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Friday, Sep 28, 2007 8:44 PM UTC

Condomania

Looking for the latest news from the world of prophylactics? You've come to the right place.

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Topics: Broadsheet, Love and Sex,

I was going to do a general roundup, but then I thought to myself, It’s Friday, why not do something a little more fun. Like, you know, an update on the realm of condoms. For example:

The BBC reports that “in between oiling their AK-47s,” the Angolan army has been “using bananas as a model of what to do with a condom.” Yes, you heard that right: The Angolan army has just joined your middle-school sex-ed class. The reasoning behind the bananas is that even though Angola’s HIV infection rate is currently relatively low (3.9 percent of its 9 million people test positive), it has all the risk factors associated with HIV prevalence. And many of the soldiers have “never seen a condom before, much less used one,” the doctor in charge is quoted as saying. By teaching the soldiers what to do with condoms, they’re hoping to nip the problem in the bud. Or in the, uh, well … never mind.

Continuing on, we have news from South Carolina’s Index-Journal that a group of local high school girls who put a condom into their substitute teacher’s coffee mug will not actually be pressed with charges.

That’s not the case, however, for the genius who claimed to have invented a spray-on condom. He, along with Citrofresh — an organic antibacterial product company — is facing fines of up to $400,000 (Australian) for misleading investors. Also questionable? The stock art for this article, which shows a finger pressing down on an aerosol can that could easily be confused with hairspray or, for that matter, Mace.

But that’s not all. DKT has just launched a coffee-flavored condom in Ethiopia called “Sensation Coffee.” Unfortunately for all you caffeine fiends out there, it’s currently available only in Ethiopia.

Over in Zambia, there’s a guy who’s hoping to become the nation’s Mr. Condom (not to be confused with similar efforts in India and Thailand).

And finally, speaking of India, it has launched its first condom bar. This is a bit old (the bar opened back in May), but for anyone who hasn’t kept up with condom bar news, this one’s got condom-shaped beer mugs, condom-themed prints on employees’ uniforms and decorations made out of real condoms. The bar offers free condoms, and even gives out condoms in lieu of loose change. I did, given the context, get a bit confused by the article’s description of the place as a “bar cum discothèque,” but the point is that it’s an effort to help people get over their inhibitions about condoms. Now if the Angolan army could only organize a field trip …

Catherine Price is a freelance journalist and author of "101 Places Not to See Before You Die". She also runs a legally themed clothing shop called Illegal Briefs. More Catherine Price.

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