The article that was mentioned in class today was this one from the Guardian.What are some of the controversial issues described in the article?
How is this related to the struggle against AIDS?
No easy answers here, I think, but a lot of food for thought.
This article presents a lot of the issues talked about in the Short book. We as Americans are so used to Western ideology, lifestyle, practices...that these kind of age-old traditions seem hard to comprehend. While I do agree that the process of checking women's virginity in such a manner seems like a violation of women's rights and privacy, yet I respect the fact that the Zulu people are trying to prevent AIDS. In all honesty, I feel like they have a better view of pre-marital sex than us Westerners-- to see that sex before marriage or adulthood is still held in high esteem somewhere in the world is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jamie on age-old traditions being difficult to understand. How crazy is it that in western cultures the bride wears a white dress to get married? In countries like India, white represents death. Yet here, white represents purity. What I'm saying is we shouldn't be too quick to judge other people's cultures, since our own is so vulnerable to judgment, too. Checking for women's virginity might violate their privacy, but it apparently influences them to remain virgins and help stop the spread of AIDS. It's a cultural thing, and it shouldn't have to make sense. The U.S. culture seems pretty crazy to an outsider, if you think of it. I think people in the article were more upset because pictures were being released, not because of the ritual.
ReplyDeleteSome of the issues that were discussed in the article were that these traditions that they practiced were in some words pornographic because these young women were being photographed in their tribal wear which includes no top to cover themselves and a thin bottom. However, i do respect the fact that the Zulu's were trying to prevent aids but I do understand the concern of the way they were conducting their prevention methods. Unfortunately, it is a ritual of the Zulu and probably something that will never change; and we have to respect that. This relates to the struggle against aids because they are myths that if you have sexual intercourse with a virgin female it will cure aids and these virginity tests that they are performing are also prompting these women to be victims.
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