hiv/aids alienation

376 Pages·2010·2.47 MB·English

by  Janet Brown

University of Stellenbosch

HIV/AIDS ALIENATION:
BETWEEN PREJUDICE AND ACCEPTANCE

JANET L. BROWN

Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Theology
At the University of Stellenbosch

Promoter: Professor H. JURGENS HENDRIKS

April 2004
DECLARATION

I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this dissertation
is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part
submitted it at any university for a degree.

Signature: Date:
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ABSTRACT (English)

This dissertation aimed to ascertain, in a practical theological way, how to
bridge the gulf between the congregation and the AIDS community using home based
care as the vehicle of change. The initial hypotheses of the research were based upon
a model initially developed by World Vision in Nkhotakota, Malawi.
The research question, which the study address, is as follows:
1. Can the negative attitudes, prejudices and behaviours which are held and
demonstrated by many in the church towards those suffering with HIV/AIDS,
be changed by using deliberate attempts to alter their perspective of this
pandemic by providing accurate information, in juxtaposition with the
demonstration of Christ’s love and compassion to this community?
2. In conjunction to this first question comes a second: Can the compassionate
outreach of the church, as it follows Christ’s mandate to love change the
perspective of those in the HIV/AIDS community so that instead of viewing
the church (as a whole) as cold and unloving, their perception will change
with the demonstration of such love and compassion by its membership that
they begin to see the church as a source of hope and love?
To describe the contextual situation in which this study takes place, the
historical background concerning the church’s response to the issue of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic was explored in chapter two. The third chapter discusses the cultural
paradigmatic focuses, unique to the African situation, with attention to the role in the
church as it seeks to comply with its mandated mission. Chapter four then examines
the cultural practices found, specifically in the Malawian context, that promote the
spread and transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus amongst the Chewa people and the
surrounding tribes.
Over and against the identified traditional practices and their interrelationship
with the worldviews of the people of Malawi, chapter five focuses on the practical
theological implications of the church seeing to find identity in Christ. The
ramifications of the praxis process regarding this hermeneutic, in consideration with
the response of the Church as it seeks to reflect the character of the God, as
represented primarily by the attribute of love towards those who are suffering from
being infected or affected by this disease are explored in this chapter. It deals with
the theological ramifications concerning the faith community as it represents the body
of Christ by providing eschatological hope to this suffering world.
The remaining chapters describe the methodology and praxis process utilizing
the research hypothesis developed from the Nkhotakota model. Final conclusions
were then drawn in order to provide understanding as to how to obediently participate
in God’s witness to the world as the faith community addresses the problem of the
HIV/AIDS pandemic in very poor areas in Malawi.
Although the initial optimistic goals of this research were not met as
anticipated, essential discoveries that illuminate the faulty paradigms associated with
critical issues such as the effects of abject poverty were exposed. Difficulties that
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were initially considered secondary to the main thrust of this research, whose
complexities are generally misunderstood by the western paradigm came to light as
the praxis process unfolded. Attempts to sidestep stark issues such as poverty, in
order to address the ‘real’ issues under study served to highlight these problems as
their magnitude forced their recognition and consideration.

This research has exposed is the necessity for further exploration into the
intricate ramifications of issues such poverty by demonstrating the unfortunate fact
that for those struggling to survive at the lowest levels of Maslow’s hierarchy, the
luxury of benevolent service is simply not possible. For these, there is no other issue
but survival. Calling on these sufferers to act as ‘the church’ when their need is so
dire is not only unrealistic, it borders on sacrilege.

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OPSOMMING (Afrikaans)

Hierdie tesis beoog om op ‘n prakties-teologiese wyse vas te stel hoe om die
kloof tussen ‘n gemeente en ‘n Vigs-gemeenskap te oorbrug met tuisversorging as
medium van verandering. Die aanvanklike hipoteses van die navorsing is gebaseer op
‘n model wat oorspronklik deur World Vision by Nkhotakota, Malawi, ontwikkel is.
Die navorsingsvraag waarop dié studie gerig word, is die volgende:
1 Kan die negatiewe houding, vooroordele en optrede van baie kerklidmate
teenoor MIV/Viglyers verander word deur die gebruik van doelgerigte
pogings om hul siening van hierdie pandemie te wysig deur die verskaffing
van die korrekte inligting, tesame met blyke van Christus se liefde en medelye
aan hierdie gemeenskap?
2. Tesame met hierdie eerste vraag, volg ‘n tweede. Kan die kerk se deernisvolle
uitreik, met die betoning en uitvoer van Christus se opdrag om liefde te gee,
die siening van mense in die MIV/Vigs gemeenskap só wysig dat, in plaas dat
hulle die kerk (as ‘n geheel) ervaar as koud en liefdeloos, hulle hierdie begrip
wysig deur die lidmate se betoning van dié liefde en deernis, dat hulle begin
om die kerk te beskou as ‘n bron van hoop en liefde?
Die beskrywing van die kontekstuele situasie waarin hierdie studie plaasvind,
sowel as die historiese agtergrond ten opsigte van die kerk se respons tot die
vraagstuk van die MIV/Vigs pandemie, is in hoofstuk twee ondersoek. Die derde
hoofstuk bespreek die kulturele paradigmatiese fokusse, uniek aan toestande in
Afrika. Dit gee aandag aan die rol van die kerk in sy doelwit om sy sendingmandaat
uit te voer. Hoofstuk vier ondersoek die kulturele praktyke wat, spesifiek in die
Malawiese konteks, die verspreiding en transmissie van die MIV/Vigs virus onder die
Chewa bevolking en omliggende stamme bevorder.
Bo en behalwe die geïdentifiseerde tradisionele praktyke en hul
betrekking op die Malawiërs se lewens- en wêreldbeskouing, fokus hoofstuk vyf op
die prakties-teologiese implikasies van die liefdesgebod. Die uitgangspunt van die
hoofstuk is dat die kerk in haar uitreik tot hulle wat ly, iets van die (liefde) karakter
van God moet weerspieël. Die praxis proses het dus liefde as hermeneutiese sleutel.
Teologies gesproke moet die geloofsgemeenskap, as die liggaam van Christus,
eskatologies hoop aan hierdie lydende wêreld verskaf.
Die res van die hoofstukke beskryf die metodologie, proses en
navorsingshipotese wat ontwikkel is uit die Nkhotakota model. Die finale
gevolgtrekkings spreek die probleem aan van hoe om die MIV/Vigs pandemie onder
mense wat in uiters arm stedelike areas in Malawi woon, aan te spreek en ‘n
Christelike getuienis te lewer.
Al is die aanvanklike optimistiese doelwitte van hierdie navorsing deels
bereik, is wesenlike ontdekkings gemaak wat die foutiewe paradigmas in verband met
kritieke vraagstukke, soos die invloed van volslae armoede, blootgelê. Probleme wat
aanvanklik sekondêr beskou is tot die hoofmikpunt van die navorsing het aan die lig
gekom in die navorsingsproses. Dit was duidelik dat die ingrype in die gemeenskap
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die vervreemding tussen die kerk en vigslyers positief verander het. Veel meer
waardering en aanvaarding het ontwikkel. Maar: die kompleksiteit van die probleem
word in die algemeen deur die westerse paradigma oppervlakkig verstaan.
Die navorsing het bepaalde implikasies van armoede en blootgelê. Vir mense
wat op die laagste vlakke van Maslow se behoeftes-rangorde ‘n stryd het om te
bestaan, is die luukse van vrywillige diens aan ander eenvoudig nie moontlik nie. Vir
hulle is een saak oorheersend: oorlewing. Om vanuit ‘n lewe vol sekuriteite hierdie
armes op te roep om op te tree as onbetaalde dienswerkers, terwyl hul eie nood so
groot is, is nie net onrealisties nie, maar ongevoelig.

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KEY WORD ABBREVIATIONS

The following abbreviations will be used throughout this dissertation interchangeable
with their full titles:
 ABC – African Bible College
 ABCCC – African Bible College Community Clinic
 AOG or AoG – Assembly of God
 CCAP – Church of Central Africa Presbyterian
 HBC – Home Based Care
 HBCPC –Home Based Care Planning Committee
 HCP – Home Care Physician
 HIV/AIDS – Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome
 IGA – Income Generating Activities

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DEDICATION PAGE

This work is dedicated in gratitude to my husband Larry.
Without his support and encouragement this would have never been possible.

Mulungu Alemekezeke (To God be the glory!)

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HIV/AIDS ALIENATION:
BETWEEN PREJUDICE AND ACCEPTANCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ................................................................................................................ i
ABSTRACT (English) .....................................................................................................ii
OPSOMMING (Afrikaans)............................................................................................. iv
KEY WORD ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... vi
DEDICATION PAGE ......................................................................................................vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................ viii
CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM OF HIV/AIDS ALIENATION DESCRIBED ...... 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION OF THE PROBLEM ...................................................... 1
1.1.1 General Introduction of the Situation Surrounding the Problem. ...... 1
1.1.2 Identification of the Problem .................................................................. 1
1.1.3 Scope and Delineation of the Problem. .................................................. 4
1.2 NATURE OF THE RESEARCH AND THE RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS: ................................................................................................ 5
1.3 RESEARCH DESIGN, PROCEDURE, AND METHODOLOGY: THE
THEOLOGICAL NATURE OF THE RESEARCH. ................................... 7
1.4 KEY WORD DEFINITIONS: ...................................................................... 12
1.4.1 Church/church: ...................................................................................... 12
1.4.2 HIV/AIDS: .............................................................................................. 13
1.4.3 HIV/AIDS Community:......................................................................... 14
1.4.4 Triangulation: ........................................................................................ 14
1.4.5 Man: ........................................................................................................ 15
1.4.6 Truth Value: ........................................................................................... 15
1.4.7 Gatekeepers: ........................................................................................... 15
1.4.8 Home Based Care (HBC) ...................................................................... 16
1.4.9 African Bible College Community Clinic ............................................ 16
1.4.10 Practical Theology: ................................................................................ 16
1.5 PARADIGMATIC REFERENCE POINTS OF RESEARCHER
(SOCIAL LOCATIONAL BACKGROUND) ............................................. 40
1.6 PRESENTATION OF DISSERTATION – RESEARCH OUTLINE ...... 45
1.6.1 Chapter 1 – Introduction: Scope of Study and Hypothesis .............. 45
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1.6.2 Chapter 2 - The Historic Response of the Church ............................. 46
1.6.3 Chapter 3 – AIDS Concepts in Africa and the Response of the
Church .................................................................................................... 46
1.6.4 Chapter 4 – Malawian Cultural Practices That Promote the Spread
of HIV/AIDS ........................................................................................... 47
1.6.5 Chapter 5 – Practical Theological Perspectives regarding HIV/AIDS.
.................................................................................................................. 47
1.6.6 Chapter 6 The Nkhotakota Case Study and the Development of the
Project in Lilongwe ................................................................................ 48
1.6.7 Chapter 7 – The Way Forward: Conclusions and Evaluation of
Project ..................................................................................................... 49
1.7 SUMMATION ................................................................................................ 50
CHAPTER 2 THE HISTORICAL RESPONSE OF THE CHURCH ................ 53
2.1 INTRODUCTION: ........................................................................................ 53
2.2 HISTORICAL ECCLESIASTICAL RESPONSE TO HIV: ..................... 55
2.3 CONCLUSION ECCLESIASTICAL RESPONSE: ................................... 64
2.4 SUMMARY .................................................................................................... 67
CHAPTER 3 AIDS CONCEPTS IN AFRICA AND THE RESPONSE OF THE
CHURCH ....................................................................................................... 69
3.1 INTRODUCTION: ........................................................................................ 69
3.2 DENIAL .......................................................................................................... 73
3.2.1 Denial at the individual level. ................................................................ 73
3.2.2 Denial at the group level. ....................................................................... 75
3.2.3 Denial at the international level. ........................................................... 77
3.3 MYTHS ........................................................................................................... 78
3.4 TIME ............................................................................................................... 82
3.5 INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF MALAWIANS ........................................... 84
3.5.1 Limited Good .......................................................................................... 86
3.5.2 The World of Spirituality ...................................................................... 87
3.6 GENDER ........................................................................................................ 88
3.7 EDUCATION ................................................................................................. 92
3.8 THE AFRICAN CONCEPT OF ‘HOME’. ................................................. 93
3.9 THE RESPONSE OF THE CHURCH ........................................................ 95
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