Sculpture – Post #2

HIV and AIDS Depicted in Zimbabwe Sculptures

In the summer of 2010, a whopping 15% of adults in Zimbabwe were estimated to be HIV positive. And according to AVERT, an International HIV and AIDS charity, African American individuals are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. In 2009, 21,673 adult African Americans in America were diagnosed to be HIV positive and 16,759 individuals were diagnosed with AIDS. That’s nearly twice as many people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS than Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and mixed-race individuals combined. And with the health care system being overwhelmed by these large numbers of AIDS patients, most people living with this disease are forced to be cared for in their own homes by elderly individuals.

            By delving into a research article by Alexander Rodlach, we will be able to see just how detrimental the AIDS epidemic is in Zimbabwe. However, out of all bad things come good things as well. In this case, Rodlach allows us a peak into how this epidemic has allowed those suffering with AIDS, and those around the disease, to create beautiful wood sculptures capturing the essence of the disease and how it affects Zimbabwe, and its culture, as a whole.



Figure A

             The specific artist that Rodlach interviewed while in Zimbabwe is named Sheunesu Shumba, a man who studied under Zephaniah Tshuma. Tshuma’s sculptures were “caricatures of human life and experiences” (3) and some of his work even focused on the AIDS epidemic and the preconceptions of the disease in the area. Figure A depicts an “intokolotshe” on the left, a sorcerer’s familiar, casting a spell on the man on the right. According to Zimbabwe’s culture, “encountering this familiar and being a victim of ulunyoka (the spell) is believed to result in symptoms similar to those of AIDS” (4).



Figure B

             Another sculpture by Shumba represented “male promiscuous behavior” (6) and showed a man moving away from the two women who have committed to him in order for him to desire another woman. This represents the spread of HIV/AIDS because in Zimbabwe, the majority of people feel that the faithfulness of the man is one of the largest contributing factors to the spread of the HIV virus. Rodlach explores this idea even further, going as far as to say it shows conflicting views in the lives of many Zimbabweans. For one, the man is expected to be faithful and restrain from extramarital sex. But the man is also expected to have many sexual partners or he’s not a “real man” at all (11).



Figure D



Figure C



            Women in Zimbabwe are not exempt from unrealistic expectations and stereotypes. According to Rodlach, a woman’s position in society heavily influences her sexual behavior and in very rural areas women are more “likely to be dependent on their guardians—either male relatives or, after marriage, their husbands—who speak on their behalf” (12). This first sculpture, titled Window Shopping has a woman looking at an item she desires, while also exposing her butt in an attempt to attract men. According to Rodlach, she does this because “she is realistic and knows that her appeal to men (husband, boyfriend, or lover) determines to some degree whether she is able to get what she desires,” therefore saying that women in Zimbabwe feel inferior and dependent on men to have any sort of meaningful life. The second sculpture showing women’s “common position” (12) in society, shows a woman stretching seductively so she can be physically appealing to the men around her. In rural Zimbabwe, women feel like they need to be seductive and visually appealing or they won’t end up with a man that will support them.



Figure E

             The problem with this dependency is that women can’t afford (both economically and politically) to take care of themselves. So when a woman feels her husband is unfaithful, she fears contracting HIV and therefore is hesitant to engage in sex with her husband. According to Rodlach’s interviews, women said “when husbands indicate a desire to have sex they expect their wives to comply.” The sculpture on right, titled Martial Rape, depicts a husband grabbing his wives’ breasts forcefully. The woman looks distressed, and the husband is, symbolically, devouring her, which in Ndebele, is a metaphor for killing her. In this case, how he kills her is by infecting her with HIV.

            HIV and AIDS are a huge problem in not only Zimbabwe, but also the entire world. According to the Guttmacher Institute’s “Sex and HIV Education” survey, 33 states and the District of Columbia mandate both sex education and HIV education classes in schools, and only 13 states require the information to be medically accurate. HIV and AIDS affect so many people, and we’re not taking this nearly seriously enough. HIV is not a “gay only” infection, and neither is AIDS. Shown through the sculptures Rodlach inspected in Zimbabwe, it’s men who are unfaithful with other women that cause the most distress about this disease. These wooden sculptures depict the everyday struggles those living with AIDS face, and the very real fears those without face living in a country where HIV is spreading faster than ever.

Bibliography

Rodlach, Alexander. "Popular Images of the AIDS Epidemic: Contemporary Wood Sculptures from Southern Zimbabwe." African Arts (2010): 54-67. Galegroup.com. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?retrieveFormat=PDF_FROM_CALLISTO&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=lom_emichu&workId=PI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-50.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-51.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-52.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-53.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-54.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-55.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-56.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-57.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-58.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-59.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-60.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-61.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-62.JPG%7CPI-0438-2010-SUM00-IDSI-63.JPG&docId=GALE%7CA241277804&callistoContentSet=PER&isAcrobatAvailable=true>.

"Sex and HIV Education." State Policies Brief. Guttmacher Institute, 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SE.pdf>.

"United States Statistics by Age and Race." AVERTing HIV & AIDS. AVERT: International HIV and AIDS Charity. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <United States Statistics by Age and Race>.