A new start for all - beware of AIDS

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Thursday August 9, 2007 00:00

Most of the characters in the book bear Sesobea names and the story revolves around school-going teenagers Ntukwa, Manga, Matengu and Lumba. Ntukwa dominates the play and the young man perceives himself as the village hunk who 'can sleep with any girl whenever he wants'. Because of his restless spirit, we see him sleeping with Manga, the equally careless village beauty, without using a condom.

Manga, a newcomer at Munitenge School of Thoughts in the Itenge District, thinks there is nothing wrong in cheating on her boyfriend, a student at Kitso Academy in Borwa District with the cute Ntukwa, resulting in disastrous consequences.

Matengu is Ntukwa's friend and is depicted as a tolerant, generous and friendly person. At first, the young man comes across as a disciplined person but eventually, he bows to peer pressure and tries to have a casual sexual encounter and, as the author puts it, 'those who walk with the corrupt become corrupt too'.

On the other hand, Lumba is a principled virgin who refuses to yield to external influence despite being looked down upon by her friends who are all up to naughty sexual escapades. She is the one who is always on the lookout for trouble and when she warns her friend about Ntukwa's cheating ways, she gets the response from Manga, 'That's because he hasn't yet met his equal, and I am the one. I'll make him stay.'

At the end of the first day of the term at school, the boys (Ntukwa and Matengu) convince the girls (Manga and Lumba) to go to the river passing through a thick bush where things start taking another turn.

At first, the village elder, Mr Sankwasa, who is fishing by the river, spots them. He reprimands the teenagers for straying from their respective homes, but the sly and manipulative Ntukwa says: 'Our friend Manga is new in Itenge and we decided to show her the river.'

Once Sankwasa is safely out of sight, Ntukwa and Manga rush to have unprotected sex in the thick bush. On the other side, Lumba is giving Matengu a tough time and refuses to have unprotected sex with him.

A few days later Ntukwa develops blisters on his inner thigh and he is experiencing a burning sensation when he urinates. The young man goes to the clinic and after examining him, the nurse announces: 'Son from my observation you have a sexually transmitted disease.'

The nurse, Mrs Chiswaniso, does not behave professionally by bluntly telling the teenager about the dangers of AIDS instead of counselling him before sending him off for AIDS tests and Ntukwa starts crying.

Is the author trying to tell the readers something about the attitude of some nurses in Botswana? With the 'death sentence' hanging over his head, Ntukwa goes back home regretting his careless ways and wishing he could rewind  hands of time so as to rectify his past mistakes.

The next day, the dejected Ntukwa and Manga are relieved when Chiswaniso advises the duo that the former tested negative for HIV/AIDS and issues a warning from which the author derived his title, 'What's there is for you to make a new start with your lives today and make sure you protect yourselves.'

Nkomba says of his 44-paged play: 'This book contains many philosophical viewpoints and these are considered relevant as whether people are subjected to disease and disappointments as they fail to fulfil their projects, at that point in time, their beliefs and values become questionable and hence they become philosophers.'

A New Start is 29-year-old Nkomba's debut book and despite a few minor flaws here and there, it successfully sends a strong message to Batswana: BEWARE OF HIV/AIDS.

Nkomba, who is a temporary Mathematics lecturer at Chobe Brigades Development Trust near Kasane, graduated as a teacher from the University of Botswana (UB).
A New Start costs P 36.55 and it is available at the Botswana Book Centre.