Using art and everyday objects to fight HIV/AIDS in Uganda

Abstract

This paper argues for the importance of enabling dialogue between women and men about taboo subjects of sex and sexuality in HIV/AIDS prevention. It reports the findings of a project that sought to use art (specifically sculpture) for creating dialogue between women and men in rural Uganda. It then provides suggestions for HIV/AIDS practitioners on how to use everyday objects to stimulate similar discussion about sex and disease prevention between women and men. We argue for the utility of art and everyday objects where literacy rates are low, or where modes of communication and information-sharing are predominantly orate.

Ce document défend l'importance de la facilitation du dialogue entre les femmes et les hommes sur des sujets tabous comme le sexe et la sexualité dans la prévention du VIH/du sida. Il présente les constatations d'un projet qui a tenté d'utiliser l'art (la sculpture, en l'occurrence) pour créer un dialogue entre les femmes et les hommes de l'Ouganda rural. Il émet ensuite des suggestions à l'intention des praticiens du secteur du VIH/du sida sur la façon d'utiliser des objets de la vie quotidienne pour stimuler une discussion similaire sur le sexe et la prévention de la maladie entre les femmes et les hommes. Nous présentons des arguments sur l'utilité de l'art et des objets de tous les jours là où le taux d'alphabétisme est faible, ou lorsque les modes de communication et de partage des informations sont principalement oraux.

El presente artículo afirma la importancia de facilitar el diálogo entre mujeres y hombres en torno a temas tabúes como el sexo y la sexualidad en un contexto de prevención del vih/sida. Se examinan las conclusiones surgidas de un proyecto realizado en la Uganda rural, cuyo objetivo apuntó a usar el arte (específicamente la escultura) para establecer un diálogo entre mujeres y hombres. Asimismo, el artículo brinda sugerencias acerca de cómo usar objetos comunes para promover un diálogo similar respecto al sexo y a la prevención de enfermedades entre mujeres y hombres, dirigidas a los profesionales del vih/sida. Las autoras sostienen que tanto el arte como los objetos comunes pueden ser útiles en contextos de bajas tasas de alfabetismo o en los que los modos de comunicación y de intercambio de información tienden a ser orales.

Keywords:

• Social sector – HIV/AIDS and sexual health
• Gender and diversity
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Methods

Acknowledgements

This paper was written with the support of a Commonwealth Fellowship. We are grateful for the support of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission of the British Council, of Makerere University in nominating Dr Lilian Nabulime, and of the Department of Geography at Durham University for hosting her visit. In particular, we would like to express our gratitude to Lianne Percival at Durham University for her patience and assistance. Lilian would like to acknowledge her late husband, Edward Kitaka Kizito (1961–2005) and her late father (1934–1987) for their love, support, and encouragement. We are grateful to the women living with HIV/AIDS who courteously shared their life experiences and whose understanding was essential in the development of Lilian's research.

Notes on contributors

Lilian M. Nabulime is Senior Lecturer in Sculpture in the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts (CEDAT) at Makerere University, Uganda. She held a Commonwealth Fellowship in the Geography Department, Durham University, January to July 2012. She has exhibited her artwork internationally, including in the USA, UK, Kenya, Uganda, Italy, and Norway.

Cheryl McEwan is Professor of Human Geography at Durham University, UK. She has published on post-colonialism and development, geographies of citizenship, democracy, and transformation in South Africa, and lived experiences of post-coloniality. She is author of Postcolonialism and Development (Routledge 2009) and co-editor of Postcolonial Economies (Zed 2011).

Notes

1. An unpublished Practical Manual Guide by Lilian Nabulime entitled ‘Bypassing Literacy using Sculptural Forms as a Communication Tool in the Fight against HIV/AIDS’ is available at: http://cedat.mak.ac.ug/publications/bypassing-literacy-using-sculptural-form