Our group began to take out pens, and at once we were surrounded by little hands. Mothers would push their children forward to try to get them closer to us. One girl claimed that tomorrow was her first day of school. She looked about twenty years old. The feeling of wanting to help these people in every possible way surrounded us, and, although we felt out of place, our skin so pale and our words so unfamiliar, we desperately wanted to relate to the people of the village.
Seventy five percent of all the students that take dance at the Ailey School go on to be a member of one of the Ailey Companies, but it requires hard work. Auditions are held for level placement, and programs are offered to youngsters as young as 3 years old, pre-teens, teens and college-aged students who can benefit from a special new program that is offered with Fordham University where dancers can earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. Dancers have to take classes at least 4 times a week. Many hours are devoted to this art. The ultimate goals for dancers at the Ailey School include the opportunity to dance in Ailey II, the main Company, or be chosen to dance with another professional company.
In some towns in Africa, women can go to a hospital to give birth to their children. There they may be tested for HIV or the AIDS virus. If a woman is tested positive, a whole series of devasting problems begin to affect her life. To begin with, ninety percent of women who tell their husbands that they are HIV-positive are thrown out of their homes, and, usually these women lose their jobs as well. Then, the mother has to deal with the birth of her child and protecting that child from the virus, while trying to preserve their reputation.
Most mothers infected with HIV or AIDS breast feed their children in hopes that they will be seen as regular moms, and they can be accepted. In so doing, however, the baby acquires the virus and grows up sometimes not even knowing they have the virus, and spreads it to others.
Women are not the only ones suffering. In most families when a member comes home with the news that they are HIV-positive, they face prejudice, rejection and isolation. In some very rare cases, people have even been stoned. There is a blanket shame that covers the AIDS population in Africa. The virus has become widespread, yet people are afraid to tell anyone that they have it in fear of repercussions. There are places in Africa where the victims of the virus may visit in order to seek refuge and undergo some treatment, however, many would rather suffer than be identified as a carrier.
Chobe villagers greeting American visitors
