[not equal to]Hira//os, the Hyena's disease.

Through songs and poems, and a celebration of life and living, the Hyena's disease can be reduced from the hungry monster that it is to a manageable lifestyle change. This joyous, life-affirming message is the focus of this beautiful new book. Nicky Marais reviews it for Sister Namibia.

The children of the Kunene Region and Philippe Talavera have been working on a programme called "Ombetja Yehinga/The Red Ribbon" since January 2001. The aim of this programme was to support schools in the region in the struggle for HIV/AIDS awareness. Learners were encouraged to create songs and poems that would help their peers to understand the vital messages in the campaign.

The results were so powerful and beautiful that, according to Philippe, they "could not simply be left to gather dust." He began to take a series of portraits of the children and the enthusiasm with which they responded gave him the impetus to seek funding for the publication of the poems and photographs in a book. Funding was found and the book was published in March 2002.

[not equal to]Hira//os, The Hyena's Disease was launched in early March at The Theatre School in Windhoek. To celebrate the launch Philippe and Sandy Rudd, the director of the theatre, directed a show in which children from three different towns in Kunene Region danced and performed songs and poems from the book. For Philippe the message is clear: "To share this moment of life and love, to celebrate their youth--that precious thing that is at risk day after day, because of a vicious virus,"--while for Sandy the aim of the show was to demonstrate that if children are taught to truly love themselves they will not risk their lives needlessly.

The resulting show was a celebration, a display of vibrancy and enthusiasm that inspired audiences, ranging from children from many Windhoek schools to fellow workers in the HIV/AIDS campaigns. The children's songs and poems filled the little theatre and the accompanying slides and text added a poignancy that was impossible to misinterpret.

Namibia's children are so vulnerable, and so full of potential, and so worthy of all the best things of life. No-one reading this book will fail to understand just what we risk if we don't take on the challenge of protecting our children in every way possible from the Hyena's disease.

Funding was found to purchase 1700 books to distribute to schools in the Kunene Region, and copies of the book are on sale at Gamsberg Macmillan publishers and in bookshops.