Aids Sexuality And Gender In Africa

While there is a growing list of publications devoted to the AIDS epidemic, Africa, with two-thirds of the world's cases, still receives scant attention. This book may change the way we think about AIDS and how it is being addressed in Africa and the rest of the world. The book draws on first-hand research and in-depth investigations carried out by a team of researchers from Britain, Zambia and Tanzania, and focuses on the gendered aspect of the struggle against AIDS. The authors study the severity of the epidemic and the threat it poses to the population and society in Tanzania and Zambia. They argue that the success of strategies against the spread of AIDS in Africa rests on their recognition of existing gendered power relations and that this success might be enhanced if the strategies are built on existing organisational skills and practices, especially among women. Their conclusions have repercussions for all countries around the world, and especially the rest of Africa.

This book provides a timely contribution to the field of gender and development in the face of the looming failure of international development targets, the deepening HIV/AIDS pandemic and the increased incidence of civil conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Annotation This book draws on first-hand research and in-depth investigations carried out by a team of researchers. They study the severity of the AIDS epidemic and the threat it poses to the population and society in Tanzania and Zambia.

"This volume sets out to investigate critically existing lines of thought about sexuality in Africa, while also creating space for alternative approaches"--P. [4] of cover.

"AIDS has been a devastating plague in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, yet the long-term implications for gender and sexuality are just emerging. This book examines how AIDS has altered the ways masculinity is lived in Uganda, a country known as Africa's great AIDS success story. Based on extensive ethnographic research in an urban slum community called Bwaise, this book reveals the persistence of masculine privilege in the age of AIDS and the implications such privilege has for men's and women's health and wellbeing in Uganda and beyond"--

This book provides a clear and detailed examination of why it is so difficult to secure comprehensive political engagement and actionable, effective policy on sexual and reproductive health rights in sub-Saharan Africa. In an engaging analysis, Nana Poku employs expert knowledge to examine the prospects for large-scale improvements. He explores not only the full range of normative sensitivities, but also conceptual misunderstandings, legal difficulties and complex challenges of securing and maintaining adequate funding while AIDS remains a pandemic in the region. Up-to-date, succinct yet highly detailed, lucid and compelling in its diagnoses of highly complex issues, this book is a valuable, accessible study of a topic that is regional in focus but with clear global implications.

This book addresses the impact of HIV on populations of men who have sex with men in Africa and local responses to the issue. It documents the enduring existence of a rich variety of same-sex practices between men. More critically, it analyses how the denial and social rejection of same-sex sexuality, together with the legacy of criminalization by former colonial rulers, has not only fueled the transmission of HIV between men, but has also impeded an effective response. The book also documents some of the outstanding progress that has been made and acknowledges the differences between African countries. Through its focus on lived realities and grassroots activism in Africa, this book will appeal to researchers, policy makers and practitioners alike.

"From social silence to social science: same-sex sexuality, HIV & AIDS and gender in South Africa presents a unique and innovative effort to examine what we know about homosexual transmission of HIV and AIDS in South Africa. It reverses the trend whereby categories of same sex sexual practice are almost always excluded from research of HIV and AIDS, as well as from care and intervention programmes. The varied contributors (academics, activists and programme planners) draw attention to the risk behaviours and treatment needs of people who engage in homosexual sex, and explain why same-sex sexuality has to be seen as key within South African efforts to study, test and prevent HIV infection. Relevant to scholarly debates about HIV and AIDS, it is also essential reading for anyone involved in research, policymaking, advocacy and community development"--Publisher Website.