Stigma and prejudice – Media Watch
Sangomas get on board
Traditional healers, also known as sangomas, often claim to be able to cure a vast array of ailments, sometimes even HIV. It is quite the statement, considering that a medically viable cure is yet to be found. Yet many South Africans continue to seek council from these healers. It is a practice rooted deeply in many cultures, and as they preceed the arrival of Western medicine, the advice of sangomas continues to be highly prized today.
Putting traditional healers to the test
The Daily Sun last week reported on a joint government and civil society drive to sensitise trainee traditional healers around HIV.
The main thrust of the initiative appears to have been focused on encouraging graduating healers to “practice what they preach” by knowing their own HIV-status before going out to provide services to people living with HIV.
Of the 104 trainee healers, 30 tested positive for HIV, “the people’s paper” reported. It subsequently quoted one of the positive healers saying: “I am happy that I now know my status…”.
Though the future healer is not identified, the article’s casual proffering of potentially sensitive information does raise some questions.
Commonwealth’s common knowledge
According to an article in The New Age (TNA) the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Perth, Australia will challenge old homophobic laws still present in many commonwealth countries.
HIV Stigma still stifling SA
An employer’s angry and paranoid reaction to the news that her domestic worker is HIV-positive illustrates that South Africa still has a long hard road to travel to disseminate knowledge around HIV and sow the seeds of acceptance for those living with the virus.
According to The Times and the Sowetan the woman’s employer obtained her HIV results without her consent from an equally guilty National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) employee.
Besides the obvious violation of the worker’s rights by her employer and the NHLS staff member there is also the issue of stigmatisation.
News reports say that the woman’s employer has subsequently developed a “horrible attitude” towards the employee threatening to fire her if she makes her “sick”. The employer also stopped the domestic worker form making her tea and will not let the woman near her room.
MSM: But a blip on the media’s radar
While an article in this week’s issue of Move! Magazine highlights the health concerns associated with infidelity and hands out some useful advice, it fails to engage with the complex issue of men who have sex with men (MSM).
The Move! Article entitled ‘Is he attracted to other men?’ is an indication that the ‘invisible’ group of men who have sex with men (MSM) are finally on the radar.
But the vignette of the woman who finds out her husband is cheating with another man fails to scratch below the surface and touch on the broader social issues which underpin the personal experiences of homosexual and bisexual people.
