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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Christianity, tradition and AIDS in the fight against 'widow inheritance' in western Kenya
| Panel |
15. Reconfiguring the Religion-HIV/AIDS connection: challenges and opportunities
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| Paper ID | 776 |
| Author(s) |
Prince, Ruth Jane
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | The AIDS epidemic is shaping arguments about identity among Luo people in western Kenya, as it has engendered an acute scrutiny of 'Luo' or 'traditional' practices. At the same time, the global fight against HIV/AIDS has introduced new identities shaped around 'positive living' and 'empowerment' discourses, which are promoted by numerous church groups and NGOs in western Kenya. The so-called Luo tradition of widow inheritance and its association with the spread of HIV is a nodal point in what has become a globalised debate about culture and identity. Through telling the story of a Luo widow and her fight against both tradition and AIDS, this paper explores the opportunities opened up by these new discourses, the ways these are shaped by religious movements and affiliations, as well as the conflicts they engender for people living with HIV/AIDS. |
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