Iron Will

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By Fanta Régina Nacro, Burkina Faso, based on an original idea by Malick Diop Yade, aged 18, from Pikine, Senegal

Moussah is a young man who has a hard time keeping his interest in women in check. For him, temptation is ever-present. With a friend already ill with HIV/AIDS, he is well aware of the dangers he faces. His male friends tell him about the prevention strategy they've chosen as an alternative to condoms. They feel it corresponds well to where they are in their lives right now. But poor Moussah doesn't realise that the expression they are using - "iron underpants" - is their way of talking about "mind over matter" in the sexual realm…. As a result, he gets himself into a hilarious mess!

• length: 5 minutes 9 seconds
• date: 2001
• shot in: Burkina Faso
• currently available in: American Sign Language, Dioula, English, Fon, French, Hausa, Igbo, Italian (subtitles), Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, Lingala, Mina, Mooré, Portuguese, Pulaar, Twi, Wolof, and Yoruba

Please click here to view and download photos from the shoot of the film Iron Will.

Topics for discussion
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Key topics for discussion:

• Peer pressure in a world with AIDS

• Mind over matter and sexual temptation

• Factors that can strengthen or weaken one's iron will

• Abstinence? OK. But does that mean forever?
  

Discussion topic 1:
Peer pressure in a world with AIDS

IN THE FILM: Within a group of friends, peer pressure is sometimes harmful, sometimes beneficial. How would you describe the peer pressure you saw in this film?

IN REAL LIFE: When it comes to the dangers of HIV/AIDS, can you think of common examples of negative peer pressure -- things that friends do or say to each other that might pressure them into taking risks in the face of AIDS?

Discussion topic 2:
Mind over matter and sexual desire

IN THE FILM: Aziz says that his iron underpants are in his head. What does he mean?

IN REAL LIFE: Some people maintain that abstinence is physically impossible -- that mind over matter is just an illusion. Others go so far as to say that it can be dangerous to your health to go without sex for an extended period of time. What do you think?

Millions and millions of healthy adults can attest to the fact that abstinence is physically possible.

Best of luck to those who think they can find any scientific evidence at all to support the notion that a lack of sex can be dangerous to your health. However, there is abundant, irrefutable evidence that unprotected sex with a person living with HIV is an extremely dangerous practice.

Discussion topic 3:
Factors that can strengthen or weaken one's iron will

IN THE FILM: Rather than getting himself some iron underpants, what could Moussah have done if he wanted to strengthen his will to resist the temptation of beautiful women?

IN REAL LIFE: What kinds of things make it difficult to stick to a strategy of abstinence? What can cause your iron underpants to rust?

Some of the things that can make abstinence difficult are: peer pressure to have sex, the influence of alcohol or drugs, economic hardship, or being away from one's partner for an extended period of time (migrant workers, lorry drivers…).

Identifying in advance possible challenges to one's strategy of abstinence, and formulating ways to deal with those challenges before they arise, is a good way to help ensure that one's iron will remains unbroken.

Discussion topic 4:
Abstinence? OK. But does that mean forever?

IN THE FILM: Poor Moussah! What do you suppose has happened to the key to those iron underpants he has on?

IN REAL LIFE: If you choose abstinence as your HIV prevention strategy, does that mean that you have to keep with it your whole life? Under what conditions might you switch to another strategy?

Abstinence need not be forever. Depending on a person's beliefs and situation in life, he or she can always switch to another effective strategy to prevent sexual transmission of HIV, namely condom use or being faithful to his or her partner.

Abstinence is often portrayed in negative terms -- as something that is difficult, burdensome, restrictive and uncool. However, abstinence is actually an effective, empowering tool that a strong, resourceful person can utilise for as long as he or she feels appropriate in order to stay free of HIV infection. Iron underpants are stylish.