Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - October 31, 2006
Joseph Kariuki
Darlene, a fiancee to Papa San's manager, brought a message of hope to girls in Uganda who have been pressurised to lose their virginity at an early age. This revelation brought forth gasps of shock among people who do not believe in virginity at 40, but at the same time encouraged those who were abstaining from sex to hold on to their goal.
The students started arriving at the venue at 3:00pm for a show which started at 5:00pm. The MC, Ex-Limit X singer, Isaac Rucci, showed his great talent which made the show captivating and memorable. After performances by a number of local artistes, the Hawaii-based musical group, Seven Simple Pieces, took the stage by storm with their unique praise songs.
The performance took a breather to allow the launching of the 'Abstinence Pride' and 'Be Faithful' flags by Pastor Martin Ssempa - a key advocate of sexual purity.
Ssempa said the two flags, which were designed by students, are symbols of sexual purity. The flags which were officially launched at Kololo Airstrip on Saturday, in the presence of Hon. Mary Okurut, who represented the First Lady, Janet Museveni, were a global sign of the fight against the abstinence stigma. He said, "Abstinence and faithfulness in marriage are intangible values unlike condoms," Ssempa said.
The 'Abstinence Pride' flag has red and black colours, with red representing the people that have been lost through the HIV scourge. In the middle, it has three people running, with the first one holding a flame torch representing sex as a consuming fire if enjoyed outside the confines of marriage.
The 'Be Faithful' flag which has a white background representing faithfulness in marriage has two rings encircling the world map. The rings join to form a shield with the HIV ribbon in the middle. The shield symbolises how couples can prevent themselves from HIV.
Ssempa led the students in chanting the abstinence pride slogan; Abstinence Pride! Break the Shame! Thousands of students recommitted their life to abstain from sex until marriage.
Papa San's entry drove the crowd to frenzy. Dressed in a white T-shirt and trousers with a matching white cap and shoes, he started belting out his favourite dancehall hits with the energy of a marathon man.
'Step On the Enemy', Papa San's favourite song, led people to stomp the ground as a show of their victory against Satan. He reached the climax of his performance with a special song for Africa, the song which urged Africans to unite and be proud of who they are.
During the concert more than 1,000 students gave their life to Jesus Christ. Ssempa said the campaign will continue for the next month and will be celebrated again during the World AIDS day on December 1.
The Makerere show followed a series of concerts that were held in the city, starting with an impromptu show at Kampala International University on Wednesday, St. Lawrence London College on Thursday and a VIP show at Serena Hotel on Friday.
The climax of the tour was the 'Abstinence Pride March' which was held on Saturday, starting at the Constitutional Square to Kololo Airstrip and later for a concert that saw the launch of the 'Abstinence pride' and 'Be Faithful' flags.
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