Reviews
Umzala endorsements
Dr Mitch Besser
Director, mothers2mothers
"I remember the day I first met Elaine. It was at Groote Schuur Hospital in one of those impersonal clinics, where everyone sits quietly waiting for care, getting some but not enough of what they need. I was struggling to provide medical service, and struggling to make contact with young women, women living with HIV, pregnant women, women speaking another language and women from another culture. And then there was Elaine – she was from the Sizophila support group in Gugulethu. She was living with HIV, she had experienced the tragedies, she understood what it was about, and she was there in all the ways I and the patients needed someone to be there.
Elaine and I created mothers2mothers. It grew from our understanding that there was a gap in the medical care we were providing pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV – a gap that couldn’t be filled with another doctor or nurse. Elaine knew that these mothers, desperately fearful, wanted and needed to know more about life with HIV, present and future, and needed to know in ways that a medical system could never deliver.
As a mother, Elaine knew that mothers could speak to mothers in another language. That mothers could bridge the widest divides by sharing personal experiences, personal tragedies and personal successes. And from this sharing would come a shared strength and purpose and ability to do far more than just survive. Elaine was a leader who understood this from a place deep inside and made others understand from the same place.
Elaine is all light. She’s radiant. She is laughter and listening. One-to-one, she is calm understanding and warm reassurance. On stage, she is a firebrand, exhorting people to do more, to fight, to resist complacency. And now, with Umzala, Elaine shines from the pages of a book. Her story of living with HIV in all the ways you can live, will serve as a beacon for others similarly affected.
Elaine’s story in Umzala is so important to tell. Umzala breaks through the harsh stereotypes of women victimised by HIV. Elaine lives large in these pages. Her story of loss and recovery, of strength and personal growth, will help others understand a medical condition that has become part of the fabric of the society in which we live.
I remember Elaine at the International AIDS Conference in Barcelona in 2002, when mothers2mothers was less than a year old. She presented our programme to a roomful of delegates – seasoned public health providers, representatives from civil society and researchers. In two minutes she made them all believe that m2m was different, special and essential. Two minutes – that’s all it took. Elaine is like that – she moves people one by one, and then she moves them by the roomful.
And now she is able to move people with Umzala. Reading her story, learning more about what gives her strength and what guides her can only help guide others who are similarly affected, who care for those living with HIV or who simply want to better understand life in Southern Africa in this era of HIV."
Nomampondo Barnabas
HIV activist and woman living with HIV for 11 years
"I salute the minds that gave birth to Openly Positive. The niche of the OP book series is that they are live and real stories. The diversity of authors adds more value. The first, Clouds move was written by Derrick Fine, a white gay man. Now Umzala is authored by Elaine Maane, a black single mom.
Elaine shares her story of dealing with the stigma of being a black woman living with HIV and managing to bring up her only son single-handedly. Her book shines a light on the realities that women living with HIV and AIDS face in their daily lives. Umzala will also inspire and empower other women living with HIV about how to rise above difficult circumstances and live full, meaningful lives.
Elaine, you are a shining star amongst many others. You are a pillar of strength to your son. You are a role model to other young, single women living with HIV and AIDS. You have experienced smiles and tears, fulfilment and emptiness, achievements and losses, yet you are still a woman with so much strength. You have been pressed hard on every side, but you did not crush. Girl, you an inspiration to all of us to be proud and keep our heads held high.
Aluta continua!"
Don Edkins
Director: STEPS Southern Africa
"I have been very privileged to know Elaine both as a friend and as a colleague. When I think of Elaine, what comes to me immediately are the words – courage, love, resilience, beauty, joy of life, activism. She has an abundance of all of these and most importantly, is willing to share them with others.
Umzala is a sharing of her life in an open and intimate way. It is never easy to share a life in this way, but I have seen Elaine's happiness as the story unfolded onto the pages of this book.
This is one of those rare examples of personal stories that illustrate a life changed by events that led to tragedy and death, and yet able to overcome the difficulties and rise above it all. Because of HIV and AIDS, millions of people on our African continent – and throughout the world – are facing these challenges, but few have the means and courage to make it known. Elaine shows us how to be survivors and not victims.
Elaine came to South Africa from Zambia as the partner of a returning exiled MK soldier of the ANC and found a new home. She had to learn how to deal with having HIV and then accessing treatment when it was not freely available. Above all, she has been able to support her son Skhumbuzo to grow into an adult, aware of the restrictions forced on his mother.
I have seen Elaine frustrated when ignorance is a barrier to knowledge and where people are not listening to her when she says: 'Many women and men from all walks of life have contracted HIV in the comfort of their homes from dear loving spouses.' But she doesn't give up, and continues to share her knowledge with people everywhere.
Umzala is a Southern African story by a contemporary African woman. You, like all of us who know Elaine, will learn more about life through her story. She is the embodiment of the Steps for the Future theme – that actually, life is a beautiful thing."
Nomfundo Xulu - The Times
Nomfundo Xulu - Mind and Body: Putting up with an 'uninvited cousin'
(9 March 2009)
"When I saw the title of Elaine Maane's book, Umzala, which means cousin in Zulu, I was slightly confused. I wondered how much one must have loved a cousin to name a book after them. With minimal interest, I started reading. I think it is one of the best decisions I've made for a number of reasons - one of them being the sudden death of my father in the same period of time that Maane completed Umzala. The book, as it turns out, is not about a physical cousin. The word refers to the 'uninvited cousin' that people living with HIV and AIDS have to put up with for the rest of their lives...
'I don't like keeping things to myself because it builds negativity and I wanted to send a message to people who always say HIV won't happen to me, it only happens to a certain class of people. Here I am, I'm Elaine, an average person living with HIV. That is what Umzala is about,' she says."
For the full article OR to read the full article click here:
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=954709
Natasha Joseph – Cape Times book page
Woman’s unflinching journey with HIV offers insight, joy
(24 April 2009)
“When Elaine Maane was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1996, she was faced with two choices: give up or accept the intrusive Umzala (isiZulu for cousin) that had taken up residence in her body. Maane chose the latter path, and Umzala follows her journey unflinchingly and with glorious, clear-eyed insight…
Maane writes well, offering the reader a glimpse into not only her life but her mind as she grapples with the realities of being HIV positive and adjusting to the challenges it brings. What I really liked about Umzala is that Maane spends a great deal of time focusing on others: her family, her friends, the people around her who are living with HIV/AIDS and those who battle to accept her status…
Maane radiates joy through her words, and I found myself smiling or laughing aloud… Laughing, while reading a book about a disease? Yes – because Maane shows us that there is a way to move past fear, loss and pain and into a happy, healthy space, no matter what your HIV status… it’s nice to know that all of the proceeds from this book will go towards ensuring that more South Africans will be given the chance to tell their tales and find their voices.”
Natalie Bosman – The Citizen
Personal journey
(6 May 2009)
“For every tragic story surrounding HIV and AIDS, there are many more about hope and the triumph of the human spirit. Elaine Maane’s story is one of those.
Umzala, her personal account of how she contracted HIV and how she continues to live a happy, fulfilling life, in spite of the adversity that she has experienced along the way, is an inspiring read that will change your outlook on life, whether you have HIV or not.”
For the full article, see www.thecitizen.co.za/index/popup.aspx?Type=print&pDesc=95226,1,22
Brian Joss – False Bay Echo and other Cape Community newspapers
Read of the week – Umzala: A woman’s story of living with HIV
(23 July 2009)
“If I had AIDS would I reveal my status? A few years ago the answer would have been an emphatic no. However, after reading Derrick Fine’s story Clouds move and now Elaine Maane’s uplifting story of her battle with the disease, I would tell people without a second thought…
Central to the story is Elaine’s walk with Umzala, another name for HIV that she and her friends came up with. It means cousin in isiZulu and it is about the life Elaine has chosen to live with umzala wami (my cousin) and like John Wayne she has shown true grit.
Her words: ‘My circumstances could have made me bitter and very unhappy. I have made a choice to be thankful for each day and to take one positive step forward. I have never been a victim of circumstance. I will not be that as long as I continue to believe that it’s possible to be happy’, puts it in a nutshell…
There is a useful section Lessons and questions for discussion where Elaine invites readers to talk about stigma, relationships, condoms and safer sex, dealing with loss and having a positive attitude, among others. Included is a list of important organisations and their contact details.
An inscription signed by Elaine reads: ‘May the journey inspire you to make a difference’. There’s no doubt that Umzala will do just that.”
