A tall, leggy woman peels off her skirt and top to dance. In some places that would be an unremarkable movie scene - except that this is porn in South Africa, with a twist.

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"Mapona Volume 1" (naked in Sotho), the first black porn movie produced in South Africa, has grabbed people's attention for a different reason. Unlike most locally produced erotica DVD, the men are filmed putting on condoms before sex. All actors also underwent mandatory tests for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

"We want to show using condoms can be fun and practical," says producer Tau Morena. He insists that if people "condomise" before sex then their health will benefit.

South Africa has 5.6 million people who are HIV-positive out of a 50-million population, according to UN estimates. After years of denial the country has intensified its efforts to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, increasing the provision of male condoms from 450 million in 2008 to more than 1.5 billion by next year.

Black on black
"Mapona Volume 1" is also filling another gap in the market, that of locally produced porn movies. The idea started when subscribers, mostly black middle class, of an explicit adult website called Sondeza.com, meaning "closer" in Zulu, complained about the shortage of local porn.

Morena said the movie, which has sold more than 5,000 copies at prices ranging from 150 to 200 rands (21-28 US dollars, 15-21 euros) since it hit adult shop shelves six weeks ago, was meant to portray average black South Africans.

"There is no shortage of adult film, but most are imported," Morena said. "Basically there is a shortage of niche black South African. We haven't changed the formula, we just re-packaged it. It's 100-percent black on black."

"Bubbly personality"
Hundreds of aspiring porn stars turned out for open auditions to shoot the film in Johannesburg, where the only criteria was a "bubbly personality".

South Africa's few local adult productions are mostly in English or Afrikaans, the languages spoken by descendants of the first European settlers.

Patrick Meyer, general manager of JT Publishing, a company that distributes porn films, said the local industry was picking up. "This year there are about 10 movies locally produced on the market compared to about four in 2009," he said.

Concerns
But religious leaders have denounced "Mapona Volume 1". Kenneth Meshoe, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party, said "porn exploits women". He was also disappointed that "black South Africans chose to do something which is foreign to Africa."

Other critics have raised concerns about its impact on AIDS. They cite an American porn star's recent positive HIV test, which prompted a shut-down of California's multi-billion-dollar sex business.

Medical experts, however, seem encouraged by the use of condoms in the movie. Although one health academic suggested it was unlikely that people's attitudes would change as a result of watching the film.

"I think the makers of 'Mapona' have been very smart in promoting themselves as purveyors of a positive, safe sex message," said Dr Rebecca Hodes, deputy director of the AIDS and Society Research Unit at the University of Cape Town.

"But is there evidence to support their claims that the use of condoms in porn promotes safer sex or encourages viewers to think twice about their risky sexual practices? I doubt it."

Source: AFP