AFRO-NETS> Circle For Change

[Janet Feldman <kaippg@earthlink.net>]

Circle For Change
-----------------

Source: "AF-AIDS" <af-aids@lists.healthdev.net>

by Aulora Stally, Zimbabwe

African women theologians are rejecting traditional harmful practices 
that contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

"We unanimously reject female genital mutilation. It is mutilation, 
it dehumanises us. It demotes our dignity and reduces us into instru-
ments." There is need to break this secrecy over cultural practices 
which are so horrendous that they can be classified as torture and, 
in some cases, murder," emphasised Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, General Secre-
tary of the World Young Women's Christian Association (World YWCA) 
and coordinator of THE CIRCLE of concerned African women theologians 
at the opening ceremony of a four-day conference on "Sex, Stigma and 
HIV/AIDS - African women challenging religion, culture and social 
practices."

The conference was hosted by the YWCA of Ethiopia, in collaboration 
with seven other organisations, from 5 to 8 August, 2002 in Addis 
Ababa. Dr Kanyoro said that African women theologians have been work-
ing together for 13 years and are engaged in grassroots research to 
give a public voice to women and girls in local communities. THE 
CIRCLE of African Women Theologians was officially inaugurated in 
1989 in Accra, Ghana, the home country of its founder, Dr. Mercy Amba 
Oduyouye. Since its establishment, over 30 books have been produced. 
During this conference, nine new books were launched.

The main focus of THE CIRCLE conference is to strengthen awareness 
and understanding among African women, particularly to confront 
HIV/AIDS stigma, one of the main factors in the spread of HIV/AIDS. 
THE CIRCLE is concerned about the plight of young women, who are more 
susceptible to HIV/AIDS than their male counterparts. A recent 
UNAIDS/WHO/UNICEF report says that adolescent girls are at high risk 
of HIV infection, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The report esti-
mates that more than two-thirds of newly-infected 15 to 19-year-olds 
in this region are female. In Ethiopia, Malawi, United Republic of 
Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, for every 15 to 19-year-old boy who is 
infected, there are five to six girls infected in the same age group. 
Women theologians investigated the root causes of the epidemic that 
contribute to women's vulnerability. The conference featured experi-
ences of women living with HIV/AIDS, and highlighted experiences of 
those affected by HIV in their communities.

This is the third Pan-African meeting of THE CIRCLE. The first gath-
ering took place in 1989 in Accra, Ghana, and the second in 1996 in 
Nairobi, Kenya. Ethiopian women theologians have been members of THE 
CIRCLE since its beginning and this Ethiopia conference is a form of 
solidarity with the many Ethiopian women who are affected by cultural 
practices that make them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. 
Ethiopia continues to feel the impact of poverty through hunger, fam-
ine and HIV/AIDS. However, Dr Kanyoro indicated that this country 
also provides us with unique characteristics, particularly a histori-
cal role of religion that does not find a comparison elsewhere in Af-
rica.

Dr Kanyoro challenged church leaders to teach their faithful adher-
ents that God created our bodies as they are and we do not need to 
transform them to please anyone under the guise of culture. She high-
lighted the significance of leaders and the ongoing need for politi-
cal will, emphasising the need for a body of women representatives 
among leaders as their input can shape policies that bring about dig-
nity for women as well as men. "We need to be liberated and instru-
mental in the way we approach HIV/AIDS," she said, calling for gen-
der-sensitivity in international fora such as the African Union (AU) 
the new umbrella organisation replacing the Organisation of African 
Unity (OAU): "Don't leave the voice of Africa Unity alone. We will 
hold you accountable; we are women of faith, and hope is our emblem." 
Dr Kanyoro's message of faith concluded her speech: "God hears us and 
sustains us and will provide the kind of unity as women and men to 
work together, as brothers and sisters, as children of God."

Aulora Stally
mailto:astally@zol.co.zw

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