AFRO-NETS> Update: Mbeki and HIV - POLL

[Warren Feek <wfeek@coastnet.com>]

Update: Mbeki and HIV - POLL
----------------------------

To: Participants in the Communication Initiative network with an in-
terest in HIV/AIDS

In the recent Drum Beat we highlighted a POLL on the long term impli-
cations of the initiatives taken by President Mbeki of South Africa 
related to HIV and AIDS. Votes and comments are beginning to come in. 
I thought that I would share some of the initial comments and the 
voting pattern to-date [just over 50% think negative and just under 
50% think positive or are unsure]. If you have not done so and wish 
to vote and comment you will find the POLL on: 

http://www.comminit.com/bin/survey.cgi?id=0524100191628

So far the votes, in relation to the question: "From a communication 
for change perspective, over the long term, is the recent interven-
tion of President Mbeki of South Africa on the link between HIV and 
AIDS, positive or negative?" are:

Negative - 52% Positive - 29.1% Unsure - 18.7% 

Comments include: [NB unedited excerpts]

"Thabo Mbeki's comments need to be understood in the context of South 
Africa's being a new democracy. It is of utmost importance to South 
Africans that everyone has the right to an opinion - a right that was 
flatly denied under apartheid".

"While I don't agree with Mr. Mbeki, I would vote for positive. What 
ever happened to free speech, Plato? I think all arguments should be 
put on the table - even crazy ideas may help us to develop new theo-
ries and challenge thinking in general."

"POSITIVE - It shows that the peer-review system has its limits when 
promising too much. At the early stage of the Aids crisis, 
Gallo/Montagnier gave place to a dispute over who had found HIV. In 
the mean time, works on the AIDS vaccine such as those from Luruma 
Zirimwa Bagabo (Nature 1986) with Dr. Daniel Zagury were ignored even 
condemned (human trial). At that time Dr. Bagabo asked for research 
fundings which were refused from the US unless he would immigrate to 
Bethesda, we can know ask ourselves why it was refused. The conse-
quence of Mbeki's question is that we must found an alternative to 
the idea of progress through science (Canguilhem-G, The Decline of 
the Idea of Progress ECONOMY AND SOCIETY 1998, Vol 27, Iss 2-3, pp 
313-329). The other consequence will be that graduate research will 
be performed directly in developing countries. This may mean that 
they will own crucial knowledge for developing drugs and assessing 
the validity of traditional medicine in Aids prevention. In one word 
it is extremely positive: science is now required to think and commu-
nicate."

"In a recent HIV/AIDS Reporting course organised for Angolan and Mo-
zambican journalists, participants admitted that their basic knowl-
edge on HIV/AIDS is limited. There appears to be a great need for 
HIV/AIDS media training in Southern Africa and the intervention of 
Thabo Mbeki can only contribute to further confuse many journalists 
who are already badly informed and not very able to produce effective 
HIV/AIDS reports."

"A recent article on the Web at 
http://www.salon.com/health/feature/2000/05/18 by Mr Scott Russell 
brings out the complex set of factors influencing South Africa's top 
policy makers. I suspect that the article speaks for more than the 
South Africans and gives a sobering insight into the real politik of 
health and HIV/AIDS policy making at the national levels."

"President Mbeki being an important role model for South Africa's 
population means that his intervention will to be responsible for HIV 
prevention to be widely disregarded. This in turn will be reflected 
in increasing numbers of HIV/AIDS cases. Rather than making the pub-
lic aware of the threat that HIV/AIDS presents to society his inter-
vention will tend to give them a false and dangerous feeling of secu-
rity."

"my comment is the issue of hiv/aids been considered for been the 
poor alone by our government leaders expamle in todays paper in the 
post newspaper in the country were a community development minister 
says and i quote rich people can't catch its a disease for the poor 
he goes on to say that aids is found where there is poverty abd hub-
ger if your blood is weak you get sick because of hunger and poverty. 
if a government official can say such remarks will the fight or 
freely talking about the disease help in any way when people are able 
to listen to there leaders."

"The suggestion that HIV might not cause AIDS has been visibly 
latched onto amongst some sections of the general public here and is 
being used as an argument to postpone sexual behaviour change. There 
are many examples from decades of health related communication in 
many countries to show that people listen out for and nurture ideas 
which enable them to justify dismissing health related messages that 
they do not fine congenial. When there is reasonable scientific doubt 
people will always hear such things and learn to deal with them but 
when credence is given to nonsensical pseudo-science by a very influ-
ential public figure and where the consequences will be to discourage 
people from adopting health protective behaviours the matter is very 
serious." 

Arguments overheard that prompted this POLL 

NEGATIVE - the information is dangerous; it provides an excuse for 
people to ignore safe sex and other preventive measures; the drugs do 
work, to deny them to people is negligent and harmful; gives credi-
bility to a set of myths and falsehoods that are dangerous; and the 
struggle against HIV/AIDS was just beginning to gather momentum in 
South Africa. Bad information and messages through a credible messen-
ger mean that more people in the long term will be affected. 

POSITIVE - good that these views are in the public domain, HIV/AIDS 
advocates can now clearly argue their policy case; the expanded pub-
lic debate, private dialogue and overall engagement on this issue 
will, in the long term, lead people to make good choices; positions 
AIDS in Africa as an African issue to be managed by Africans; and 
highlights the political dimension. In the long term the expanded 
public engagement and ownership will mean a more effective approach 
to HIV/AIDS. 

http://www.comminit.com/bin/survey.cgi?id=0524100191628

If you do not have web access and wish to vote and comment please 
send your vote and written input to Warren Feek at 
<wfeek@comminit.com> We will ensure that it is included in both the 
compiled comments [which will be attributed] and the results. 

Best wishes and thanks

Warren Feek 
Director 
The Communication Initiative 
Tel: +1-250-658-6372 
Fax: +1-250-658-1728
mailto:wfeek@comminit.com 
http://www.comminit.com 

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