A Dying Nation.

 

The year is 2029 and only two
generations are left, grandparents and grandkids. The entire middle generation
has died. Fast-forward another 10 years. All that is left are kids, those who
have lost parents and now grandparents. Children who should be going to school,
playing games with friends and having fun are now the responsible ones. They
must take care of their younger siblings, providing food, a home and safety for
siblings who too have been made orphans by AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome). By 2039 only Swazis 15 year old and younger are left. And by 2049
Swaziland will be gone. AIDS will destroy a nation.

The United Nations has said that by
2050 Swaziland will no longer exist (qtd. in Why) however this statement cannot
be found as a direct UN quote. Although it can be found on more than ten other
websites, mostly mission organizations. 
Every website quotes the UN saying that “Swaziland will be extinct by
2050”.

Swaziland’s AIDS rate is the
highest infection rate of AIDS in the world. Swaziland will continue to lead in
cases of AIDS until it no longer exists. This
fact will not impact or upset most Americans and others living around the world
but for the over 1 million people living in Swaziland it will mean the end. Not
just of a nation, but of a culture and a home, the end of family and friends.
Swaziland will not be destroyed by war, or famine but by a disease that attacks
the body’s immune system. It will leave the country helpless till there is no
one left.

So much of the reason for AIDS and
the high prevalence in Swaziland is the culture. The way that the Swazis live
encourages the spread of AIDS. “Swazis are very traditional people, and their
sexual behavior is inbred and totally against safe sex practices…that limit the
spread of HIV”(IRIN). By not using condoms or being in only one relationship
increases the chance and probability of the spreading HIV (Human
Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS.

In Swaziland’s culture, the women
are taught to be submissive and below the men, who are pressured from a young
age to have sex (Whiteside et al 29). Women really can’t say no to men. Women
serve men and make their life better. This creates the social norm of abuse and
rape. Swazi women say yes and put men first. Which continues the spread of
AIDS.

While visiting Swaziland a few
years ago I was able to see these cultural beliefs first hand.  While there, as a female, I was never
to look men in the eyes when talking to them. Also, as a female, for meals I
and the other females in the group had to serve the men their food then sit on
the ground while the men ate in chairs. These cultural traditions/customs are
deeply rooted. To change them would take many generations; this is something
Swaziland does not have. 

Multiple wives is a huge practice
in Swaziland. With multiple wives these men are sleeping with more than one
woman thus have a higher chance of spreading or acquiring AIDS.  “During the initial and later stages of
the infection period, a HIV-positive person has more viruses in their body and
this heightens exposure of their sexual partners” (Whiteside et al 17).

No, not every man rapes women, not
every wife has to share her husband with one or more women. But AIDS knows no
face, no gender, no age, no color it gets everyone (Youtube). No one is free of
it. If one stays negative of AIDS it still affects them.. Everyone in Swaziland
knows someone who has died of AIDS, most likely a family member. Everyone is
affected by it.

Yet, AIDS is the elephant in the
room. No one wants to talk about it because then it would be real. Many myths
and lies are out there circulating about AIDS and HIV. Myths that the Swazis
believe about AIDS only help in the spreading of AIDS and HIV. Men (women too)
believe that if they sleep with a virgin, they will be healed of AIDS. This
brings about a wide number of rapes. Another myth states that if one has sex
with a fat person the AIDS is absorbed in the fat therefore they are at no
risk. These myths and many more help the spread of AIDS.

King Mswati III of Swaziland has 13
wives (Maldonado). Whether a King, a President or a Prime minister the country
looks up to them. Swazis look to their king to lead them to show them what to
do and how to live. If the king realizes what is happening and changes his way
the rest of the country would follow. But that is not happening. A missionary
to Swaziland explains how the king thinks.

He [the king]
recognizes what is going on, especially with so many NPOs [nonprofit
organizations] and NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] coming in helping
alleviate problems associated with AIDS and poverty. However, just like most
people…if you recognize a problem, then you must face the consequences. In a
nation where many still believe in ancestral worship and rely on sangomas
[witch doctors], it’s easy to believe that there are ridiculous cures for these
problems (Maldonado).

As the King continues with his current life style so will
the rest of his country.

Many statistics show numbers for
death rate, life expectancy, and prevalence of AIDS improving just in this past
year. In 2004 14,000 died of HIV/AIDS along with 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and now
in 2009 only 10,000 have died (CIA). 
Many people may look at those numbers and say “What do you mean
Swaziland is disappearing?” The recent change in numbers is only a temporary
change. For many years Swaziland’s numbers have decreased so much that with one
year of a tiny improvement the future will not change. According to the CIA the
prevalence rate of AIDS, the numbers of people living with AIDS and the number
of AIDS deaths is unchanged since 2004 until this year when there was huge
improvement. In 2004 the prevalence rate was 38.8%; in 2008 it was still 38.8%;
then in 2009 it dropped to 26.1%, a drop of more than 10%. These numbers seem
incorrect. That is a huge drop in a short amount of time. Swazis rarely talk
about AIDS. They rarely talked about it in 2004 either. But now in 2009 AIDS is
more taboo because of shame and guilt. More people are hiding their status now
then they did in the past. Because AIDS is a topic that people never talk
about, numbers are unreliable. Many people never tell anyone else their status.
If they do not tell their family and friends, why would they tell some one
taking a survey?  Surveys can’t
take fear and lies into account. Numbers explain numbers, not how a country
thinks or feels.  Numbers are
numbers till they have faces and stories. Then they mean something.

Life expectancy in Swaziland today
is about 32 years (WFP). That means that those who are born today will live a
short life. Some may live longer, but for the majority of the population 50 is
not a reality. Not 10 years ago, life expectancy was 61 years (IRIN).  In just 10 years, life expectancy
dropped 29 years. What kind of a drop will the next ten years bring as more and
more become infected and the country becomes poorer?

For Swaziland to change its future,
it’s thinking, beliefs and the way that people live day-to-day needs to change.
For years, Swazis have focused on populating their country. No thought given to
the repercussion of a mass production. According to Joseph Dlamini, it all
comes from the need to populate. Dlamini points out the belief of “increase the
population at all costs” started long ago (qt in Integrated). Swazis only know
this.  Today Swazis are still
focused on populating their country. They will continue to be.

AIDS is spreading. And Swazis and
their culture is the cause for the rapid spread. Even if Swazis were educated
and they change how they live and what they think, the future is still grim. It
takes many generations and time for a whole country/culture to change how they
live. Even if laws were put in place a change in behavior is no guarantee. When
prohibition started people did not just simply stop drinking. They smuggled
alcohol in. The problem was worse after the law then before.

There will always be missionaries,
non-profits and other groups trying to help the Swazis. People will never give
up on them. But no matter how much people help, without changing the way of
life in Swaziland, hope of survival for the country is lost. The time for
Swaziland to change and it make a difference has past. Even if the whole
country decided to abstain (the only sure fire way of not spreading AIDS) and
turn the country around, Swaziland is still dying. It may take longer than 50
years, but Swaziland would disappear all the same. Many things go into the
survival of a country: poverty, morel, and so much more.

AIDS and HIV is such a huge complex
disease that the cure has to be just as complex. “Eliminating HIV from the body would require flushing
the virus out of its
hiding places and preventing those reservoirs from being refilled. A tall order
…” (Stevenson). Researchers need to be close to a cure now for one to be found
in the next 50 years. But every time a new drug made that gets closer to the
cure, the HIV adapts to it and no longer does the job. Everyday people spend
hours trying to find the cure of AIDS. 
Every day people try to find the cure for cancer, Alzheimer’s and other
diseases. Cures are no guarantee. People can only work toward them with hope of
a solution. 

Presently, antiretroviral drugs
(ARVs) are available to slow down the spread of the disease in the body. This
is a class of drugs that delay the onset of AIDS and keeps the HIV in a dormant
like state. A misconception among many Swazis is that by taking ARVs they
cannot spread HIV. But even on ARVs AIDS is spread able.  

According to the
CIA, Swaziland has 40% unemployment and 69% are below the poverty line. The 69%
live on less then a dollar a day. Poverty brings malnutrition, poor hygiene
both of which help spread AIDS. With no other chance to survive women and young
girls sleep around for food and money. Poverty makes people desperate.
Desperate enough to make these women and girls risk getting AIDS so that they
will have food to eat and a place to sleep. With poverty come[s] many more
problems and they all add up to the death of a nation (Maldonado).

 AIDS and poverty brings the age of
Swaziland down. The majority of the country is 15 years old or younger. “There
are an estimated 80,000 orphans in the country and the number is expected to
rise to 120,000 by 2010″(WFP). With a life expectancy of about 32 years most of
those 15 year olds will be long gone before they reach that age. Maldonado
explains “most kids wont make it to their 5^th birthday whether due
to malnutrition or the virus itself”. With the lowest life expectancy, major
poverty, and AIDS Swaziland needs to fight to stay alive. Odds are against
them.

Ignorance plays a
huge part in the future of Swaziland. Ignorance gets in the way of change.  Without new knowledge or information
things stay the same. The continuance of rape, polygamy, unsafe sex, traditions
and more equates to the extinction of a country by AIDS. The UNAIDS executive
director Michel Sidibe explains it best, “What you do from this day
forward will write, or rewrite, the story of AIDS across Africa” (Bryson). For
Swaziland this couldn’t be truer. What Swaziland does today about AIDS, writes
the outcome of its country. And right now their outcome ends in 50 years.