Kodi Nchifukwa Ninji Afirika Akuvutika Kwambiri Chotero?

JACOB, wa zaka 42, ndimunthu wodwala. Ali ndi AIDS. Anapatsanso mkazi wake AIDS. “Mkazi wanga akudziŵa kuti anaitenga kwa ine,” akuvomereza motero Jacob.

Koma kodi Jacob anayambukiridwa motani ndi kachirombo kakuphaka? Iye akufotokoza: “Ndinkakhala ndekha m’Harare, ndikumayendetsa malole a akatundu kuchokera ku Zambia, kudzera m’Zimbabwe, mpaka kuloŵa m’Botswana ndi Swaziland. Mkazi wanga ankakhala ndi ana athu ku Manicaland [mu Zimbabwe]. Ndipo madilaivala a malole a akatundufe, tinachita zinthu zina zimene tikanayera kukhala osamala nazo kwambiri.”

Mliri wa Uchiwerewere

Lerolino, khalidwe la uchiwerewere ndilo njira yaikulu yowanditsira AIDS mu Afirika. Mwachidule, “malamulo a chikhalidwe chamtima asweka kwambiri,” akufotokoza motero wofufuza AIDS wina Dawn Mokhobo. Magazini otchedwa African Affairs akunena kuti “Afirika m’chigawo cha Sahara amagogomezera kwambiri pakukhala ndi ana koma nagogomezera pang’ono kufunika kwa ukwati. Kugonana kochitidwa kunja kwaukwati, ngakhale . . . ngati kuchititsa mimba, sikumatsutsidwa mwamphamvu.” Malinga nkunena kwa Nature, njira yeniyeni imene kuyambukiridwako kumachita nako imayambidwa ndi hule. Lipotilo likunena kuti: “Mahule achikazi amatumikira kuwanditsa mliriwo mwa akazi okwatiwa amene amagona ndi amuna awo achiwerewere.”

Siambiri amene ali ofunitsitsa kusintha khalidwe lawo. Panos Document yonena za AIDS mu Afirika ikusimba za chokumana nacho chotsatirachi cha dokotala wina wofufuza m’Zaire kuti: “Usiku wina, nditamaliza kupima mwazi m’dera lina la kumidzi limodzi ndi madokotala anzanga a ku Zaire, iwo ananka kokayenda ndi asungwana ena akomweko. Iwowa anagona nawo, ndipo mmodzi yekha wa iwo anagwiritsira ntchito kondomu.” Pamene anawafunsa za upandu wake, “anaseka, akumati munthuwe sungaleke konse kukondwera kokha chifukwa chakuti udzatenga nthenda.” Inde, kugonana kosasankha kumalingaliridwa ndi ambiri kukhala “umoyowo, kusangalala, kusanguluka.”

Mofanana ndi mbali zambiri za dziko, achichepere kwakukulukulu ngokhoterera kuchiwerewere. Kupenda kwaposachedwapa kochitidwa pakati pa achichepere 377 mu South Africa kunavumbula kuti oposa 75 peresenti anali ataphatikizidwa m’kugonana. Mofananamo, mishonale wina m’dziko lina lapakati chakummwera kwa Afirika ananena kuti pali “asungwana oŵerengeka ausinkhu wa zaka 15 amene sanatengebe mimba.” Iye akuwonjezera kuti: “Mukhoza kuwona msungwana wachichepere, amene ali mbeta, ndi kuganiza kuti, ‘Chaka chamaŵa panthaŵi yonga ino, ameneyu adzakhala ndi mimba.’”

Komabe, ponena za Afirika, pali mbali zina zimene zawonjezera kuwanditsidwa kwa AIDS.

Mabanja Ododometsedwa

“Malinga ngati ziŵerengero zazikulu za amuna a zaka za m’ma 20 ndi 30 akukakamizika kukagwira ntchito kumalo otalikirana ndi akazi awo ndi mabanja—kaya kukhale kumafakitale a kumizinda, kumigodi, kumafama kapena kuyendetsa malole a akatundu a maulendo aatali—kuwanditsidwa kwa Aids kudzapitirizabe kuli kosaletseka,” ikutero magaziniyo Africa South. Anthu a mu Afirika osamukira m’maiko ena amomwemo amakumana ndi mkhalidwe wa moyo wovuta. Atalekanitsidwa ndi akazi awo ndi mabanja, ambiri amavutikira malo okhala ndi ntchito m’mizinda. Malinga nkunena kwa magazini ya African Affairs, chitsenderezo chakuti adzichirikize iye mwini ndi banjalo limene anasiya kwawo chimachititsa wosamukayo kukhala mumkhalidwe wa “kugwiritsidwa mwala ndi lingaliro la kulephera.” Magaziniwo akuwonjezera kuti kaŵirikaŵiri zimenezi zimalimbikitsa wosamukayo “kunyalanyaza mathayo ake kotheratu.”

Kwakukulukulu maulendo a kuyendetsa malole a akatundu anenedwa kukhala ngalande imodzi yakupha mu imene AIDS imawanditsidwiramo. Monga momwe woyendetsa lole ya katundu wina ananenera kuti, “ndiyenera kutsimikizira kuti kulikonse kumene ndipita, ndimakhala ndi bwenzi langa lachikazi londisamalira.” Malo enieni owanditsira AIDS ndiwo pakomboni ina yauve cha Kummaŵa kwa Afirika kumene mahule 600 amachita malonda a ntchito yawo imeneyi. Ambiri a makasitomala awo ndiwo oyendetsa malole a akatundu amene amawafikira kaamba ka chimene amatcha tii. Ziŵerengero zoyambukiridwa ndi HIV pakati pa mahule ameneŵa zakwera kufikira 80 peresenti. Zidakali chomwecho, oyendetsa malole a akatundu oyambukiridwa amenewo amapitirizabe ulendo wawo kumka “kukamwa tii” wina ndipo potsirizira pake amabwerera kwawo—nthaŵi yonseyo akumawanditsa mliri wakupha umene ali nawo.

Ndiyeno pali nkhondo yachiŵeniŵeni ndi mikangano ya ndale zadziko—mikhalidwe yochititsa mamiliyoni a anthu othaŵa kwawo. “Kumene kuli mkangano wa ndale zadziko ndi nkhondo yachiŵeniŵeni,” akutero katswiri wina wa AIDS Alan Whiteside, “kulinso kunyonyosoka kwa khalidwe labwino lozoloŵereka la chitaganya. . . . Othaŵa kwawo osamukasamuka angakhale kagulu ka anthu owanditsa nthenda amenenso mwachiwonekere ali ndi ogonana nawo ambiri.”

Vuto la Zipatala

Afirika wosauka sangathe kulimbana ndi mavuto ake a zipatala. “M’maiko ambiri a mu Afirika chiŵerengero cha ndalama zolinganizidwira munthu mmodzi chaka chirichonse kuti apeze chisamaliro chamankhwala nchochepa kwambiri kuposa mtengo wa kupimidwa mwazi kumodzi wa kachirombo ka AIDS,” likufotokoza motero broshalo Understanding & Preventing AIDS. Mofananamo, Keith Edelston, mlembi wa bukhulo AIDS—Countdown to Doomsday, akufotokoza kuti “ngakhale sopo wophera tizirombo pazipangizo, kapena sopo wamba wogwiritsiridwa ntchito m’nyumba za anthu kukolopera pansi, kaŵirikaŵiri samapezeka.”

M’maiko ena a mu Afirika mchitidwe wa kugwiritsira ntchito mobwerezabwereza masingano obayira pa odwala ambiri unasonkhezera Edelston kuchenjeza kuti: “Samalani ngati mufunikira kubayidwa jakisoni . . . mu Afirika . . . Pemphani kubayidwa ndi singano watsopano wochotsedwa kumene m’chimake mukuwona.”

Upandu wa kuyambukiridwa mwangozi ukuchititsa kucheperachepera kwa chiŵerengero cha ogwira ntchito zaudokotala. Madokotala ena aŵiri ogwira ntchito pachipatala china mu South Africa analasidwa mwangozi ndi singano pamene anali kubaya odwala AIDS. Iwo anayambukiridwa ndi nthendayo ndipo anafa. Monga chotulukapo, madokotala asanu ndi mmodzi ochokera kumaiko akunja analeka ntchito pachipatalacho.

Pansi pa mikhalidwe imeneyi, nkosadabwitsa kuti ena akupendanso chizoloŵezi cha kuthirira m’thupi chopatsira AIDS changozi koposa—mwazi! “Mwazi wamatenda uli chikhalirebe njira yaikulu yowanditsira,” ikutero South African Medical Journal, ikumawonjezera kuti “pakati pa Afirika palibiretu njira youpimira ndipo pafupifupi 60% ya mwazi woperekedwawo ngwamatenda.”

Motero, wokanthidwa kale ndi masoka ambiri, Afirika akuvutika kachiŵirinso. Ndipo pakati pa zotulukapo zatsoka koposa za mliri wa AIDS mu Afirika ndizo zimene zachitikira akazi ndi ana.

Opanda Liwongo Amene Amavutika

Lucy ali mkhole wopanda liwongo wa AIDS. Iye anapatsidwa nthendayi ndi mwamuna wake wachiwerewere. Tsopano, wamasiye pausinkhu wa zaka 23, Lucy amalimbana ndi malingaliro ake. “Ndikali kuphanaphanabe ndi mtima kuti kaya ndikonde zimene ankachita kapena kumuda chifukwa cha kundipatsa nthendayo,” iye akutero. Malingaliro a Lucy ali mkhalidwe weniweni wa ululu waukulu ndi kuvutika zimene AIDS imabweretsera mikhole yake yopanda liwongo.

“Ngakhale kuti HIV m’maiko amene akutukuka idzayambukira akazi ndi amuna pafupifupi m’ziŵerengero zofanana,” akutero magaziniwo The World Today, “mphamvu yake pa akazi mwachiwonekere ikakhala . . . yaikulu kwambiri.” Zimenezi nzowona makamaka mu Afirika, kumene akazi—chifukwa cha kumanidwa maphunziro, umphaŵi, ndi amene ali ndi amuna awo opita kumaiko akunja—amavutika mwakachetechete.

Komano chiyambukiro cha tsoka koposa chosiyidwa ndi AIDS chiri pa ana. UNICEF (Gulu la Ndalama za Ana la Mitundu Yogwirizana) likuyerekezera kuti pamene akazi ofikira 2.9 miliyoni adzafa ndi AIDS m’zaka khumi zino, ana okwanira 5.5 miliyoni adzakhala amasiye. Mkulu wina wa boma m’dziko lina limene liri ndi pafupifupi ana amasiye 40,000 amene makolo awo anafa ndi AIDS akusimba kuti “pali kale midzi . . . ya ana okhaokha.”

Vuto lofananalo liri mkhalidwe wa anakubala ogwidwa ndi nthendayo ndi ana awo omwe. South African Medical Journal ikufotokoza kuti “funso limene kaŵirikaŵiri limafunsidwa ndi nakubala wa khanda lokhala ndi HIV ndilo lakuti ‘kodi adzayamba kufa ndani?’”

Mosakayikira akazi ambiri amadziwona kukhala paupandu wa AIDS. Dokotala M. Phiri wa ku Zambia akuti: “Timapeza akazi omwe amafuna kudziŵa kaya ngati pali mankhwala amene angamwe kudzitetezera kugwidwa ndi nthendayi . . . Pali mantha akuti pamene kuli kwakuti iwo angadzisamalire, mnzawo wa muukwati, mwamuna wawo, sangakhale wokhulupirika. Zimenezi zimawavutitsa maganizo.”

Chotero, kodi munthu wa muukwati angachitenji ngati atulukira kuti mwamuna wake kapena mkazi wake wakhala wachiwerewere? Ngati njira ya kukhululukira ndi kuyanjananso muukwati itsatiridwa, munthu waliwongoyo ayenera kuvomereza kukapimidwa ndi madokotala kaamba ka kuthekera kwa kukhala ndi HIV. (Yerekezerani ndi Mateyu 19:9; 1 Akorinto 7:1-5.) Kufikira pamene zotulukapo zake zidziŵidwa, okwatirana amene ali mumkhalidwe wotero angasankhe kuleka kaye kugonana kapena mwinamwake kukhala ndi njira zotetezera kuyambukiridwa ndi nthendayo.

Popeza kuti pamapita nyengo yaitali AIDSyo isanawonekere, anthu achichepere amene akulinganiza ukwati ayeneranso kusamala asanadziphatikize m’kukwatirana ndi munthu amene papitapo anali ndi mbiri yosadzisungira, ngakhale ngati iyeyo panthaŵi ino akukhala ndi moyo mogwirizana ndi miyezo Yachikristu. Ponena za kagulu kokhala paupandu kameneka, katswiri wina wa AIDS wa ku Tanzania, Dr. S. M. Tibangayuka, akuperekera lingaliro lakuti anyamata ndi asungwana asamalire mwa “kupimidwa kaamba ka HIV asanakwatirane.”

Kunena zowona, malinga ngati AIDS iripo mu Afirika ndipo, ndithudi, padziko lonse, mikhole yopanda liwongo, kuphatikizapo okwatirana nawo ndi ana, adzavutika.

[Chithunzi patsamba 7]

Pali zifukwa zambiri zimene AIDS yaphera anthu ochuluka mowopsa mu Afirika

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

WHO/E. Hooper