I disagree with Pastor Pardon Mwansa and indeed much of the AIDS' movement approach to AIDS and AIDS stigmitization.
I do think that many people with AIDS and HIV in Zambia need to be stigmitized. Why? For meanness, no - not necessarily.
But I think many persons in Zambia need to be stigmatized for having AIDS - if they are not innocent children who caught the disease from their parents, and if they are not married women, who mostly likely caught it from their husbands. They need to be stigmatized, because many Zambians are preoccupied with stigmatizing others and smearing others who don't have aids and are not promiscuous - based on smear, lies, innuendo and tribalism.
Yet in Zambia, according to AIDS data, most AIDS transmission in Zambia is heterosexually driven - in which case, this is driven by a culture of promiscuity.
I think it is quite hypocritical - to attempt to shame people based on your own lies and smear and rumours and based on nationality, ethnicity and history and/or professoin - and to attempt to SMEAR people and attempt to link - unrelated concepts - such as nationality, race, and history and/or profession - with morality.
On the other hand -we know that in Zambia -that AIDS and HIV are to a great extent and for the most part heterosexually driven and driven by promiscuity .
Why then do we have a whole movement where people escape all manner of judgement for their behaviors simply because they have AIDS?
Is not tis primitive?
You have a Zambian saying that you should be ashamed because some primitive African sold your ancestor into slavery - and now you are a slave descendent, whose grandmother, may have been raped by a rapist.
Yet you - yourself - may have done nothing, etc.
Yet, people in Zambia who whore around and estoll a hookup culture of lying, dishonesty and manipulation - are applauded and even exalted and are not censored or even criticized.
Last weeks Adventist Review - had a good article about grace and redemption and how alot of sins have consequences. It talked about how sometimes persons do not escape unsaved by their sins - about how in the bible - some liars were struck down dead by God,
how David's fornication spread to Soloman and others.
The debauchery in your land - which is a symptom of your Zambian Culture . - has spread by your exalting of it.
You need to take responsiblity and ownership for your AIDS culture. You need to stop blaming foreign culture for your own culture and your own decisions to be promiscous.
You have to look at the role of your own cultural views of women, your own cultural views regarding honesty and "transparency", and your own views of sexuality - as to how this contributes to promiscuity and HIV/AIDS instead of being irresponsible
and blaming foreign music, foreign TV, etc. for what is going on in your country.
Africans sold other Africans into slavery. Right from that point on, I could see that there was something immoral and not right about African culture - that it involves a certain level of treachery, dishonesty, and dehumunization, etc.
You can look at the subtle comments adn essays by your citizens such as Austini Mwemba - to know that you have an AIDS culture and celebrate it.
The truth of the matter is - although Lucy Sichone is a hero to you - because in a primitive and immoral fashion - she smeared Black Americans as "monkeys" -
She has been cut off - because she was promiscuous and died of AIDS.
This is what is happening to many of you in Zambia
Pastor trevor kinlock of the SDA Church recently preached a sermon entitled "I'm sick of it" about the Pastor Jeremiah Wright- he must have heard about those errant Zambian Adventists.
He also in the sermon made a sidebar and called for persons who are sexually promiscuous - to be "Cut off" by God.
THis is what I see happening in your nation. Those persons who are promiscuous and yet are racist and aim to smear and lie about good people -most of them have been cut off. Who are these people?:
1) Terry Kape
2) Lucy Sichone
3) Pastor Cornelious Mantandiko - who did nothing about the AIDS culture within his own Adventist Church.
Now as to Pastor Cornelious Mantandiko - he on the surface, seemed to be a very nice man.
However, did he condemn the rot in his own adventist Church - or was he like Austin Mwemba or Fred M'membe - who celebrate this hookup culture and yet expect the FIRST world to donate AIDS funds for AIDS mission.
I think it's a scam to participate and perpetuate a hookup "promiscuous culture" and then to canvass around developed nations for AIDS orphans or persons with AIDS in Zambia.
It's a sin -it's like pouring money down the drain.
You should not beg for money for a problem that you have encouraged with your behaviors and morality. This is encouraging a beggers mentality and the first world to look upon you and the rest of Africa as if you are a Charity case, that should be helped out with relief AID. This approach is also "low class" and "common".
I am greatly saddened to be reading such an article. Im not even certain how slavery has to do with HIV/AIDS???
Sin is sin and the Bible is very clear on that but the Bible is also very clear about love, grace and forgiveness. 'Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord" and it is not for us to to sit in the judges sit for whatever situation.
It is indeed wrong for Africans or Zambians to blame the media and the Western world for the current moral decay and it is also not right for them to to still discuss the issue of slavery on a deragotory manner to people who where not even present at the time!
It is however also wrong for people to justify stigmatizing those infected with HIV/AIDS. I say this because immorality is not just a Zambian or African problem, it is a global issue that could actually be worse in more developed countries! The reason why HIV/AIDS might not be rampant in developed countries is not because people are not immoral but because they might have access to various forms of protection and even when they do get the virus, they have such good medical care that they are not prone to be sickly and die as frequently as those in less priveledged countries.
You would be amazed by the statistics available on people with HIV/AIDS and other STDS in developed countries!
I hope that it is clearly understood that Im not therefore encouraging peopleto 'celebrate' aids or fete those who are infected with the virus. As I said earlier, sin is sin and it has it's consequences because indeed God is not mocked. Possible consequences of immorality include but are not limited to HIV/AIDS, STDS and unplanned pregnancies.
Should a person be punished even more by being stigmatized by society because of thier obvious lack of morality? I do not think so. I firmly believe that as people, we are to show love and mercy just as Christ showed His love, mercy and grace to us. See, when someone does something wrong knowingly or unknowingly, it is a natural desire to want forgiveness and sin is not just limited to morality.Lying,stealing and so much more are sins that have consequences as well and scripture tells us that we will reap what we sow.
Now, you might think I am just blabbering but I come from a society where AIDS is prevalent and I am not proud of that fact. My aunt died of AIDS a couple of years ago as a result of her husbands promiscuity, it was painful to watch her fade away to nothing and I hated her husband with a passion for having brought this infliction upon my dear aunt. To however watch him suffering as a result of his own actions did not bring me any satisfaction. I felt sorry for him and it was obvious that if he could turn back the hands of time,he would do things differently. Would it have been just then for me to gloat over his illness and final death because I felt he deserved it? I dont think so, but then again we are all subject to our personal beliefs and choices.
No kind act however small is ever wasted and remember that there might come a time when you might need an extention of love and mercy where it is not deserved, it doesnt have to be AIDS so as human beings we should be more compassionate towards one another and let God handle our just punishment.