Malawi

I really enjoyed reading the stories about Malawi in the anthology I Live Here. As much as I enjoyed it and it made me think I wasn't sure where to begin this post. In searching about activism and the current state of things I came across a video about Malawi tourism.

Malawi is a country that has a beautiful landscape. In the video the people are described as simple and caught between centuries. This video was a little shocking after reading the anthology which describes the poverty, disease, and pain of Malawi residents. I think the deep sadness that I felt in reading these stories makes posting on the book seem very difficult. I did quite a few searches on different activism groups. The I live here movement is still in touch with the Kachere prison for boys and has implemented a creative writing program. One Love is an organization dedicating to fighting the transmission of HIV in Southern African nations. On their website I found out more information about the HIV superhighway. This video describes the superhighway as being concurrent overlapping sexual relationships that increase the rate of transmission of contracting HIV. This is different than the US where people commit serial monogamy. Serial monogamy slows transmission because it is only passed to one person at a time. With overlapping relationships the disease can be passed quickly because there is an immediate interlocking network of sexual relationships. Also the video points out that HIV is more easily passed on shortly after it is contracted.

On avert's website they bring up the issue of gender inequality and its affect on disease transmission. The inequality leads to a higher incidence of rape, forced sexual encounters, and has resulted in a disproportionate infection rate among women.
The AIDS/HIV issue in Africa is a prime example of intersectionality. Malawi is a poor underdeveloped country short on resources to fight HIV. It is also a country that has gender inequality that results in higher disease rates for women. Malawi also struggles with malaria and TB, making this a country where unequal access to healthcare resources occurs. AIDS and HIV are a problem that when all these factors are combined are like looking through a prism. Solving one part of the problem is not sufficient to protect the people.

I think the issue of AIDS is a real example to me of why many groups are needed to fight for one group's rights. This has been the theme I have most struggled with this semester. In looking at the issue in Malawi through that viewpoint I see that the feminist are not enough to fix the problem, they will only elevate the women and wipe out the portion of forced sex with infected individuals. Wealth is not enough, it will only provide better care and more access for people who are sick. Fixing the stigma attached to people with HIV is not enough, that will only allow people to be seen as full persons even if they are sick. It is only through the combined efforts of fighting AIDS on many fronts that a solution can be found.

Through my search I found a lot of information on the legalities surrounding women. In the Malawi constitution women have equality and are not to be discriminated against. But if the societal gender inequality exists then the law is just words.

I think that the I live here anthology is a wonderful expression of a country that is suffering on so many fronts. One of the stories in the Malawi chapter of I live here is a story about a woman named Miriam. This story touched me so deeply as the mother stated her daughter was her best friend. Miriam has described herself as one of those people with AIDS. It is so telling to me how far reaching the problem is in the last scene of the story. Miriam has had her one year old daughter tested. Mia Kirshner (the author) calls to see if the test results have come in.

Over the phone I can hear diesel trucks and the staccato thud of men's voices interrupting Miriam's breathing. She must be back at work.
"Miriam? Can you hear me?"
"She has it," she says drawing her breath in sharply.

It seems so frivolous to sit here on a computer with air conditioning blowing and know that a world away normal life is a situation where as you waste away you pump gas daily considered an other because of an illness that in the US does not limit life and options as it does in Africa.