To drink or not to drink? Identity dilemmas of men living with HIV

abstract

For centuries the consumption of alcohol in African societies has been reserved mainly for men. Alcohol use symbolised status, cultural identity, masculine virility and other virtues of manhood. Recently, these ideas have been promoted by media advertisements of alcohol as a way to achieve sociability and status, and as part of African tradition and heritage. During my 14-month ethnographic fieldwork with men living with HIV, I realised that some of them still drank or aspired to drink despite being ill; but the majority had stopped drinking. This Article explores the ways that an HIV diagnosis reshapes perceptions of masculinity among men, and therefore also consumption patterns linked to performances of masculinity. My findings indicate that the diagnosis with HIV significantly changed the ways men construct their masculinity; but some found it particularly difficult to stop alcohol consumption. This raises challenges for interventions aimed at curbing alcohol use among the ill: entrenched notions of excessive alcohol consumption being a feature of ‘African tradition’ and media portrayals of drinking as a mark of ‘real’ manhood can often undermine effective interventions.

Keywords:

• Alcohol consumption
• African tradition
• gender performance and masculinity
• sociability
• HIV and ARVs

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Deborah Posel and Steven Robins for organising seminars for me to present the first drafts of this paper at University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University respectively, and to the audience for their constructive comments.

Notes

1. Also spelled as ‘Outie’ (Modisane, 2011).

2. Referring to black South Africans.

3. Because of the sensitive nature of information shared by participants I used pseudonyms to safeguard their confidentiality. I also ensured them of the confidentiality of information that they shared with me and that I would be using pseudonyms to report on the findings of our interviews. This assurance might have enabled them to be more open about their experiences when talking to me compared to the time that they were in support groups. The research gained ethical approval from Wits University ethics board.