T-shirts made for 2008 World AIDS Day commemoration
Friday, December 05, 2008
Africa Churches struggling to break the silence on HIV and AIDS
Maputo 5th December, 2008- ‘women are cultured not to speak on issues affecting them in the society’ this were remarks made today at a pre-Assembly meeting convened by the Ecumenical HIV AIDS initiative in Africa (EHAIA). HIV and AIDS is one of the nine themes at the 9th All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) Assembly scheduled to open on 7th December through to 12th December, 2008 in Maputo, Mozambique.
‘We see people die in Churches because they don’t have the courage to disclose their status’- said one participant at the meeting. Dr Nyambura Njoroge the continental co-ordinator for EHAIA an ecumenical body that co-ordinates Churches HIV and AIDS response in Africa said- ‘we are afraid to discuss sexuality related issues in the church, fear that such discussion may expose our sexual life’. She added that despite HIV being around for several years; ‘sexuality remains a taboo in Africa churches’.
The PLWHAs lamented that ‘church leaders normally close church doors from PLWHA’s thus shutting discussions on HIV and AIDS instead making it a taboo’.
EHAIA participants deliberate in one of the pre-Assembly meeting on HIV and AIDS. Photo 2008 @ G.Arende
Dr. Nyambura was optimistic that the African churches had the potential and capacity to break the silence on HIV and AIDS. ‘The church needs to discover new ways of discussing sexuality, the top church leadership are key in helping us break the silence’- she emphasized.
Cathedral D Xavier Boca Matolorio in Mozambique a member of AACC is one such churches in Maputo endeavoring to met demands of one hundred and sixty children orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Centre established in 1995 provides hope for children whose parents succumbed to the HIV virus. Bishop Benedito Ndzavo of D Xavier Boca church stressed ‘it is a duty of the church to provide for orphans’. He added that the HIV and AIDS silence prevents the church from its prophetic mission.
Maputo 5th December, 2008- ‘women are cultured not to speak on issues affecting them in the society’ this were remarks made today at a pre-Assembly meeting convened by the Ecumenical HIV AIDS initiative in Africa (EHAIA). HIV and AIDS is one of the nine themes at the 9th All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) Assembly scheduled to open on 7th December through to 12th December, 2008 in Maputo, Mozambique.
‘We see people die in Churches because they don’t have the courage to disclose their status’- said one participant at the meeting. Dr Nyambura Njoroge the continental co-ordinator for EHAIA an ecumenical body that co-ordinates Churches HIV and AIDS response in Africa said- ‘we are afraid to discuss sexuality related issues in the church, fear that such discussion may expose our sexual life’. She added that despite HIV being around for several years; ‘sexuality remains a taboo in Africa churches’.
The PLWHAs lamented that ‘church leaders normally close church doors from PLWHA’s thus shutting discussions on HIV and AIDS instead making it a taboo’.
EHAIA participants deliberate in one of the pre-Assembly meeting on HIV and AIDS. Photo 2008 @ G.Arende
Dr. Nyambura was optimistic that the African churches had the potential and capacity to break the silence on HIV and AIDS. ‘The church needs to discover new ways of discussing sexuality, the top church leadership are key in helping us break the silence’- she emphasized.
Cathedral D Xavier Boca Matolorio in Mozambique a member of AACC is one such churches in Maputo endeavoring to met demands of one hundred and sixty children orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Centre established in 1995 provides hope for children whose parents succumbed to the HIV virus. Bishop Benedito Ndzavo of D Xavier Boca church stressed ‘it is a duty of the church to provide for orphans’. He added that the HIV and AIDS silence prevents the church from its prophetic mission.
Am in Maputo attending the AACC General Assembly. before arriving here we had a connecting flight through Jo'Berg. George had ignored the need to change our Kenya currency into either Rand or Dollars for use while in Maputo. Partly this was my perception that Kenya being a 'Financial hub' in East Africa it would be pretty easy to access any forex exchange bureau and change into preferred currency of my choise.
In South Africa where i had high hopes it was not possible to so i kept my hopes alive while trying to be positive and optimistic. I watched cute lovely and must have souvenirs but unfortunately had only to store them in my memory via my salivating Retina.
In Maputo this were not better coz it was the same story- 'we dont exchange kenya currency'.
Still refusing to be negative and staying put on positive thinking as advised by famous author Ben Carson in his Think BIG book; i commenced search for an international bank. what was in my mind was Barclays (which i dont bank with owing to the historic formation linked to slavery) but as this time i felt like a slave so had no option. My bank standard chartered was the second resort owing to its scarcity in major Africa cities.
wallah..... was my exclamation phrase when i sighted a Barclays. little did i know that it wont process my card for the now precious Meticar the Mozambique currency.
Here i was wondering what next being a country with my currency which wasnt authentic
In South Africa where i had high hopes it was not possible to so i kept my hopes alive while trying to be positive and optimistic. I watched cute lovely and must have souvenirs but unfortunately had only to store them in my memory via my salivating Retina.
In Maputo this were not better coz it was the same story- 'we dont exchange kenya currency'.
Still refusing to be negative and staying put on positive thinking as advised by famous author Ben Carson in his Think BIG book; i commenced search for an international bank. what was in my mind was Barclays (which i dont bank with owing to the historic formation linked to slavery) but as this time i felt like a slave so had no option. My bank standard chartered was the second resort owing to its scarcity in major Africa cities.
wallah..... was my exclamation phrase when i sighted a Barclays. little did i know that it wont process my card for the now precious Meticar the Mozambique currency.
Here i was wondering what next being a country with my currency which wasnt authentic
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