Would be priest turns AIDS into a mission

By Pelekelo Liswaniso

David Chipanta was turned down for the priesthood when he tested positive for the AIDS virus. So he has become an ‘ambassador’ instead in the fight against the deadly disease.
“Now my whole life is AIDS work said Chipanta.

His heart set on becoming a Catholic priest, Mr Chipanta was diagnosed as HIV-positive during a compulsory medical examination soon after completing secondary school.
“My initial reactions to the test results oscillated between self-pity, blame and desperation” he recalls. Then he realized hoe he could channel hid desire to be a priest. “I saw AIDS as a new vocation.
His mission is to spread awareness of the illness, and also to speak up for the rights of people with HIV or AIDS.
“ There is an AIDS pandemic to fight and it has to be tackled on the economic, political and social fronts,” he points out.

He is co-ordinator of the Network of Zambian People Living with HIV/AIDS and president of the Network of African People Living with HIV/AIDS, which covers 30 countries with thousands of active members.

“The idea of the network is to provide a united front for people with HIV or AIDS so that we can advocate for their rights, interests and responsibilities,” he says.
He is also one of 10 “ambassadors for positive living” selected from across Africa by the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Africa centre. With his love of reggae music and evident zest for life, Mr Chipanta is indeed a positive ambassador, an ambassador his peers can relate to.

The ambassadors chosen by the programme have to be knowledgeable about the topic and articulate. They visit schools, churches, mosques, government officials and policy planners all over Africa to explain how they are coping with HIV. They also try to persuade people to adopt sexual practices that will curtail the chances of spreading the virus.

The CYP Africa aims at making young people more aware of the problem and to get the issue on the political agenda in order to persuade governments to put more resources into combating the spread of the virus.

Mr Chipanta’s mission has taken him to Australia, Botswana, Britain, Canada, Geneva, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Malta, Senegal, South Africa and Zimbabwe. He has on several occasions appealed to African governments to protect the rights of those afflicted by the disease. This includes making available drugs of proven use in the treatment of AIDS.

Such drugs are expensive, he admits, but “with a little political will and commitment by African leaders and others in authority, they can easily be made available on the continent. He urges African governments to cut down on military spending and luxuries and invest more in health care.
“Our priorities are not set right,” he says. Most hospitals in Africa are death traps because drugs are always scarce and it is difficult for medial authorities to treat opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis.

“Many people die prematurely because of opportunistic infections. There is need for us to be strong and guard such infections and have a good attitude towards control so that we are safe,” he says.

He himself leads a normal life, drinks a beer occasionally and enjoys traveling. Though unmarried, he has a partner and he says they always use a condom. He is always busy. If he is not traveling, he is planning strategies for the expansion of the Zambian Network, often holding discussion groups and counseling sessions late into the night. He admits that he sometimes feels low or disappointed, especially when friends and colleagues die of the disease.

“It leaves me frustrated but at least we have a Network where we can meet and try to help ourselves,” he says.

And he has remained a catholic despite his rejection from priesthood. As the interview finishes, he gets into his car and plays his favourite reggae, Yellow Man, the first line of which is “Brother Life must go on…”