HIV/AIDS & changing culture in Zimbabwe
By Kudzai Chimhangwa
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has caused untold suffering among thousands of families in Zimbabwe, among other African countries. Strangely, the epidemic continues to wreak havoc among hundreds of households yet a large section of the urban population is enlightened about the disease and how it is transmitted. A plethora of print and electronic media exists which serves as an important method of informing people about the dangers of risky sexual behaviour. However, it seems that the reason for increasing risky sexual behaviour lies in young people’s attitudes and perceptions of gender and sexuality. Besides the apparent demise of traditional societal structures following the advent of urban modernity, young people seem to be following in the footsteps of their elders. Perhaps this is a scenario that is observable in most countries with high rates of HIV infection, but it would be interesting to look at the causes and effects of societal influence on the young person’s mind in Zimbabwe.
A casual stroll to the local bar or pub and chat with just about any person would be an eye-opener.
One man aged forty on average, points out to a group of three young men that gone are the good old days when men could have ‘real’ fun. He explains how he could sleep with several women in one night without fearing the risk of contracting HIV, besides having lots of money in his pocket in those days. The admiration is written all over the young men’s faces as they wish they could have been like the man in his heydays .Even then, sleeping with different women seems to be the in-thing among young men who patronize most bars. Statements such as ‘ I tasted that girl you see over there, she is a treat,’ or ‘That prostitute charged me little but she had so much fun that she invited me to her house tonight for free,’ are not uncommon. The prevailing belief is that in order to be accepted among one’s peers, one has to be promiscuous so that he has tales to tell the others. This unbelievably gives one a certain measure of respect among his peers. Lying about sexual encounters is not an option because each group of peers has its established methods of verifying the authenticity of information given to them.
The transition into manhood can be a strenuous task for the young person. He is expected to be aggressive, domineering, intolerant, as well as seizing upon the opportunity to display his physical and mental strength even if it may be at the expense of another’s dignity. Women are usually the victims of such values, at the level of girlfriend or wife. Should a woman fail to acquiesce to the young man’s demand for sex then she is verbally and physically abused. Upon explaining such an encounter to his friends, a certain young man was comforted and told not to worry because he had ‘become a man.’ Even elderly men within earshot of the conversation explained that women prefer to be ‘forced’ into having sex because that is the norm. Their argument is that no proper woman will openly agree to have sex and request her boyfriend to wear a condom because if she does so then she is an ‘experienced whore.’ This belief seems to have entered the minds of most young girls who desire to be married which probably explains their reluctance to use condoms and be deemed ‘pure’ and suitable for marriage. Under such circumstances, the HIV scourge continues to infect one individual to the next.
Girls are taught from an early age that the domain of the culturally acceptable woman is in the kitchen. She must learn to be submissive and tolerate every excess of men regardless of how oppressive it may be. However, the scourge has caused so much suffering that some women have found it necessary to take the forefront in making decisions about their sexual lives; and that includes the use of condoms. One young woman, who plies her trade in the oldest profession pointed out that she always insists on the use of protection with her clients because she greatly fears for her life. Another more daring lady of the night explained that the harsh economic conditions have forced her to accept her clients’ demands including not using a condom. ‘If the guy pays well, then I am prepared not to use a condom. Every cent counts because my family depends on the money that I make,’ she calmly explains. Interestingly, another young woman explained that she sleeps around in a bid to look for a suitable man in her life. The various perspectives on the issue of HIV/AIDS among young people present interesting information that may be made use of by policy-makers in the media industry. Appealing to their attitudes and perceptions of sexuality in a positive manner would be a great step towards reducing the incidence of the scourge.