Mukondombera HIV and AIDS and Shona Traditional Religion in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This essay explores HIV and AIDS in light of Shona indigenous cultural practices in Zimbabwe. We will focus on indigenous cultural practices that facilitate the spread of the disease, the impact of the spread of the disease on society, the role of Indigenous healers and claims to curing the disease, AIDS education and research into a cure for AIDS, and problems faced by traditionalists in the fight against AIDS. This essay examines case studies of healing practices in the indigenous contexts as perceived by the Shona people, indigenous practitioners and their association ZINATHA, their clients and use of indigenous medicine. Medical specialists the world over are occupied with efforts to find a cure or vaccine for the epidemic. The elusive nature of the disease and failure to attain a cure by the international community warrants continuous efforts to grapple with the problem. Yet in the midst of this, very little in the literature on HIV and AIDS has focused on indigenous cultural practices in Zimbabwe. As a result, it is urgent that we explore the role cultural practices play in contributing or the promotion, prevention and containment of the AIDS epidemic. The essay makes use of sociological, anthropological and historical approaches to establish the role of indigenous culture and beliefs in the fight against the pandemic.