The Warrior

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By Idrissa Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso, based on an original idea by Amy Badiane, aged 14, from Tambacounda, Senegal

A young warrior who loves his country hears about the devastation being caused by AIDS. He is under the misapprehension that AIDS is a human enemy and sets off to fight "him". In the course of his search, he encounters a beautiful woman who informs him about the epidemic... and demonstrates a truly effective way of fighting it!

• length: 2 minutes 39 seconds
• date: 1997
• shot in: Burkina Faso
• currently available in: French, English, Portuguese, Dioula, Wolof, Pulaar, Mooré, Fon, Twi (plus additional languages courtesy of project partners including Kiswahili, Hausa, Oshiwambo, Herero, Nama/Damara, Lozi, Rukwangali, Afrikaans, Shona; subtitled in Italian)
• starts at 1:00:17 on the VHS compilation cassette

Topics for discussion
(See also complete Users' Guide)

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Key topics for discussion:

• Consequences of the HIV epidemic

• Factors that contribute to the spread of HIV

• Warriors in the effort to stop AIDS

• Personal commitment in the face of HIV/AIDS
  

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Discussion topic 1:
Consequences of the HIV epidemic

IN THE FILM: Why is the warrior so angry at the beginning of the film? Why has he decided to take action?

IN REAL LIFE: What are some of the consequences of the HIV epidemic

• in our community

• in our country

• on our continent
  
  

Here are just a few examples of the devastation being caused by HIV/AIDS:

· Causing death:

HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa.

"Were it not for HIV/AIDS, average life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa would be approximately 62 years; instead, it is about 47 years." (AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2001, UNAIDS/WHO, p. 9.)

In South Africa, the overall death rate of women in their 20's is now higher than that of women in their 60's. "There is no precedent for this in our history.
You have a situation where the younger females who are supposed to be healthy and productive are dying in greater numbers than their mothers." (Dr. Malegaparu Makgoba, President of the Medical Research Council in Johannesburg, quoted in: Swarnz, R. L., Study Says AIDS is Now Chief Cause of Death in South Africa, The New York Times, July 17, 2001.)

· Impact on children:

In Zimbabwe, it is estimated that some 70% of deaths among children under the age of five are due to AIDS. (AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2001, UNAIDS/WHO, p. 9.)

"Before the onset of AIDS, about 2% of all children in developing countries were orphans. By 1999, 10% and more were orphans in some African countries." (Orphans and Children in a World of AIDS, a UNAIDS Fact Sheet prepared for the United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS, held June 25-27, 2001.)

· Impact on education:

"In the Central African Republic, AIDS was the cause of 85% of the 300 teacher deaths that occurred in 2000. Already, by the late 1990s, the toll had forced the closure of more than 100 educational establishments in that country." (AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2001, UNAIDS/WHO, p. 8.)

"Families often remove girls from school to care for sick relatives or assume other family responsibilities, jeopardizing the girls' education and future prospects. In Swaziland, school enrolment is reported to have fallen by 36% due to AIDS, with girls most affected." (AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2001, UNAIDS/WHO, p. 8.)

· Impact on the economy:

"Poverty will explode as a result of the epidemic." (Trevor Manuel, South African Finance Minister, quoted in AIDS May Hurt South African Economy, Says Minister, Reuters, January 11, 2001.)

AIDS could kill up to 26 percent of the labour force in the hardest-hit African countries by 2020. (FAO source quoted in "UN Agency Says AIDS Will Dramatically Cut African Labor", Associated Press, May 10, 2001.)

"Some 20% of rural families in Burkina Faso are estimated to have reduced their agricultural work or even abandoned their farms because of AIDS." (AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2001, UNAIDS/WHO, p. 8.)

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Discussion topic 2: Factors that contribute to the spread of HIV

IN THE FILM: Of course, the warrior didn't find AIDS by looking around like that. However, in the film there are things that call to mind some factors that can contribute to the spread of HIV. Did you see any?

IN REAL LIFE: What are some of the factors that fuel the epidemic in our community? In our country?

The list of possible factors is very long indeed. Here are just a few that you might want to consider:

• The vulnerability of women
• Ignorance
• Poverty
• Armed conflict
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Dangerous traditional practices
• Insufficient commitment by leaders
• Insufficient involvement by individuals at community level
  

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Discussion topic 3: Warriors in the effort to stop AIDS

IN THE FILM: When it comes to stopping AIDS, who's the more effective warrior: the horseman, or the girl in the yellow shirt? Why?

IN REAL LIFE: Do you personally know somebody that you would consider an effective warrior with regard to HIV/AIDS? Who? What makes that person so effective against HIV/AIDS?

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Discussion topic 4: Personal commitment in the face of HIV/AIDS

IN THE FILM: Now that the warrior understands the situation a bit better, what do you suppose he'll do now?

IN REAL LIFE: And you? Beginning today, what do you intend to do:

• to protect yourself and others from HIV infection, and

• to help improve the lives of those living with HIV?
  

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