Welcome to the Mambo Blog
Unprotected sex
Dear Auntie Fola,
I attended a workshop where somebody said it is possible for someone to have unprotected sex with a positive person – and not get infected. How’s this possible? I always thought you get the virus the moment you use a condom when having sex with a positive person.
Ask Fola
This is your place to ask me questions about your problems. Just type your question as a blog comment and check back for my advice. I hope to get your answers out within the week.
My friends
Dear Auntie Fola,
I am an African girl aged 16. I live in North London with my mum, two older brothers and a younger sister. My mum doesn’t like any of my friends because she says they are not from the same ‘background’. Infact she says we children will have to marry only people from my tribe (I am a Muganda from Uganda). She hates it when we bring home friends who are ‘outsiders’. My brothers are particularly upset about this, as their girlfriends are not from Uganda. How can we make mum understand that in choosing a friend, tribe or ethnic origin really should not be an issue?
Teen problems
Dear Auntie Fola,
My daughters are now in their teens - the sexually active age group. The thought that they might soon be in a relationship fills me with horror, especially when I think about all the sexually transmitted infections out there. I find it difficult to talk to them about sex and sexual health. My wife complains that I worry too much about the matter. The thing is, I feel I do not worry enough. I have thought about restricting the girls’ movements, like by imposing curfew, but I know that it will not work. What can I do?
Dear Tom
Dear Tom,
You need to understand that although you and your family are African, you now live in a different environment to where you were born. Here in the UK, parental involvement in educating teenagers about sexual health is common.