Dispatch from Mombasa

On December 1st the world will be marking the world Aids day. Much of it will be lost in pomp and fanfare organized by civil society activists, non-governmental organizations and government fat cats all of whom will be having one thing in common, that at the end of the day they will make a quick buck at the expense of remembering all those who have been felled by the HIV Aids scourge. They will also line up school children to vigorously wave flags at no one in particular ostensibly in passing the message that Aids is a killer. For the adult women they will ensure that the red ribbon is pinned at the farthest tip of their breasts so that it stands out clear and sends the message that aids is real. For me the world aids day will be different, it is a time that I want to dedicate to two most important people that fell because of these cruel disease whose origin has remained a matter of conjecture and blame game between the west and Africa over who is really responsible with its origin.