Twenty five-year-old Sifiso Mvundle who is living positively with HIV says art allows him to express himself since he is not a person of many words. Mvundle who was raised by his paternal grandmother in Mzimhlophe, Soweto, attests to the pain of growing up not knowing who your mother is.                                                                       "I was raised by my grandmother and my father and until this day I do not know how my mother looks like. I was diagnosed with HIV when I was around 12 years and all that time my grandmother was the one who used to take care of me by taking me to the clinic and ensuring that I was on medication," he says. But life took a turn when she passed on in 2011, this meant he was all alone.

DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL

Growing up Sifiso says he was a loner and was bullied at school because of his status. "I was used to being alone because no one liked me in society as at school they bullied me and said I smelled. No one wanted to be with me because I was HIV positive and for this reason I left school in 2016 when I was doing Grade 10 and resorted to art.'

DRAWING IS THERAPY 

He says that drawing allowed him to express all the anger that he has been bottling inside for all these years. "I am a very quiet person and instead of fighting in the streets I choose to be in my room and draw which allows me to be at my happy place, somewhere I have never been too physically because my life has been full of challenges. To me, drawing is like therapy.' After leaving school Sifiso could not read and write and cannot find proper employment because of this. In 2017, he met Nonhlanhla Mazaleni of Tholulwazi Phakathi, an NGO based in Soweto that deals with teens who are living with HIV. "I met sis Nhlanhla in 2017 and she helped me with HIV counselling and allowed me to live openly with HIV because after the passing of my granny I had to now go to the clinic alone which was something I was not used to but being at Tholulwazi has allowed me to regain my voice and be amongst a family that doesn't judge but loves me for who I am," he says adding that, "I try to sell art to make a living because I cannot be employed. I have met amazing people in my life who have helped me. Instead of sitting in my room all day, they have taught me how to sharpen my skill of drawing and I am grateful.'

PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE

He sees himself going into business and encouraging other young men who are living with HIV that this is not a death sentence. "If I could get assistance with maths and business skills, I would really venture into that because currently, people take advantage because of the fact I cannot read.'