Growing up in the era of AIDS: Childhood experiences in rural Zimbabwe

Abstract

English: This thesis is an ethnographic account of the complex and diverse experiences of children growing up in the context of an AIDS epidemic in Chiweshe Communal lands, Zimbabwe. To capture the personal experiences and views of children in a context of AIDS and political economic change in rural Zimbabwe, fieldwork was conducted over 15 months, from January 2007 to March 2008 for the collection of stories, drawings, dreams, and songs from children aged 4 to 16 years. Analysis showed that, despite their extreme context, the children in Chiweshe created temporary friendships, relations of patronage, and informal organisations with and without adults, to obtain their survival needs. They also appropriated spaces and discourses for play, work, and learning, necessary for their daily needs. It is argued that childhood agency emerged through these self-initiated activities, within multiple contextual constraints of poverty, illness, and loss. These findings challenge the one-sided, adult-centric accounts of childhood which portray children as pre-socialised victims, passive, incompetent, ignorant, and silent, on issues pertaining to AIDS and related notions of sexuality, sickness, death, work and politics. It is suggested that recognition of such instances of children‘s competence and creativity is crucial for interventions aimed at reducing the suffering, untimely deaths, and various forms of deprivation that often characterises contexts ravaged by the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

Sepedi: Thesese ye ke pego ya setšo ya maitemogelo a raraganego le a go fapafapana a bana bao ba golago ka gare ga seemo sa leuba la AIDS dinageng tša motlhakanelwa tša Chiweshe, Zimbabwe. Go rekhota maitemogelo a motho ka noši le dipono tša bana ka gare ga seemo sa AIDS le phetogo ya ekonomi ya dipolotiki ka dinagamagaeng tša Zimbabwe, mošomo wa nyakišišo o dirilwe ka dikgwedi tše 15, go tloga ka Pherekgong 2007 go fihla ka Mopitlo 2008, bakeng sa kgoboketšo ya dikanegelo, diswantšho, ditoro, le dikoša go tšwa baneng ba mengwaga ye 4 go ya go ye 16. Tshekatsheko e laeditše gore, go sa šetšwe seemo sa bona se se feteletšego, bana ba Chiweshe ba hlotše segwera sa nakwana, dikamano tša thekgo, le mekgatlo ye e sego ya semmušo yeo e nago le batho ba bagolo le yeo e se nago batho ba bagolo, go fihlelela dinyakwa tša bona tša go phologa. Le gona ba ile ba aba dikgoba le dipolelo tša go bapala, mošomo le go ithuta, tšeo di lego bohlokwa bakeng sa dinyakwa tša bona tša ka mehla. Go bolelwa gore ditheo tše di emetšego bana di tšweletše ke mediro yeo di ithomilego, ka gare ga ditšhitišo tše ntši tša diteng tša bohumanegi, bolwetši le tahlegelo. Dikutollo tše di hlohla le dipego tše di tšeago lehlakore tša mabapi le tša thobalano, tšeo di tšweletšago bana bjalo ka batšwasehlabelo ba sego ba rutwa go gwerana le setšhaba, bao ba sa dirego selo, ba se nago bokgoni, ba sa tsebego selo, le bao ba homotšego, mabapi le ditaba tša AIDS le dikgopolo tše di amanago le yona tša bong, bolwetši, lehu, mošomo le dipolitiki. Go šišinywa gore go lemogwa ga ditiragalo tše bjalo tša bokgoni bja bana le boitlhamelo go bohlokwa kudu mananeong ao a lebišitšwego go fokotša tlaišego, mahu a pele ga nako, le dibopego tše di fapafapanego tša bohumanegi tšeo gantši di hlaolago maemo ao a sentšwego ke leuba la HIV le AIDS.

Afrikaans: Hierdie proefskrif is 'n etnografiese weergawe van die komplekse en diverse ervarings van kinders wat grootword in die konteks van 'n VIGS-epidemie in Chiweshe gemeenskap, Zimbabwe. Om die persoonlike ervarings en sienings van kinders in 'n konteks van VIGS en politieke ekonomiese verandering in landelike Zimbabwe vas te lê, is veldwerk oor 15 maande, van Januarie 2007 tot Maart 2008, uitgevoer vir die versameling van stories, tekeninge, drome en liedjies van kinders van vier tot 16 jaar oud. Ontleding het getoon dat, ten spyte van hul uiterste konteks, die kinders in Chiweshe tydelike vriendskappe, beskermingsverhoudings en informele organisasies met en sonder volwassenes geskep het om hul oorlewingsbehoeftes te bevredig. Hulle het ook ruimtes en diskoerse vir spel, werk en leer toegeëien, wat nodig is vir hul daaglikse behoeftes. Daar word aangevoer dat kinderagentskap ontstaan het deur hierdie selfgeïnisieerde aktiwiteite, binne veelvuldige kontekstuele beperkings van armoede, siekte en verlies. Hierdie bevindinge daag die eensydige, volwasse-gesentreerde weergawes van kinderjare uit wat kinders uitbeeld as ongesosialiseerde slagoffers, passief, onbevoeg, onkundig en stil oor kwessies rakende VIGS en verwante begrippe van seksualiteit, siekte, dood, werk en politiek. Daar word voorgestel dat die erkenning van sulke gevalle van kinders se bevoegdheid en kreatiwiteit noodsaaklik is vir ingrypings wat daarop gemik is om die lyding, ontydige sterftes en verskeie vorme van ontbering te verminder wat dikwels kontekste kenmerk wat deur die MIV- en VIGS-pandemie geteister word.

IsiZulu: Lolu cwaningo luwukulandisa okuphathelene ne-ethnografiphic yezehlakalo ezinzima nezipiliyoni ezehlukahlukeneile zabantwana abakhula ngaphansi kwengwikithi yobhubhane lwe-AIDS emhlabeni womphakathi wseChiweshe, e-Zimbabwe. Ukuze sethule okuhlangenwe nakho kanye nemibono yabantwana mayelana ne-AIDS kanye nenguquko yezomnotho kwezombusazwe emaphandleni ase-Zimbabwe, umsebenzi wangaphandle wenziwa phakathi nezinyanga eziyi-15, ukusukela ngoJanuwari we-2007 ukuya ku-Mashi we-2008 okyilapho kwaqoqwa izindaba, imidwebo, amaphupho, kanye nezingoma zabantwana abaneminyaka engaphakathi kwe-4 ukuya kweyi-16. Ukuhlaziya kwabonisa ukuthi, nanoma izingqikithi zabo zazimbi kakhulu, izingane zase-Chiweshe zakha ubungane besikhashana, ubudlelwano bokwengamela, nezinhlangano ezingahlelekile nabantu abadala kanye nangaphandle kwabantu abadala, ukuze bathole izidingo zabo zokuphila. Baphinde futhi bahlukanisela izikhala nezinkulumo zokudlala, ukusebenza, nokufunda, ezidingekayo kuzidingo zabo zansuku zonke. Kuphikiswana ngokuthi ukuzimela kwezingane kwavela ngale misebenzi abazenzela yona, ngaphansi kwezingqikithi eziningi zobumpofu obucindezelwayo, ukugula, nokulahlekelwa. Lokhu okutholakele kuphonsela inselele ezehlakalweni ezigxile ohlangothini olulodwa labantu abadala, ezinganeni liziveza njengezisulu zangaphambi kwenhlalonhle yomphakathi, ezingenzi lutho, ezingenamakhono, ezingazi lutho, nezithule, ezindabeni eziphathelene ne-AIDS kanye nemibono ehlobene nobulili, ukugula, ukufa, umsebenzi kanye nepolitiki. Kuphakanyiswa ukuthi ukuqashelwa kwalezi zimo ezinye zamakhono ezingane kanye nekhono lokusungula kusemqoka ukuze kungenelelwe ngomlamulo ohlose ukunciphisa ukuhlupheka, ukufa okungazelelwe, kanye nezinhlobo ezahlukene zokwephucwa ezivame ukugqamisa izingqikithi zo ezicekelwe phansi wubhubhane lwe-HIV ne-AIDS.