Hip-Hop and Rock for Condoms Challenge Church

"Musicians in the predominately Catholic East Timor are taking their HIV/AIDS message directly to the people by circumventing official Church policy that bans the use of condoms."

In a phone interview ith IPS Health News, Milena da Silva, a band member of the hip-hop Bibi Bulak Group, tells IPS that he is frustrated by the Catholic Church's message to youth that it is a sin to use condoms and they should abstain from pre- or post- marital sex. "If you go around the capital Dili and listen to what the young East Timorese men are talking about - it's always about having sex," says Da Silva.

"Milena's band has just recorded 'Uza Ida Kondom' (Use a Condom) in East Timor's national language 'Tetum'.

The lyrics centre around a young East Timorese man who decides to get a tattoo from a tattooist who never changes his needles.

The young man then decides to visit a prostitute and has unprotected sex with her. Then the young man's uncle also goes to the same girl and refuses to wear a condom when having sex.

This uncle later goes back home to his village and dies of AIDS some time later.

The song ends with the funeral of the young man who also succumbs to AIDS."

In an effort to provide a different message - a message about safe sex - the Bibi Bulak Group has play this song in live performances and has taken their message to radio stations to gauge response.

"Bibi Bulak is willing to push the conservative boundaries to save young peoples' lives through our music... [it] is a powerful tool because it also entertains."

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