Just Once

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By Idrissa Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso, based on an original idea by Diarra Diakhaté, aged 17, from Dakar, Senegal

A man returns home from the fields, eager to make love to his wife. She lives with HIV and insists that they use a condom. Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, he has to travel far and wide to find condoms. Finally, he succeeds, and races home on his bicycle… only to discover that his wife has a surprise for him!

• length: 2 minutes 17 seconds
• date: 1997
• shot in: Burkina Faso
• currently available in: Afrikaans, American Sign Language, Dioula, English, Fon, French, Hausa, Herero, Igbo, Italian (subtitles), Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, Lingala, Lozi, Malgache (subtitles), Mina, Mooré, Nama/Damara, Oshiwambo, Portuguese, Pulaar, Rukwangali, Twi, Wolof, and Yoruba

Please click here to view and download photos from the shoot of the film Just Once.

Topics for discussion
(See also complete Users' Guide)

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Key topics for discussion:

• The search for quality condoms

• How to use condoms effectively

• Do condoms really prevent HIV infection?

• The power of your smile, the magic in your eyes
  

Discussion topic 1:
The search for quality condoms

IN THE FILM: The husband encounters one obstacle after another in his pursuit of condoms. At each obstacle, how does he react?

IN REAL LIFE: Once you do locate a place to buy condoms, would you know how to identify a quality condom?

How can you tell if a condom is a good one?

• The best condoms are those that are made out of latex rubber.
• If you have a choice, choose a condom that already has lubrication on it.
• Verify that the package is completely intact -- that it hasn't become ripped or torn.
• Check the colour of the package. If it has become yellowish, that might mean that the condom has been damaged and made ineffective.
• Make sure that there is some air in the package. That air protects the condom.
• Verify the date that is printed on the condom package. The date given might be the date when the condom will no longer be good ("expiration" or "exp.") Or, it might be the date when the condom was manufactured ("manuf.", "made"). If that is the case, add exactly 5 years to the date of manufacture to find out if the condom is still good.
  

Discussion topic 2:
How to use condoms effectively

IN THE FILM: At the beginning of the film, the husband says to his wife: "It will do no harm to do without [a condom] just this once." What does his wife say in response?

She says: "Just once is enough for you to become HIV-positive like me. You know what the doctor said."

IN REAL LIFE: If you have chosen condoms as your prevention strategy, what should you do to be sure that your strategy succeeds?

You must use a quality condom correctly every time you have sex.

(To learn how to identify a quality condom, please refer back to the discussion on the film The Shop.)

To use a condom correctly, here are a few important things to remember:

(At this point, the facilitator might consider showing people how to use a condom correctly.)

• When opening the package, be very careful not to damage the condom. Open the package with your hands, but be careful with your fingernails. Don't use sharp objects like scissors or a knife. Don't use your teeth. If the condom does get torn, throw it away and get a new one.
• The condom must be put on before you start to have sex, not part way through.
• Place the condom over the end of the penis. Press the end of the condom between your thumb and first finger to drive out the air. This leaves room for the semen to collect after ejaculation. Then, holding onto the tip of the condom, unroll it over the entire penis in erection.
• If the condom is not lubricated enough, you might want to add some lubrification. Use water-based gels specially adapted for use with a condom. Saliva also works well for this. Do not use oil-based lubricants such as petroleum jelly (like Vaseline), cooking oil, shea butter and baby oil, which damage the condom.
• The condom must be kept on until you have finished. Directly after sexual intercourse (i.e., after ejaculation) and before the end of the erection, withdraw while holding the base of the condom.
• A condom should only be used once. Never re-use a condom.
  

Discussion topic 3:
Do condoms really prevent HIV infection?

IN THE FILM: The husband knows that his wife is living with HIV, but he still intends to make love to her. What do you think about that?

IN REAL LIFE: Are condoms really effective in preventing HIV transmission?

If a quality condom is used correctly every time a person has sex, condoms are indeed an extremely effective way to prevent HIV infection.

Some of the best evidence of that fact comes from studies of condom use in couples where one person is HIV-positive and the other HIV-negative. In one multi-country study, a total of 256 such couples were followed for an average of 20 months. Those couples used condoms every time they had sex, and cumulatively they had sex thousands and thousands of times. The result: not even one single HIV infection.

Discussion topic 4:
The power of your smile, the magic in your eyes

(The facilitator might want to rewind the film back to the point near the beginning when the husband is looking into his wife's eyes.)

IN THE FILM: Remember the close-up images of the husband looking into his wife's eyes near the beginning of the film? How would you describe the feelings he has for his wife?

IN REAL LIFE: What do you suppose it means to people living with HIV when those they love look at them like the husband looks at his wife in this film?