Below, a download of "Disappear," a song by Nadja Benaissa and her band "No Angels," which represented Germany at the 2008 Eurovision song contest. The votes came in, and the girls finished dead last.
Speaking of dead, HIV is not something that will "Disappear," and when it comes to unprotected sex, Nadja's sent a message to the world that the odds are not always going to be with you.
I know someone living with HIV…and it's a she, not a he. Too many women think they can't get HIV because they don't share some moron's needles, or don't engage in high-risk activity (such as anal sex, where abrasions are most likely to allow infected semen into the bloodstream). Well, the woman I know has had her life turned upside down and while she's survived for over a decade now, it's been a financial hardship, the drugs she takes have side effects, and unlike Nadja Bernaissa, she always disclosed her condition which effectively stopped a lot of budding romances. Nadja never disclosed her condition, and worse, accepted the logical (but wrong) advice that sex with her was not dangerous since it was almost impossible for a male to get her infection into his bloodstream. Almost.
A year ago, Nadja Benaissa was arrested at a disco in Frankfurt just before she was about to perform. She was told that at least one of her sex partners had developed HIV. Finally the verdict is in: a two-year suspended sentence.
It's a slap on the wrist, but if she was sent to prison for a few years…would that be headline news over and above what she's already gotten in the press? Would it serve as a precedent or a deterrent? Hard to say. There's also Nadja herself…she's not a "bad" person. She and her "No Angels" have feelings. They posed nude (from the back) for German magazine ads on behalf of PETA, the courageous animal rights organization. She expressed remorse for her stupidity, and called herself "cowardly" for hiding her HIV condition from her partners and the media.
In happier times, No Angels had four #1 hits in Germany before their novelty wore off and they broke up in 2003. They re-united in 2007 (moving from five girls down to four) and hoped to stage a comeback with "Disappear." Chances are that No Angels will simply go away. HIV will not. HIV and AIDS infection can happen by accident as much as through human foolishness or ignorance. If anything positive has come out of the HIV positive story of Nadja Benaissa, it's the increased awareness that women can indeed pass along HIV to males. There is no cure for "stupid," but correcting "ignorance" is another matter. Live and learn.
NO ANGELS: DISAPPEAR Instant download or listen on line. No wait time or pop-under pestiness.
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