Princess Zulu: Sentenced to Death

Twelve years ago when Dr Tembo gave me the news that I was HIV positive, he gave me only six months to live. While Time magazine’s Man of the Year—Dr. David Ho—had created a cocktail of drugs that could suppress HIV, it would be years before treatment made its way to the poor hospital in Luanshya, Zambia where I lived.

Even five years later, only eight thousand people in Africa had access to these drugs—but millions had died. At the time, few people knew or admitted what had claimed their lives. We called the disease “Slim” or “Kalawe Noko,” which means ‘go and say goodbye to your mother.’ It had no respect of person—it took the young and the strong, leaving behind the weak and the frail.

Proudly today, I have witnessed a great increase in the number of people accessing treatment. Given the “perfect storm” of conditions that allowed AIDS to march across Africa, the fact that the tide is now turning is both remarkable and inspirational. Millions of deaths have been averted. Children can now sleep at night with their parents watching over them.

But I caution to add—our task is far from over. In 2008, for every two people who started taking antiretroviral drugs, another five become newly infected. Access to treatment is a long way from being universal.

We need to maintain the pressure on our elected leaders, our places of worship and our broader communities to march forward.

Twelve years ago, I was given six months to live. I am still fighting, and God willing, I will continue to do so. I will continue to fight until all who require treatment, regardless of where we were born and how we contracted the virus, have access not only to HIV/AIDS treatment, but to all health services. That to me is universal access—and that is a basic human right.

-Princess Kasune Zulu

Televangelist Oral Roberts Passes

God is merciful and good. Televangelist Oral Roberts died on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 from complications related to pneumonia and a fall he sustained in his home last weekend. He was 91 years old. When I first read that he'd passed this morning on Facebook, I started thinking about my personal memories of having met him.

I had the privilege and honor of meeting he and his wife in person in 2005, while on a speaking tour in Southern California along with Princess Zulu. We were introduced by a mutual friend, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, CA.
Rev. Roberts honored us by saying he'd come to church that day to hear Princess Zulu speak and share her incredible story. He had a marvelous sense of humor and we took a picture with him.

I also recall visiting his namesake university in Tulsa, Okla., the first Pentecostal university in the world, ironically built by a man who never finished college. As I was driving down the road at nightime in Tulsa, I remember how frightened I was when I approached Oral Roberts University campus and the 60 foot bronze statue of praying hands lit up by a series of flood lights. I wasn't sure what they were at first, but I drove back during the daytime and was so awestruck by the structure's grandeur and the peaceful way I felt walking on the campus.

Rest in peace, Oral Roberts. You led a full life and touched many lives in the Name of Jesus.

When your girlfriend is a Princess: Royalty has its privledges

Meet Princess Kasune Zulu, My friend from Zambia, Africa. I first met her in 2002. I realized at that time that she is the first-born daughter I never birthed.

Since the time of our first meeting up to today, I have enough to say about her that I could actually start a blog just about her and her exploits! Suffice to say that she is a queen among young women. She is smart, saavy and very special. She is a newlywed and a mommy. And there is absolutely no end to how God will use her to change this world.

Last week she was in St. Paul working with First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain and addressing Republican delegates; the week before she was in Denver working with Michelle Obama and Mrs. Biden, and addressing the Democratic delegates.

Here she is shown accepting a kiss from the leader of the "free world," President George W. Bush in the Rose Garden of the White House in 2004. I remember asking her how it felt to meet privately with and talk to Pres Bush, General Colin Powell, and then Sec. of Health, Tommy Thompson in a closed door meeting at the White House to discuss HIV and AIDS appropriations for Africa.

She replied, "Why dahling (she's so British), what do you mean? Each day I speak directly to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords." Should I be overly impressed to speak to anyone after that?" I just shook my head at her answer--She's amazing.