The “AIDS in Africa” story we know in the West is bleak: HIV is spreading across the continent, accosting and killing men and women by the millions. That’s a static story, an image that got shaped more than a decade ago and hasn’t changed much since.
The numbers alone suggest an overwhelmingly different narrative. I’ve written about progress on AIDS in South Africa in this week’s Christian Science Monitor cover story. I also spend a lot of time with caregivers who stepped up to help the children of the disease’s early victims, and whose sacrifices continue even as things get better for the sick.
Have you read Jenny Trinitapoli and Alex Weinreb’s book on Religion and AIDS in Africa? I think it might also be in the same vein of what you’re getting at here.
And thanks for being a journalist that reports the nuance.
Thanks, Kim — I really appreciate that vote of confidence. I’m in the middle of their book, actually — read their Slate article about it, though I think the book is better (more depth/nuance). Would be curious to hear your thoughts on it!