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Because I want to live: An interview with Emma Tuahepa Kamapoha
Emma was the first person in Namibia to come out publicly as a women living with HIV/AIDS. Liz Frank of Sister asked her what brought her to take this brave step.
I did it because of my sisters. When I first found out about being infected with the AIDS virus I just wanted to commit suicide. But then I thought about my three younger sisters and I wanted to save them from the same fate. I wanted to warn them that it could happen to them like it happened to me.
How did your family react?
I was lucky to have a counsellor who helped me to break the news at home, so I didn't have to face them alone. He helped my family to understand and accept what has happened and to support me. Still it was hard for some of my relatives, especially when I came out in the media. They said I was bringing shame onto the family name and worried about what other people would say.
Now they understand that it's about me as a person, and about others. For me, the minute I said I was HIV positive, everything was released. Now everybody in the family is supporting me. I'm back to being the same Emma I was before. Nothing has changed in the family.
What brought you to make your HIV status public in spite of all the stigma?
I decided that saving my three sisters was not enough. I wanted to do something good, I wanted people to know what it is like to be HIV positive. I wanted to tell the world that even after you have been diagnosed positive you are not dead, you are still very much alive and still have a lot of living left to do. You may even have been living with the virus for years already without knowing it.
I also wanted to warn future girlfriends of the man who infected me without saying his name in public.
Do you regret your decision to go public?
No, but I have learnt something through it. I have realised that focussing my life on being an example for other people can...