Writing about HIV and AIDS for young people: Lutz van Dijk's novel, Stronger than the Storm.

Writing about HIV and AIDS for young people: Lutz van Dijk's novel, Stronger than the Storm. Lutz van Dijk's Stronger than the Storm (2000) (1), subtitled"a novel for young adults about HIV and AIDS in South Africa",is a realistic story about the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in thetownship of Guguletu near Cape Town, the rape survivor's subsequentcontraction of HIV/AIDS and the attempted resolution of the traumaticeffects of both the rape act and the contraction of the disease. Theauthor assumes a particular approach to conflict resolution, one thatclosely reflects and is influenced by the process of bearing witness tohistorical oppression and violence, and forgiveness, in contemporarySouth Africa (e.g. the Truth and Reconciliation Commission [TRC]hearings). The author's project is also premised on the notion thatliterature (i.e. storytelling) is an effective means of breaking thesilence about violent invasions of a person's life (the'unspeakable'): this bringing to consciousness of new ways ofseeing can influence and change the behaviour of both oppressor andvictim and by extension the impressions, perceptions and behaviour ofyoung readers. Changes in consciousness and behaviour could potentiallycause a transcendence of the historical relationship of oppressed andoppressor, rape survivor and rapist, such that they are able to accepteach other, even be reconciled with one another. This assumption aboutthe effects of storytelling is an extension of the belief that ideas canhave (and often do have) a material impact, and that we are not merelyvictims of our circumstances. Thus the novel tells a story about empathy with people living withHIV/AIDS as well as the transcendence and resolution of the feelingsengendered through rape--and by implication, through the whole complexbehaviour pattern of gender based violence, The book's storytellingapproach to the 'unspeakable horror' of contracting HIV andliving with AIDS reaches its limitations when it deals with the act ofrape only in a cursory manner. Consequently, the novel plays down theemotional and physical impact of the traumatic experience of rape. Theresolution offered by the novel to the trauma of rape comes across toomuch like the proverbial 'happy ending'. This article introduces the background to Stronger than the Storm, analyses the novel in terms of the issues raised in connection with the question of HIV/AIDS and interrogates the portrayal of the protagonist's resolution of her relation to the perpetrators. In the book this resolution is presented as an encounter, through dialogue within the context of Ubuntu (2), between the rape survivor and the perpetrators of the crime.

Background to the novel

Sexual abuse of children in South Africa has increased at an alarming rate over recent years. In the period January to September 2001, there were 15 650 rapes of children reported to the South African Police Services. Of these, 5 859 were against children between the ages of 0 to 11 years and 9791 against children between the ages of 11 to 17 years whilst many more offences go unreported (Keke, 2002:16). South Africa also has a very high incidence of HIV/AIDS infection. According to a recent survey conducted by the Department of Health (2002) on the national HIV prevalence of women attending public antenatal clinics, the HIV prevalence among South African teenagers in 2001 was estimated at 15.4 %, a slight decline from the two previous years: in 1999 it was 16.5 % and in 2000 16.1%. While there is a variation of the infection rate between the different age groups (women between the ages of 15 and 49 were tested) and the different provinces, with the Western Cape as the lowest and KwaZulu-Natal as the highest, the report concludes that on a national level there is still in increase in the HIV prevalence rate over the last 3 years that has now reached an estimated 24.8 % as opposed to the 1999 figure of 22.4 %. Based on these findings, it

is estimated that by 2001 approximately 4.74 million people in South Africa had become infected with the HIV virus. South Africa is therefore a country where both the incidence of sexual violence against children and HIV infection is high.

Against the background of these alarming figures, the idea forwriting a novel about HIV and AIDS arose after Dutch-German author ofyouth literature Lutz van Dijk and Karin Chubb, head of ForeignLanguages at the University of the Western Cape had attended the youthhearings of the TRC in Cape Town in 1997 where the issue of HIV and AIDSin young people was just one of the many traumas that were raised (3).Alerted by the fact that young people in South Africa had a need tovoice their concerns and fears in this regard and aware that a newapproach to AIDS education had to be developed that would also rely onold traditions of storytelling and include new developments in youthliterature, Chubb decided to research the availability of South Africanyouth fiction dealing with AIDS. Only three books had been published onthis subject by 1998. (4) While Chubb (1999:7) acknowledges them assubstantial contributions to exploring the themes of "human rightseducation and AIDS awareness" in a youth context, she neverthelessfound it unbelievable that, with a country in the grips of an AIDS crisis of cataclysmic proportions, and with a huge increase in the infection rates among the young, this reality is almost ignored by our writers and storytellers. It is even more astonishing that there are no books at all which are specifically aimed at a young black South African readership. (Chubb, 1999: 8) Having identified a gap in the book market Chubb and van Dijk embarked on a joint book project, namely to create a story that would reflect the "daily life experiences of black youth" and could also be used as an educational tool (Chubb and van Dijk, 2001a). The novel, based on facts and real life stories, is clearly well researched and the style approaches the documentary despite the statement, which prefaces the book: "All characters in this novel are fictitious. However, places like the township Guguletu do not only exist in South Africa". The novel thus claims to be exemplary and 'true', not only within a South African context. Indeed Lutz van Dijk would like his writing to be as authentic as possible to the point where factual material related in his novels can be corroborated by contemporaries or evidenced by the described settings. That is why he and Karin Chubb went to Cape Town townships to meet with youth and adults who were asked to give their input towards their book project "to make it really their own story." During the consultation process it became clear that although most young people had a general knowledge of the dangers of possible HIV infection,

the real problem lay in changing behaviour and communicating with peers. Some were tired of hearing endless and repetitive details of the disease that appeared to have no concrete connection to their personal experiences and conflicts. Because knowledge did not lead to any change of behaviour, infection rates did not change either. (Chubb and van Dijk, 2001) Lutz van Dijk's aim was thus to write a story that truly reflected the experiences of township people, a story "that spoke with their voices" (Chubb and van Dijk, 2001). After the first draft was completed, members of the community were asked to comment on whether the story was a 'true' reflection of their life, whether it was exciting as far as challenges and conflicts were concerned and whether it inspired readers to talk about and exchange stories, including personal stories.

The whole process of conceptualisation of the book thus clearly shows that Stronger than the Storm falls into a category of youth literature that is specifically produced for pedagogical and didactic purposes as van Dijk's close cooperation with Chubb, who translated the book into English and wrote the accompanying Teacher Guide (2001) demonstrates. Van Dijk believes that the message about the death threat of HIV/AIDS is not heard by youngsters when related through facts and figures whereas literature offers a more effective communication medium: "Stories keep pride

and traditions alive in diverse communities. They confirm common experiences. That makes it easier to talk to one another--even about upsetting issues such as HIV/AIDS. This makes the narration of stories a must in classrooms." (Van Dijk quoted in Friis and Swanepoel, 2001). This opinion was shared by Phumla Satyo, chief subject advisor for English at the Western Cape Education Department, who arranged workshops on the novel for future integration into the English Curriculum for 90 teachers from more than 60 schools, with similar workshops planned in other South African provinces (Friis and Swanepoel, 2001). In the meantime more than 400 South African schools have prescribed the book.

Critics, both in Germany and in South Africa, have praised the pedagogical message in Stronger than the Storm for which van Dijk received the Gustav-Heinemann-Peace Prize in 2001 and hailed the novel as a significant contribution in the campaign towards raising awareness on HIV and AIDS. (5) The jury awarding the prize, for example, regarded the book as

a suspense story, strong and unsentimental; it is a book that brings close the reality in South Africa, that unequivocally takes the side of the young girl who is the victim of superstition and violence. It is a book that argues against the isolation of people infected by HIV, it is an appeal for tolerance, courage, and justice. (Pressemeldungen, 2001) (6) Similarly South African critic Nawaal Deane writes in the Mail & Guardian that "the novel works as a brilliant social guide for all learners on HIV/AIDS issues. [...] It is a message of hope to all South Africans that, through acceptance and love, we can weather the AIDS storm and see yet another spring" (Deane, 2001).

While a multi-pronged approach in combating the spread of the HIV virus is necessary and it has been acknowledged by the South African government that "we must treat the epidemic as a national emergency and engage all organs of society in the struggle against it" (Asmal quoted in Jewkes, 2000), it is clear that the HIV crisis in South Africa does not only call for interventions aimed at preventing the disease, but also for mature and empathetic responses to people who have contracted the virus. As the above outline shows, educators and critics share the view of the authors of the novel and teacher guide, namely that literary texts "provoke a different relationship with their young readers than do straightforward pamphlets on prevention" (Walsh, Mitchell and Smith, 2002:106). More than enough statistical information is available on the disease resulting in messages of "fear, of death, of denial" but not "enough about caring, about the feelings of those affected, about loneliness, about relationships and about love". As Chubb elaborates: "Literature and art--storytelling in its many forms--are the means through which we develop the capacity to empathise" (Chubb, 2002:86).

Writing about HIV and AIDS

Stronger than the Storm, written from the perspective of 15-year-old Thinasonke, who is looking back at events in her life during the past year, is divided into ten chapters. In both the German and English editions, the chapter headings appear in both the language of the text and in isiXhosa. This emphasises the African cultural context of the story and prepares the introduction of the concept of Ubuntu later in the novel. Thinasonke's story starts with the description of an almost idyllic scene at the seaside. She and her boyfriend Thabang enjoy the wild nature around them, each other, their affection and their kissing. Thinasonke's happiness turns to reflection on how her life has changed in the past year. Only a few months ago she had been convinced that nobody would ever kiss her again. Thabang picks up on her serious mood and asks her to share her thoughts with him. Because "she trust him so completely", she decides to tell him about the circumstances of her birth, reflecting "it is wonderful to be able to talk about absolutely everything

with him. It is a bit like therapy, good therapy. So I tell him this story as well, the way it all started" (7) Although it is not clear to the reader what exactly Thinasonke refers to, as the nature of her trauma or the fact that she is HIV positive has not yet been revealed, the discerning young reader can guess this as a result of the subtitle of the book. However, what is made clear to the reader throughout the book is that instead of keeping personal trauma locked within oneself and being haunted by them, sharing one's story through telling it to a trusted person or by writing it down can contribute towards understanding a set of traumatic events and alleviate feelings of isolation and despair, thus providing a means of overcoming them:

Now that I have told Thabang the story, I want to write it all down. To begin with, only for myself. It is a little bit like the boulder by the sea. Being able to throw off that weight not only makes you light and free. If you do it the right way, it can perhaps even make you stronger (ST, 20). Therefore the overarching message at the beginning and end of the book is unequivocal: one can have a fulfilling life when living with HIV, if one has the support and trust of friends and family and if one is able to voice one's story in an environment and with people who are non-threatening, accepting, empathetic and loving. Furthermore, living with HIV, confronting the disease and all the ramifications in terms of interpersonal relationships and one's standing within the community, through sharing one's story or writing it down, can lead to personal growth and make you stronger. The second paragraph of the novel juxtaposes the improved weather conditions with Thinasonke's process of healing: "After the bitterly cold weather of the last few days, spring arrived today in a burst of warmth and sunshine. And Thabang is still with me. We have survived, we have overcome all of it, and absolutely nothing was in vain" (ST, 1).

Thinasonke's story is thus about a learning process, her own as well as of the people she has contact with. At the same time the reader is invited to participate in this learning process, not only in the sense of being confronted with facts as well as misconceptions about HIV and AIDS but also in terms of the attitudes, prejudices, rejections, fears, myths that circulate about the disease within the family, among friends, within the school and the community at large as well as ways to overcome or rise above such enormous stumbling blocks. Interwoven into Thinasonke's story are the stories of her mother, her brother Mangaliso, her friend Thabang and on a less pronounced level the stories of her school friends, her teacher and even her rapists, thereby providing a family and community backdrop that allow for the representation of social conditions that make township youth particularly vulnerable to HIV infection despite the available knowledge: "It is true that anyone can get AIDS and half of the new infections are in our age group. But in our communities nobody wants to talk about it--it's a bigger taboo than even among Whites" (ST, 46).

The topic of HIV and AIDS in the book is introduced through Thabang's mother who is struck down by a mysterious illness: "Nobody seems to know exactly what the problem is. Sometimes she has a cold, then she had debilitating diarrhoea for weeks on end" (ST, 25). Because of her illness Thabang has not been able to attend school for more than a year, as there is no one else to look after her and his 5-year old brother Thobile. Thabang who learns only shortly before her death that she has AIDS, disappears together with his younger brother after the funeral. Through pure coincidence Thinasonke recognises him as one of the many street children when on an excursion with her school in Cape Town. When she confronts him to find out what happened, Thabang explains that he left his home because he had feared for his life. Neighbours had threatened him for not having kept the nature of his mother's illness a secret, thereby having brought "shame not only to the family but to the neighbours in the whole street". To them "Ugawulayo--AIDS" is an "evil disease", that "cannot be controlled" and "a punishment for your sins" (ST 62). He speculates that his mother had contracted the virus from an older man with whom she had a relationship for a while despite the fact that he had physically abused her and the children since he had provided them with money

and occasionally food.

Through Thabang's story van Dijk highlights not only the abject poverty of many South Africans but also the breakdown of the nuclear family, caused by the prolonged absence of fathers often due to migrant labour (8), child labour, alcoholism, physical abuse, and HIV/AIDS, often resulting in children becoming the head of the household. Ironically, however, the nuclear family is still the only one that is recognised by South African Common Law and Statute although attempts are made to redefine family to include the extended family and other family forms. (9) Furthermore, as Thabang's example shows, the death of the primary care giver as a result of HIV/AIDS has severe social, emotional and economic consequences: he loses his home, is ostracised by the community, has to take care of his younger brother, is forced to earn his living and find shelter as one of the street children. As a result he suffers from exhaustion and stress, from insecurity and stigmatisation, with the hope for an education completely gone. Thabang's story ends well: Thinasonke is able to persuade her mother to provide shelter for him and his brother and the school in Guguletu is prepared to take him on despite his inability to pay school fees. However, the plight of the other street children brings into focus the impact of HIV/AIDS on children, as most of them are AIDS orphans (10) as well as the dangers they face in their daily life. They are particularly vulnerable to child rape; they do not have any access to food beyond the scraps they might find in dustbins or to money beyond what they receive from begging. They also earn a living by delivering drugs for drug dealers often addicted to drugs themselves, or they prostitute themselves, thereby risking HIV infection (see ST, 64).

Apart from the very real daily economic and social problems that children face as a result of the death of a parent from HIV/AIDS, stigmatisation linked to the disease is perhaps one of the most difficult ones to overcome, especially in view of the fact that life in the township is hard enough as it is: "Life in Guguletu. There is always more than enough of what you don't want: dust and strife, hunger and heat, stink and garbage. Never that which you do need: trust and friends, enough food and drink, paid work, treatment for the sick" (ST 23). That is perhaps the reason why Thinasonke's mother, a domestic worker, sole income earner and pillar of the family, is unable or unwilling to provide the necessary emotional or practical support to her daughter immediately after her rape. Neither does she report it to the police nor does she have her treated. Instead the mother passes the rape off as a violent assault to the police and the community. She calls for a sangoma (traditional healer) to look after her daughter who is prepared to keep silent in order to preserve "the family honour" (ST, 35). When her biggest fear of a possible pregnancy is alleviated she tells Thinasonke "the worst was over" (ST 43). It is not ignorance of a possible HIV infection that prevents the mother from supporting her daughter through her emotional trauma since she acknowledges the disease when hearing of the death of Thabang's mother (cf. ST 41), but a deep rooted fear of being ostracised by the community. Even after her daughter's HIV status is confirmed, the mother does not change her attitude: "You are not pregnant, therefore you also do not have AIDS! ... I will pay the sangoma to deny all the rumours and to make sure that there is no shame on our family" (ST, 100).

As a result of her mother's lack of support after her rape ordeal, Thinasonke is left alone with her fears of having contracted the virus; a possibility that occurs to her only after Thabang tells her of his mother's illness. When she is back at school, she rejoins the drama group. Under the guidance of teacher Miss Delphine, the students workshop a contemporary and provocative new play about HIV, the use of condoms and attitudes of people in South Africa towards the disease. Her teacher's enlightened attitude, her determination to proceed with the project over parents' protest and vigilante action against her, give Thinasonke the courage to speak of her rape for the first time.

Miss Delphine also helps Thinasonke to take an AIDS test, supporting her during the three month waiting period for the test results. Thinasonke who had taken the test primarily to be reassured and "to forget it all" (ST 75), realises when receiving news of the results that "now there would be no forgetting. I would always be reminded. There would be no place I could call home. I would be ostracised, would have no family, no friends" (ST 75). However, as Thinasonke later finds out, it is only her mother who never acknowledges her HIV status, while her friends, her brother and the children in her drama group provide moral support and empathy and share stories of their own with her.

Such overwhelming support by friends and by schoolmates is probably more of an idealistic scenario rather than a reflection of similar situations in current South Africa. (11) Probably equally rare are interventions by and the support of teachers such as Miss Delphine. Educators are mostly overworked, underpaid and reluctant to engage with the issues raised by gender based violence, often driven by denial or fear. (12) Nevertheless, the school is a site where one of the most significant interventions for HIV risk reduction as well as the integration of gender equality can be made. As shown in the novel, Learners are encouraged to participate in drama, to develop learning and counselling skills, to explore sexuality and to use condoms. (13) This has been recognised by the Education Department through the introduction of the Life Skills component of Curriculum 2005. The need for developing a school environment that is safe for children and allows them the opportunity to voice their questions and fears, provides support and encourages nonblaming attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS as is the case in Thinasonke's school, has been recognised by the development of various action programmes, mainly by nongovernmental organisations. (14)

Ubuntu and the question of rape

When Thabang learns of Thinasonke's HIV status and realises that she must have been raped in the incident that he had believed to be merely an attack, he is utterly outraged. Immediately he decides to take revenge on the gang that raped her. Eventually he tracks down the three teenage boys and traps them one evening in their hideout where he ties them up with the intention of castrating them. Thinasonke, having known of his plans and terrified for his safety, follows him, only to stumble upon him in the dark on his way back, bleeding heavily from a wound in his arm. He confesses that he had not been able to commit the violent act after all. Mangaliso, Thinasonke's older brother who had followed and overheard their conversation persuades them to go back to the hideout to find a resolution for all of them.

The ensuing scene, the meeting between the three of them and Thinasonke's rapists, part of the chapter entitled 'Ubuntu/Being human', is to my mind the most unconvincing part of Stronger than the Storm: Thinasonke apparently heals her emotional wounds simply through dialogue with those who inflicted them on her. Following Mangaliso's direction they form a circle "with the perpetrators. 'Before the sun rises we have to have looked into each others' souls to find out how we can leave this place'" (ST 91). All of them fall into a strange trancelike state and Thinasonke falls asleep. When she awakens at dawn, Mangaliso explains that the tradition of Ubuntu has helped him to look deep into the hearts of the rapists, concluding "we can only become human if we look for humanity in others, for as long as it takes to find it [...]. I am what I am through you. Nkulu, Vuyo and Zweli have done terrible things. Their evil power became so great that it also turned Thabang blind with hatred" (ST 91). Thinasonke protests that Thabang had a right to feel hatred and asks whether Mangaliso wants her to forget what happened. He advises her that she need not forget anything but that "we should learn to be strong enough to cope with our own problems. To do it with dignity and honesty, not to perpetuate our problems by burdening others with them and so creating more and more unhappiness" (ST 92). One of the rapists, Zweli,

who is slightly older than Thina, then tells her that he is infected with HIV. A sangoma had told him that having sex with a virgin would cure him although he had not really believed that. He acknowledges that he has committed a terrible deed and asks for her forgiveness. This confession starts Thinasonke's emotional healing process:

I can also not say that I suddenly found anything likable about Zweli. It was something else that I felt clearly, although everything in me wanted to resist: this guy was speaking the truth, as fully and honestly, as he was able. He exposed his own truth in all its ugliness and guilt. That he asked for my forgiveness could not give my health back to me, but it could restore my dignity to a significant degree. I could not be clever with words as Mangaliso or even Zweli could. But it felt good, what was happening here, it released me from an evil which I could not name more precisely at that time. Then I realised that Thabang, too, was set free from his hatred (ST 92). This scene shows Thinasonke simply forgiving the perpetrators of hot traumatic rape and HIV status, through her first encounter and dialogue with them. Embracing the spirit of Ubuntu, she accepts her traumatic violation as well as her disease. The TRC hearings were also conducted in the spirit of Ubuntu, postulating an extended notion of telling the truth, embracing notions of truth such as 'personal' or 'narrative' truth, 'social' or 'dialogue' truth and 'healing' or 'restorative' truth. While the novel depersonalises the oppression of and violence meted out to Thinasonke, the TRC restricted its conception of gross human rights violations to people and events, ignoring the systemic character of apartheid. As Christoph Marx argues: "This personalisation of the TRC process shifted the problem from the roots and causes of apartheid to 'ethics'; analysing was substituted by moralising" (Marx, 2002:51). Reconciliation of victims with their tormentors was possible, so the argument went, through Ubuntu, namely a special, specifically African form of community orientation, in which forgiveness is embedded. The TRC perspective ignored the power structures underlying apartheid South Africa.

The consequence of the community orientation of Ubuntu as portrayed in the novel means the slighting of personal interest in favour of the needs of the larger community. Furthermore, the concept of Ubuntu as used in the novel mystifies the economic and social power structures underpinning gender violence. It is precisely the depersonalisation of her experience that does not ring true in Thinasonke's encounter with her rapists. At this point, she has had no opportunity to come to terms with the trauma of her rape. That she is ready to confront her rapists, let alone forgive them and that her confidence is as if magically restored, runs contrary to all accounts of rape survivors. (15) Mangaliso's attitude towards Thinasonke therefore comes across as moralistic, even patronising as it denies her experience of rape and precludes her right to establish her own meaning of the event. The apparently 'easy' resolution of Thinasonke's plight could thus suggest to the mind of a young reader that rape and gender-based violence is low on the agenda of social priorities. It does not force rapists and perpetrators of gender violence to publicly account for their behaviour. The absence of a political and social view of gender violence reinforces this lack of a public programme of action to deal with the scourge of rape.

Notwithstanding these limitations, the multiple use of direct speech in the novel, the narrative perspective, the setting, the selection of topics, the choice of characters and the many reflections by Thinasonke on her emotions and her emotional development make Stronger than the Storm not only a work of fiction but a document of current debates and developments especially with regard to the social status of HIV and AIDS in South Africa.

Works Cited

Chubb, Karin and van Dijk, Lutz. 2001 a. Youth Literature and Storytelling--a Different Approach to

AIDS Education in South Africa. www.kit.nl/information_services/exchange_content/html/_2002_1_8.asp

Chubb, Karin and van Dijk, Lutz. 2001 b._Between Anger and Hope._Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.

Chubb, Karin. 1999. A shameful near-silence: AIDS and other non-issues in South African youth literature. Unpublished paper, presented at the South African Library Congress, Belville, 21 September 1999

Chubb, Karin. 2001. Stronger than the Storm. Teacher Guide. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman.

Chubb, Karin. 2002. Using literature to teach about AIDS and HIV. In Bak, Nelleke and Vergnani Tania, eds._Proceedings of the multi-disciplinary conference on HIV/AIDS. Bellville: University of the Western Cape, pp. 86-88.

Deane, Nawaal. 2001. Courage out in the Cold. The Teacher. Mail & Guardian, Johannesburg, April 2001. www.teacher.co.za/menus/reviews.html

Department of Health 2002. Summary Report. National HIV and Syphilis sero-prevalence survey of women attending public antenatal clinics in South Africa--2001. http://health.pwv.gov.za

Giese, Sonja. 2001. Blamed, beaten and abused ... ChildrenFIRST 5 (39): 3-5.

Giese, Sonja. 2002. The impact of HIV/AIDS on children in South Africa--the scale of the problem. Child & Youth Care 20 (10): 14-16.

Hlophe, Gloria. 2002. Post traumatic stress disorder. The art of healing. ChildrenFIRST 6 (40): 3437.

Hofmeyer. Diane. 1993. Blue Train to the Moon. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman.

Hough, Barrie. 1996. In full Flight. Johannesburg: Heinemann.

Jewkes, Rachel. 2000. The HIV/AIDS Emergency. Department of Education Guidelines for Educators. Pretoria: Department of Education.

Keke, Xoliswa. 2002. Facing up to the risk of infection. ChildrenFIRST 6 (44): 16-19.

Khosa, Thabisile. 2002. Starting with sexuality. ChildrenFIRST 6 (44): 33-35.

Khoza, Vusi. 2002. Schools: safe havens or sites of violence? Agenda 53: 75-80.

Leys, Ruth. 2.000. Trauma. A Genealogy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Malan, Robin. 1998. The Sound of New Wings. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman.

Morei, Neo. 2002. Courts start to see household diversity. ChildrenFIRST 6 (45): 7-10.

Marx, Christoph. 2002. Ubu and Ubuntu: on the dialectics of apartheid and nation building.

Politikon_29 (1): 49-70.

Morrell, Robert; Moletsane, Relebohile; Karim, Quairraisha Abdool; Epstein, Debbie and Unterhalter, Elaine. 2002. The school setting: opportunities for integrating gender equality and HIV risk reduction interventions. Agenda 53:11-21.

Pressemeldungen: Gustav-Heinemann-Friedenspreis 2001. Minister Schartau wurdigt den Preistrager Lutz van Dijk fur sein Buch 'Township Blues'. Ein kluges Buch uber AIDS. 12.11.01. www.masqt.nw.de./bibliothek/pressearchiv4_2001/pm011211.html

Van Dijk, Lutz. 2000. Stronger than the Storm._ Translated from German by Karin Chubb. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman.

Van Dijk, Lutz. 2000. Township Blues. Munchen: Elefanten Press. Bertelsmann Jugendbuch Verlag.

Van Niekerk, Joan. 2002. Life after rape, threats and rejection. ChildrenFIRST 6 (44): 20-23.

Vries, Jens and Swanepoel, Thalyta. 2001. Stories oor MIV/vigs kan kinders red. Forum, 1 March 2001.

Walsh, Shannon; Mitchell, Claudia and Smith, Ann. 2002. The Soft Cover Project: youth participation in HIV/AIDS interventions. Agenda 53:106-112.

(1) The novel was simultaneously published in its original German version entitled Township Blues (2000)

(2) Ubuntu is the short form of the isiXhosa proverb: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which means 'A human being is a human being only through his/her relationship to other human beings'.

(3) See Chubb and van Dijk, Between Anger and Hope, 2001b

(4) Chubb's (1999:3) research focused on available South African fiction, that uses a South African setting, deals with AIDS and portrays characters in the age group of the intended readers. She discovered a sum total of three books: Diane Hofmeyer's Blue Train to the Moon (1993), Barrie Hough's In full Flight (1996) and Robin Malan's The Sound of New Wings (1998).

(5) The Gustav-Heinemann-Friedenspreis, one of the most important prizes for children and youth literature, is awarded by the provincial government of Nordrhein-Westfalen for fiction or non-fiction that promotes human rights issues and conflict resolution.

(6) Here and throughout the article all translations are my own.

(7) Van Dijk, Stronger than the Storm, 2000:5. All subsequent quotes refer to this edition, cited in parenthesis as ST and page number.

(8) Thabang's father is reportedly living in Johannesburg working for a large company, but out of touch with his family who had last seen him shortly after Thobile's birth.

(9) See Morei, 2002:7 and 9.

(10) Giese (2002:15) reports that South Africa currently has 600 000 orphans, that is children under the age of 15 years who have lost a mother to AIDS. This figure is expected to peak at between 2 and 3 million children by 2015.

(11) See, for example Giese (2001:3), who outlines a different scenario of problems by children affected by HIV/AIDS.

(12) See, for example, Khoza, V. (2002:75) who reports that educators "often claim to be unaware of any problem deny that violence occurs or try to minimise its extent, or blame the girls".

(13) On the interventions that have already been made at schools and could be introduced in the future, see Morrell, Moletsane, Karim, Epstein and Unterhalter (2002).

(14) The Teenagers Action Programme (TAP), for example aims, among other things, to increase young adults' knowledge about their own sexual development, challenge and correct myths that exist around the aetiology/causes of HIV/AIDS and to confront prejudices. See Khoza, T. 2002

(15) See, for example Hlophe, 2002:34 and van Niekerk, 2002. On the genealogy of trauma, see Leys, 2000.