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 . . . ?