When AIDS calls a hero: the story of a Zimbabwean youth

Mbare, Zimbabwe: His was a face that beamed with the hope of a nation hungry for recognition in the international boxing world. And so were his quick jabs that decimated and stupefied opponents in the ring. Gilbert Josamu was an athlete by all definitions of the word. Youthful looks on a handsome face and a barrel chest made him a darling of many and the object of erotic fantasies of debauched women with fiery loins. But looks can be deceptive—deep within, Josamu kept a deadly secret with him. Now we know why...

Born and bred in the dilapidated suburb of Mbare near Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, Giro, as he was popularly and fondly known, defied all odds and rose to become a national middleweight champion. Many poverty stricken Zimbabwean youths looked up to him in admiration as he was the picture perfect example of what talent can do to change one’s tides of fortune; Josamu was the prove that poverty is not a curse that cannot be neutralized in Africa.

But we are never fit for fate. And this is a sorry fact of life. Just when Josamu’s star seemed to be getting brighter and his boxing career unassailable, during one of the routine medical check-ups in July 1986, he tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Transfixed and confused, Josamu couldn’t come to grips with his sudden misfortune. He was a star and idolized by so many people who saw him as the perfect human being. Just how does he go out there and tell them that he has AIDS? How will the world receive this news? People in his neighborhood had been beaten to death by angry mobs for confessing their HIV positive status. Should he tempt fate? What will become of his career . . . ?

Josamu opted to take a path that will 14 years later demonize and make him infamous—he zipped his mouth, forged his medical reports and continued doing what he did best. However, in the depths of solitude, Josamu was a tormented man. The risk of infecting other boxers in the ring was very real as were the many bloody cuts and bruises synonymous with the sport. As the guilt of exposing other innocent boxers to the imminent risk of infection heavily weighed on him, so did his career start to dwindle and in 1993, he lost the championship to Ambrose Mlilo in a shocking defeat.

They say that whatever is hidden in the ice eventually comes out in the thaw. It wasn’t long before the tell tale signs began popping up like a sore thumb. Soon, Josamu certainly knew, truth will out. And so, in November 2000, Josamu finally gathered enough courage to tell the world what it was curious to know as his health had by now become a cause for concern and rumor mills were constantly on the spin, spewing filth of every kind possible to imagine.

Pushed to the edge of the precipice, Josamu emotionally confessed to have fought 21 fights since testing HIV positive in 1986. The world was stunned. Dismayed boxers who had fought against him shivered and quivered as they sought to know their fate in various health facilities. General pandemonium broke loose in the boxing world. Journalists, like vultures, loaded their cameras to exploit yet another human tragedy for profit and clicked away the last moments of a dying man. Josamu became instant headline news and condemnation flew in from every Tom, Dick and Harry that had a mouth which could talk. Why was he coming out now? Was it an act of redemption or retribution? The questions seemed endless. But what was certain was that a national hero had now, just because he had AIDS, become a public enemy.

On June 22, 2001, the day before he died, a local newspaper splashed the final picture of Josamu taken alive on its entire front cover. The headline was devastating. Now very frail, he was sleeping on a small mattress outside his family home in Mbare. To his side, was placed a large portrait from his heydays. The juxtaposition was painful to the eye and offered a rare moment of soul searching and reflection. It served as a stark reminder to the reality that everyone is at risk and silently answered anybody who doubted the existence of AIDS. A few days later, distraught family and friends gathered at a local cemetery to bid farewell to a fallen hero.

We might never know for sure how Josamu acquired the virus. In fact, we should not try to find out because that is a step in the wrong direction in the war against AIDS. What is important is to celebrate the fact that Gilbert died a hero. Even though late in time, at least, he had the good sense to step out of his cocoon and tell the world he had AIDS. He could have stayed morose and withdrawn while silently spreading the virus before dying silently just like many other famous personalities have done. He had that option. But instead, he chose to turn his misery into something that can benefit the society—Giro was kind enough to give us his story and to those who care to learn, an idea on how to deal with pain.

Here was a man who used the last ounce of strength left in him to educate the community about this deadly disease. Borrowing a leaf from the late Ugandan legendary musician Philly Lutaaya, through Josamu’s courageous actions, HIV got yet another human face; a face that gave other sufferers the courage to go about their everyday activities by ignoring the sadistic stigmatization associated with the disease. In his small little way, Josamu gave the fight against AIDS in Zimbabwe and the world by extension the ammunition it desperately needed. His contribution should never be forgotten.