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Lushoto leads Tanga Region in spread of HIV/Aids
2007-02-20 09:16:25
By George Sembony, PST, Tanga
With a prevalence rate of 9.2%, Lushoto District is looking for viable solutions to save the heavily populated district from the threat of an HIV/Aids onslaught that now knows no age limit.
Adherents of traditions and customary norms regarding inheriting widows in Lushoto district have now come up with a `renovation` to the custom now under heavy attack by HIV/Aids activists throughout the country.
According to Mzee Twakiondo, an elder who attended the Evaluation Meeting for HIV/Aids Activities in Lushoto District, organized by the District Medical Officer`s office recently, adherents to the custom have conjured up a novel idea to enable them to continue with their now abhorrent manner.
When time comes for cleansing a widow who is about to be inherited, the widow, Mzee Twakiondo revealed, is taken to a room where she is told to lie down face up and the man who is supposed to inherit and cleanse the widow jumps over the widow instead of having sex with her.
To the casual observer the `renovation` is a superb alternative to resolve the conflict between traditions and the fight against HIV/Aids.
However, when pressed to say whether the action is done with or without clothes, Mzee Twakiondo and other elders agreed that the ritual is actually conducted with both man and women having their clothes off, a somewhat `dangerous` move.
To add salt to an already leaking wound the ritual is just between the two people, alone in a room.
Activists wondered whether the two people would actually remain faithful to the tradition and fear of Aids and confine themselves to mere jumping over or do something more than that.
The activists say that what is at question here is the custom of inheriting widows because even if sex is not involved, there are fears that the two people may develop cordial relations that might lead to sexual relations.
There is, of course, the ready excuse of witchcraft being blamed for the cause of death of the widow's husband which have grave consequences.
Continued adherence to some traditional and customary norms was cited by activists as one of the major obstacles to HIV/Aids control efforts in Lushoto district.
The Lushoto Council Aids Control Coordinator, Gwatako Nyakoki, said that the HIV/Aids situation in the district is serious despite concerted efforts by the government and community-based organizations (CBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to educate people on prevention of the disease.
According to the Lushoto District Aids Control Coordinator (DACC), Agripina Mushi, the district's infection rate for 2005 was 9.2% with Lushoto becoming the leading district in HIV infection rate among the eight Tanga region districts.
Activists lay the blame squarely on continued seemingly 'unflinching' adherence to such traditional and customary norms as inheriting widows irrespective of whether the husband died of Aids or not.
`In such a case the death is dismissed as having been caused by witchcraft to clear the way for 'smooth' wife inheriting,` Nyakoki pointed out.
Continued performance of a traditional 'cleansing' act on the widow whereby the man who would inherit her performs sex with her exacerbates the HIV/Aids situation in the district.
The act is supposedly 'cleansing' the widow from a bad omen resulting from the death of her husband. This act, Nyakoki said, accelerates HIV infection among the respective family members.
Other traditional norms are local dances aimed at driving away evil spirits (mpungwa) but where it is said the medicine man runs away with the woman to some selected place where he performs some ritual (sexual intercourse) to drive away the spirits.
The husband is forced to carry a pot full of water with instructions to make sure no drop of water touches the ground.
He mentioned other traditional norms as including female genital mutilation which is now, according to sources, being performed on female children immediately after birth.
Another `ritual` is when women seek charm (ngekewa) to attract men. They encounter traditional medicine men who perform the sexual act on them supposedly giving them the charms through that way.
Other reasons for increased prevalence of the disease is increasing influx into the area of businesspersons and local night dances.
Nyakoki said that the increased prevalence has resulted in a similar increase of orphans due to deaths from the disease.
He pointed out that a study on the number of orphans has revealed that the number has increased from 2,000 in the year 2002 to 6,000, last year.
He said, however, that a number of steps have been taken to educate and prevent further prevalence.
Nyakoki mentioned the measures as including training programmes to various groups such as 32 Ward Aids Control Committees and 142 traditional medicine persons on prevention methods.
The council has conducted training on prevention and overcoming stigma and segregation to 60 clan leaders and 200 religious leaders (both Christian and Moslem).
Nyakoki, however, said apart from traditional and customary norms being a major obstacle, there was a problem of leaders not according proper priority to the HIV/Aids problem.
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