Throughout Tanzania, wall murals have long been popular as a form of cheap commercial advertising. But public wall spaces are now becoming platforms to spread safe sex messages to as many people as possible.
According to Unicef, the current HIV rate in Tanzania hovers at about 6 percent. Life expectancy is 56 years. An estimated 15 percent of Tanzanian women have undergone female genital mutilation. Lifetime risk of maternal death is 1 in 24, one of the highest in the world. Forty percent of 18-year-old girls in Tanzania are mothers already or pregnant.
GlobalPost's Iva Skoch took a walk outside the painted walls of the all-girls Jangwani Secondary School in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, where sex education comes in the form of murals. Here is what she found:
"Have principles," reads one sex ed mural in Tanzania, where wall murals offer safe sex messages. (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Do not engage in risky behavior." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Be faithful in your marriage." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Avoid hidden environments." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Education about AIDS should be given at school." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Stay away from bad peers." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Say no, have principles." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Don't lust and avoid temptations." Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Be satisfied with what you have." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Stop sexual corruption." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Focus on your studies, stop dirty thoughts." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Be safe." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Stop female genital mutilation." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Read. But don't read about or watch sex." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Avoid having many lovers." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
"Don't be greedy, avoid temptation" and "Say no to propositions." (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
Fataki is a fictional Tanzanian sugar daddy. The extensive Fataki campaign aims to put an end to the prevalence of cross-generational sex. (Iva R. Skoch/GlobalPost)
Wanderlust is a regular GlobalPost series on global sex and relationship issues written by Iva Skoch, who is now traveling the world writing a book on the subject.
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