AIDS: Trying to see beneath the surface

In the West, it is tragic but true that South Africa – and sub-Saharan Africa as a whole – is frequently associated with the expanding HIV/AIDS worldwide epidemic. South African government long drew attention for its denial of the virus’s severity, promoting traditional herbal medicine as treatment; recently, under the presidency of Jacob Zuma, other problems have come to the forefront. Zuma, who was nearly convicted of raping a teenage girl, has obstinately refused to have himself tested for the virus, setting a distressingly bad example for the country’s legions of sexually active and at-risk young men and women. In a country where the disease is so heavily stigmatized that only a fraction of those who have contracted HIV are tested and diagnosed, the president’s irresponsible refusal to be tested is ensuring that nothing changes too quickly. To make matters worse, Zuma stated in court that after having relations with the significantly younger girl, he simply took a shower and “cleansed” himself of the virus.

I’ve continually heard from friends here that the situation is improving, that government policy is beginning show signs of amelioration and increased awareness. Nonetheless, a number of occurrences and phenomena have managed to seize my attention.

First, while over one in four South African adults are believed to have HIV/AIDS, I am yet to meet or hear of someone who has the virus. I’ve met an impressive amount of people here, made a considerable number of friends, but not once have I heard of anyone I know having HIV. Centering myself around the University of Kwazulu-Natal, this could certainly be one way to account for this – being a prestigious institution, it would most likely cater to a wealthier and more educated population, one that is in general less likely to contract the virus. Secondly, this could be because I’ve spent most of my time in large cities, rather than in the townships where the disease is supposed to have the highest degree of prevalence. Lastly, however, I can’t help but wonder if this has something to do with the intense stigmatization of the virus. Maybe people are just less likely to get tested and in turn know that they have the virus. Obviously, it is similarly possible that stigmatization causes people who know they have the virus to not disclose this fact, while still acting responsibly and not putting others at risk.

This morning, on my way to the coffee shop, I witnessed a troubling incident. Walking past a schoolyard, I stopped and overheard a teacher yelling at a number of students for teasing a fellow student – it had not been your average tease, however. The teacher was yelling at three boys for making fun of another boy for having HIV. “Why would you say that he had HIV? That’s ridiculous!” the teacher had yelled. I stopped dead in my tracks, not believing my ears. As I observed, I wondered what could possibly have caused the boys to say such a thing.

Was calling someone HIV positive a common insult amongst the youth, like being “gay” or “retarded” used to be when I was in elementary school? I’m inclined to believe that what I heard was a serious aberration and that such occurrences are very uncommon, but I have little way of actually knowing. As an outsider it’s difficult to tell, to get beneath the stigma and understand how the virus is seen here.