“He’s the butcher, he has AIDS. 

She’s the teacher, she has AIDS.

He’s the doctor, he has AIDS”.

The Book of Mormon is a religious satire musical made by the creators of the cartoon comedy South Park. It tells the story of two mormon missionaries that are sent to Uganda. After arriving to african lands they will realize Uganda is nothing like Lion King, but instead, it’s full of war, famine, poverty and AIDS. 

One of the characters says that a member of the tribe got caught raping a baby. Why? Because some people there believe that raping a virgin will cure their AIDS.

The Book of Mormon is not just making fun of a religion, but it’s also trying to bring attention to what’s going on in the poor parts of Africa. It’s indeed a musical, but somehow it’s not one hundred percent fiction. There’s some reality to it. For instance, in one of the songs they say: “An 80% of us have AIDS”. And even though that’s not completely true, approximately 70% of Sub-Saharan people live with the HIV virus. It’s important to know that a person has AIDS once their HIV virus has destroyed a certain number of immune cells.

Moreover, this Broadway musical doesn’t only denounce the alarming amount of people with AIDS in Africa, but it also criticizes the non-acceptance of homosexuality. One of the two mormons would sing: “Imagine that your brain is made of tiny boxes, and find the one that’s gay and crush it”.

As a Designers Against AIDS collaborator, I feel like this Broadway musical reflects our concern for the fight against HIV, and if you aren’t a mormon and want lo laugh a bit, check this musical out.

I hope you had a great weekend AIDS fighters!