AIDS "indaba" highlights conflicting views

A three-day "AIDS Indaba", or traditional Swazi meeting, concluded at the weekend with the enlistment of church leaders in the national campaign to combat the disease by tapping into their influence. "It is good that the church leaders are getting involved, and we support the training of pastors in AIDS awareness," said Derrick Von Wissel, director of the government's National Emergency Response Committee on HIV/AIDS. Hannie Dlamini, secretary-general of the Swaziland AIDS Support Organisation, said after the Indaba, "Words from the pulpit are heard by Swazis, who may turn a deaf ear to government health workers." About 500 religious leaders from mainstream Christian denominations and evangelical Christian groups met in the capital, Mbabane, to debate ways of promoting morality as a counter to the rising HIV rate, now officially at 38,6 percent of the adult population. "Essentially, God is the answer to all but, more specifically, we are fostering Biblically sanctioned lifestyles, like abstinence and fidelity to your partner, as the best ways to stop the spread of HIV," said pastor Jabulani Lukhele. Dlamini has seen his congregation in rural Mliba dwindle by 10 percent a year, according to church enrolment records. "Sadly, there are fewer children at Bible school because they are also dying of AIDS," said Sister Thandie Yende of the Blue Gown Women's Christian Society of Manzini, Swaziland's commercial hub. Other church leaders expressed alarm at the diminishing congregations they see on weekends, and the increasing number of funerals they preside over. Because it is still socially unacceptable for a Swazi to admit being HIV positive, deaths are blamed on "lingering illnesses". "Our brothers and sisters are wasting away, and then they die. Nobody says it is AIDS - but we know," said Manzini pastor Jeremiah Nthsangase. Targeting church leaders to assist social causes began in 2001, when the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) enlisted Swazi pastors in a campaign against child abuse. UNICEF, together with the Swaziland Religious Organisation, this year published a portfolio of sample sermons addressing children's issues, to impress upon pastors and their congregations the emphasis the Bible places on children's welfare, and alert them to the sexual abuse that is another contributor to HIV/AIDS. "Swaziland is a very religious country. We want to involve the church leaders who are really listened to by the people," said UNICEF representative Alan Brody. The featured speaker at the AIDS Indaba, American evangelical preacher Bruce Wilkinson, was hosted by King Mswati III and Queen Mother Ntombi. Both are evangelical Christians, although they remain faithful to the tenets of traditional Swazi ancestral worship. A portion of Wilkinson's "instructions", printed in the daily newspapers, raised questions among health workers. His message was presented as a "learning aide" and included a list of immoral behaviour that did not differentiate between homosexuality or premarital sex, and rape and incest. "The tone of the instructions, and of the AIDS Indaba preaching we've heard, is that a violation of Biblical scripture leads to AIDS. You have wronged God by having sex out of wedlock, or cheating on your spouse, and so you get sick and die. This attitude has led to great guilt about AIDS in Swaziland, and it is the reason why it is taboo to admit you are HIV positive; it is the reason why there is such a great denial about a disease that infects almost 40 percent of the adult population," said a clinic director who asked that her name not be used. A nurse at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini said: "We have been fighting the stigma of AIDS from the beginning. Throwing the Bible at people and calling them sinners for casual sex is counter-productive from a health care point of view." Pastors like Justice Dlamini used the AIDS Indaba as a platform to condemn condom usage, which was generally disparaged by the assembled church leaders. This contradicted the government's policy of encouraging condom usage as the best known way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. "If you abstain from sex, or you are faithful, you don't need condoms, which are full of holes anyway," said Pastor Dlamini. Pastor Lukhele disputed the concerns of some health workers that using Biblical morality to condemn unsafe sex practices would increase AIDS denial in the country. "God is the judge, not us. We are saying that all people are sinners, and the church exists to forgive and provide guidance. Medical science says the only certain way to avoid HIV is through sexual abstinence. We hope to inspire Swazis through the word of God to embrace abstinence," he said. Lukhele acknowledged that abstinence is a hard sell in a polygamous society, where multiple partners are the social norm, and most Swazis become sexually active in their early teens. "We have tried every other approach to stopping AIDS in this country, but nothing is changing personal behaviour. Perhaps it is time for church leaders to do what they do best: preaching morality, and staying that course," said Lukhele.