
Only in the later stages when their immunity is badly damaged by the virus,
they will have disease. Otherwise they look like you… fair… bold and sexy.
Sometimes even if you do know you have HIV, you can have it even when your test
is negative. It’s called the window
period. That’s the scariest of all. May be you should get tested.
Johny : lets see. I am not sure
but I will think about it.
(A group of participants cover the stage displaying playcards, clapping
the hands, bangings the shoes and chanting slogan)
They all look the same…… HIV don’t
discriminate…. Practice Safe Sex
Narrator: Johny being convinced
with his friends argument gets himself tested. And to the worst of his fortune,
he finds out that he is HIV positive.
Stage 4
Monologue:
My son wanted me to bring an
elephant; what did I get for him, a disease as big as elephant that I cannot
defeat. He wanted a lion but now he will
be scared of me. I will become a lion to him.
How can I forgive myself !!!
May be I should have ABSTAINED while I was away from my
home.
May be I should have BEEN FAITHFUL to my Wife.
May be I should have USED CONDOM.
My life ends here. I am a siner.
(A group of participants cover the stage displaying playcards, clapping
the hands, bangings the shoes and chanting slogan)
Abstain , Be faithful, use condom ,Discipline, Early testing
A-B-C-D-E : Prevention is the KEY
A-B-C-D-E : Prevention is the KEY
Stage 5:
Narrator: Johny visits doctor and
his counsellor many times. He got a good support from them. He finally has
accepted his condition and has learned to live positively with it. He has now
started taking Anti-retroviral therapy. One drug per day and that’s it. He
looks fit and fine. He is now conscuious on his behavior and has been
abstaining since then. He returns home after the completing his mission. But
breaking the bad news is never easy.
Wife: My dear! You are back home
after a long time and why are not you loving me? What happened? You don’t find
me sexy anymore. Or you find someone more beautiful than me.
Johny: It’s not like that dear. There
is something that’s holding me back and I
wanted to talk something serious with you.
Wife: Why? What happened?
Johny: I want you to get tested.(asks
softly)
Wife: Tested ? tested for what ?
(Suspicioulsy )
Johny: HIV
Wife: Why? What have I done? Don’t you trust me !!! Am I
not your wife? Do do you think I go and sleep with men other than you while you
were not here.
Johny: Sorry my love, it’s not about you. It’s about me. I
found out that I am HIV positive. And want to make sure that you do not have
it.
Wife: WHAT? OH MY HOLY GOD… My
life is wasted. What about my kids. You will kill me and my kids. I thought you
will bring me bread and a beautiful home to our kids from mission. Rather you brought
this illness and destroyed the little world of ours.
Johny: No dear. No, it’s not that bad as you think. I was also disappointed and
destroyed initially.
Wife: You will die soon. AIDS
will kill you.
Johny: Wifey, I don’t have AIDS.
I am only HIV positive. That means I am only infected. As long as you are with
me, a loving wife, a good healthy environment and charming kids. Nothing is
going to happen to me. HIV is not a
death sentence. It takes years and years before I develop AIDS. AIDS is not
a disease per se, but a group of illnesses that develops when the soldiers in
the body fighting the disease are destroyed. And it will take years before HIV
does that to my soldiers. I am rather killing those invaders with the drugs I
am taking.
Wife: What about me then?
Johny: We can go and get you
tested. Till then we can abstain. If you are not infected, you will be totally
fine. You do not have to worry. Even Kids are safe because sharing common food,
utensil and common bathroom doesnot infect them. It is only the exchange of
blood, blood product, semen and vaginal fluids that can cause the infection. If
we use protective measures it is all safe.
(A group of participants cover the stage displaying playcards, clapping
the hands, bangings the shoes and chanting slogan)
HIV is not a KNIFE……You STILL have a
LIFE……… So Live positively
Stage 6:
Narrator: The both of them go to
hospital and get the test done. The good news was
Doctor: You are so lucky my lady.
Lucky that you have not acquired the infection. The best thing is you still can
practice safe sex and take PRE EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS that will
prevent you form acquiring the disease.
Johny: I was never told about
this sir, tell me something about that.
Doctor: there are some
medications your partrner who is sero different can take and prevent herself
from being infected with disease.
Wife: Will my family be safe sharing the same
kitchen, utensils, bathroom and all.
Doctor: Absolutely. It is all
safe.
Wife: how long will he live?
Doctor: NO, NO NO.
Don’t stigmatize HIV. Its not
the HIV that Kills you. It is the AIDS that kills. Having HIV is just having
the virus inside your body. If you keep a positive attitude towards life, took
medications properly and take care of
your overall health and hygiene. Have a good nutrition. I don’t think you
will have any trouble living a normal life.
Wife: What if they discriminate
me and my family because he has HIV?
Doctor comes out of the stage and
ask the key figure/ chief guest of the show and asks the same question.
(A group of participants cover the stage displaying playcards, clapping
the hands, bangings the shoes and chanting slogan)
HIV is no more a threat ……It can be
treated……Long life is for sure……But it has no cure …….
Improvisations and modifications to meet the demand of the audience is highly recommended.
Thank you J
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