baby refrain

It really doesn’t come as a surprise that the AIDS message has become so commercialised and ‘sexed-up’ that today the primary focus, at least in the mainstream media, is on condom use to prevent transmission.

Equally prominent in the media have been attempts to villify religious organisations, in Kenya not just the Catholic Church and Council of Imams but also the Evangelical Protestants, for their strong stance in support of abstinence. True, there have been many campaigns against condoms that have bordered on farce and outright lies, but this should not lead us to an outright dismissal of the religious message. It is possible to promote abstinence as the primary preventative measure for HIV/AIDS without resorting to unscientific assertions about condoms.

If there is any influence among Africa’s youth today that can rival that of popular culture (especially that string informed by hip-hop and the glorification of promiscuous sex), it is religion and especially the charismatic churches. In the age group 15-25 that is especially vulnerable to HIV infection, studies have found that sex education which concentrates on putting off sex until marriage is much more successful than a mixed message that also pushes other options like being faithful to one partner, or using condoms.

While it is understandable that greater choice is the right of these young people, it is also true that their bodies and lives are in a rapidly changing state, and their minds not yet fully aware of, nor able to judge correctly the risks of their actions.

Uganda’s First Lady, herself an evangelical Christian, has been very keen on pushing the abstinence message, and so successful have these efforts been in Uganda that prevalence rates fell from 30% prior to emphasis on abstinence in 1994 to a lower 10% ten years later. While Ugandan officials still encourage condom use, infectious disease specialist Dr. Vinand Nantulya, who has advised Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on his AIDS prevention programs, said the nation's people "really never took to condoms."

Like parts of the Western world, Africa will also soon fatigue of the incessant barrage of condom adverts on television. Going bareback will become a risky, exciting fad; and with this dangerous development, the gains that have been made in reducing new infections over the last ten years will be eroded. In this light we must lend an ear to the faith message of teaching abstinence. This message would impart a more long-lasting heritage to the youth by a shift in behavioural patterns, such as to encourage young people to put off sex until they are ready to bear all the consequences of their actions. And this not just with regard to HIV and other STIs. The lesson we must teach is that in this like most matters requiring wisdom and judgement, later really is better.