Fighting HIV through song, dance
MUSIC has always played a vital role in man’s struggle for emancipation. History bares testimony.
Song and dance underlined rituals in ancient Africa, as mankind sought to connect with the supernatural world in search for guidance and solutions to earthly challenges.
Even in modern day religion, music plays a role in connecting people with the world yonder. Music is a critical ingredient in the cocktail of strategies used by natives in Zimbabwe’s war of liberation.
Cde Dickson Chingaira and the Light Machine Gun choir went to the war front with, motifs and symphonies, mobilising the masses and urging the fighters to fight on. As mankind now battles to put an end to an affliction that once threatened to wipe out humanity, music finds itself playing a important part, again.
The country has turned to clefs of all sorts to drive the fight of ending HIV and AIDS by 2030. Since 2015 the country’s HIV programmes coordinator, National AIDS Council (NAC) has employed music in its HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes.
Music galas have and are still being held across the length and breadth of the country to propagate the gospel of “closing the tap” to achieve the 90-90-90 targets.
Prevention is the tune most harped on, among other themes such as fighting stigma, knowing one’s status. The musical galas according to NAC do not only help spread the message but offer platform for people to access a one stop shop voluntary, counselling and testing services while being entertained.
Health and Child Care Minister David Parirenyatwa is optimistic the musical galas remain a vital tool in community mobilisation, creating awareness on HIV and increasing the number of people who will get tested and know their HIV status.
“This is a unique intervention where health care services are offered in an informal environment while people are being entertained. I’m hopeful this will see more people getting tested, knowing their HIV status as the country accelerates efforts to achieve the 90-90-90 global targets.
“HIV testing serves as an entry point to HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes but due to various reasons, we still not have achieved our targets. People still shun getting tested and by creating an informal setting for HIV testing, we anticipate this could help bridge barriers that stop people from getting tested,” said Minister Parirenyatwa.
Zimbabwe in late 2015, adopted the United Nations AIDS Programme (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 global fast track targets aimed at ensuring the 90 percent of people living with HIV knowing their status, 90 percent of those who are HIV positive put on treatment and 90 percent of those on treatment virally suppressed.
As part of this framework, the Ministry of Health and Child Care committed to not only increase testing coverage for the general population, but prioritising strategies and testing initiatives that are more likely to identify those living with undiagnosed HIV.
It was in this vein that NAC as the country’s HIV coordinator adopted the use of musical galas as a way of community mobilisation and increasing testing coverage.
Since the introduction of galas in late 2015, NAC reports that more than 21 000 people have received HIV voluntary testing services. According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (2015), there was an in increase in HIV testing, with 49 percent of women reporting having tested in the last 12 months compared to 34 percent in 2011. Among men, this increased from 21 percent in 2011 to 36 percent in 2015.
“We still fall far short below our targets as statistics show that men shun testing coupled with poor health seeking behaviour. So this platform (musical gala) should bridge the gaps as services are being provided on site,” adds Parirenyatwa.
It is believed that masculinity norms in Zimbabwe inhibit men from getting tested and accessing treatment and through this intervention, NAC hopes to also have more men getting tested and knowing their HIV status.
NAC board chairperson, Dr Evaristo Marowa reiterated to Saturday Lifestyle that the music galas seeks to create an informal environment where people get to know about HIV, get voluntary testing services as well as cervical cancer screening services while being entertained.
“This has been an important forum that has helped in mobilising the community while providing critical services such as HIV voluntary testing and counselling as well as cervical cancer screening in an informal setting.
“These (galas) have been vital for community mobilisation which have in turn been used to bridge ignorance gaps while people get free entertainment at the same time,” says Dr Marowa.
The galas are also targeting young people who makes up the majority of the population in Zimbabwe while also being listed as one of the HIV at risk population hence the romping in of musicians who appeal to this group.
Musicians such as Killer T, Seh Calaz, Mathias Mhere, Andy Muridzo, Freeman, Gary Tight, Silent Killer are among some of the popular musicians who have per- formed at these galas. For over thirty-years, several strategies have been employed and Zimbabwe has made commendable strides although new HIV infections, increase in sexually transmitted infections, alarming HIV related deaths in adolescents, dwindling funding among other challenges are threatening the country’s gains.
The epidemic in Zimbabwe is generalised and largely driven by unprotected heterosexual sex while women and young girls are more susceptible to HIV due to biological, social and cultural factors and according to research, women make up 60 percent of those living with HIV in sub-Saharian Africa. However, there are growing epidemics among key populations such as sex workers and men who have sex with men who are at higher risk of HIV. National data on these populations is sparse as only a minimal amount of data is collected and reported in national documents.
According to Avert Organisation, in 2016, new infections dropped to 40 000 from 79 000 in 2010, with behaviour change communication, high treatment coverage and prevention of mother-tochild transmission services thought to be responsible for this decline.
Deaths from Aids-related illnesses continue to fall from 61 000 in 2013 to 30 000 in 2016. Until a cure to the epidemic is found, and Aids has been put to an end, the symphony of “closing the tape” will play on, masses will be mobilised, messages spread and fighters urged on.
In the face of a myriad of challenges the country continues to face in its HIV fight, song and dance remains, just like salt to a meal will remain a critical yet underestimated ingredient to the cocktail of strategies being employed to put an end to this epidemic that once threatened to wipe out humanity.