Hands Across the Sea: Religion, Politics, Gender and Sex, in the US and Africa
Hands Across the Sea: Religion, Politics, Gender and Sex, in the US and Africa
Moralist strictures against comprehensive sex education and condom use, and stigmatising views of sufferers leave many people, especially girls, women, and men who have sex with men, vulnerable to HIV infection, unable to use condom protection, and afraid to test or to seek treatment. Following an overview of AIDS in Africa, the chapter traces some of the hegemonic patriarchal discourses of powerful actors in the United States and their resonances in Africa, beginning with field experiences in Kinshasa from the mid-1980s. It examines cross-cutting currents in discourse, policy and practice with respect to HIV/AIDS that flow between the US and sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the ideology and programme of ultra-conservative ‘Christian right’ leaders in the US, with special attention to gender and sexuality. These are related to discourses of ‘tradition’ in Africa and the struggle to eliminate AIDS, and to consolidate human rights in Africa and the US.
Keywords: Conservative Christian moralism, gender relations, ‘traditionalism’, human rights
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