"You Peel, You Gain" Advert

I’m sure you guys are already familiar with the "GET TRIMMED" or "ROLA KEPESE" phrase. Yep those are just some of the phrases I heard people throwing around when referring to circumcision. Apparently the campaign is working. Oh and look at how similar the Botswana advert is to this other one which was used in some other country. Lacking creativity are we Botswana... Anyway let me not dwell on that, I hear some people at the offices get very sensitive over that topic, HD! But it’s true, ija!

As another way of trying to curb the destroyer that is HIV/AIDS, the Ministry of Education along with other stakeholders decided to re-popularise circumcision. So to appeal to the younger generation (since it’s kind of too late for di-timer) they decided not to beat around the bush and just get straight with them.

“Banana (youth), you see this banana (fruit), it represents your “phiphi” (lack of a better word). Now we will take a knife (or whatever they use at the hospital) and cut off the tip. Why would we want to do that? So it leaves a softer more sensitive part. A part that is sweeter and healthier for everyone, EVERYONE. A part that will turn Banana (youth), into Banna tota (real men)!”

Guys remember when your mom used to tell you “eat your food and you will grow into big strong men”?, well this is kind of the same thing. Just that it’s the government that’s telling you to eat your food. And instead of food, they telling you to take a big knife and slash off part of your penis. Ok maybe I shouldn’t be using words like “slash” and “big knife” but eish that’s the image I’m getting from this. That’s just me though.

But seriously speaking, a lot of old people have been offended by this advert. Everytime this topic comes up, especially on radio, a lot of these old men be calling the station, complaining saying they are being disrespected. I think they are just looking for an excuse not to get circumcised. Old men, clearly all these years that you have been on this earth, you have been scared to get circumcised and become “real men”. Now you want to shout it out in the radios and scare the young people as well?

This advert was not meant for old men. It’s too late for you. Old men never change their minds about anything. Have you ever seen them at the kgotla? These niggers will resist change for days!! Come to think of it I think the makers of this advert were banana, and they had to fight those old men at the offices to approve this advert. The target audience is the youth, hence they used the fruit banana, because “youth” translates to “BANANA” in Setswana.

But as for the campaign being successful, I don’t know...all the guys I know say there is no way they are getting circumcised. Not because of the ad, the ad just didn’t persuade them. They are just too scared of the pain. Maybe all my guy friends are a bunch of scaredy-cats. I should get some real friends waitse. A bunch of REAL MEN friends!! Aarrhuu!!

Moreover, I’ve been reading in the newspapers that a certain minister’s maid who supposedly had an affair with the minister (Bots drama!!!!), when asked by her husband why she didn’t use protection she replied, “There’s no way I could be infected with the virus because the minister is circumcised”. Hahahah! Yep she actually said that. Now this got me thinking, what does this imply for the circumcision campaign? Are people now starting to think circumcision is a way of immunising themselves from contraction the virus? Will people now start having unprotected sex because they know they are circumcised, therefore they can’t be infected? You know, the advert did communicate to them that getting circumcised will reduce their chances of getting HIV/AIDS and other STDs.

Honestly im 50/50 over this advert. On one hand, I feel it’s a good way of communicating the circumcision to the youth in a way that they can appreciate. You know it’s funny, it’s bold its creative, its everything that’s youth. But on the other hand, if the message is not interpreted well, it has the potential to increase HIV levels in Botswana, which is exactly the opposite of what the campaign aimed for. I don’t know guys, what do you think?...

Check out a the better version of this article on Pristine Mag