back

A. Olusegun Fayemi

 

     

Faces of HIV/AIDS in Africa

It is now common knowledge that HIV/AIDS is rampant in subSaharan Africa, particularly in the southern and eastern parts of the continent. With about 28 million people infected and about 6,000 deaths daily, the epidemic has resulted in dire consequences: disintegration of families, millions of orphans (many now homeless, living on the streets), increased poverty, severely diminished capacity in the agricultural, health and education sectors and reduced life expectancy. Much has been written about these cataclysmic changes on the African continent but in spite of the troubling statistics, the faces of the infected and affected are almost never seen. Those people living with HIV/AIDS and their families seem to have been swallowed with the large incomprehensible numbers. Yet each of those people comprising the statistics has an individuality and uniqueness. Over the last three years, I have personally worked with and observed the activities of non-governmental and community-based organizations in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria dealing with HIV/AIDS at the grassroots. They care for the infected and give support to the affected; they conduct awareness campaigns and provide advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS. This paper consists of photographic images of HIV/AIDS in Africa, specifically, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria: the infected at different stages of the disease, orphans and their caretakers, awareness campaign, health care workers and support groups.


Africa Conference 2005: African Health and Illness
Convened by Dr. Toyin Falola for the Center for African and African American Studies
Coordinated by Matthew Heaton Webmaster, Technical Coordinator: Sam Saverance