National AIDS Council Director, Ben Chirwa, says traditional leaders should actively participate in the fight against HIV/AIDS in order to help address the further of the disease.
Dr Chirwa said traditional leaders have a significant role to play in promoting responsible sexual behaviour as a measure of scaling down the spread of the virus among subjects.
He said government through NAC and the Royal Foundation of Zambia has decided to engage traditional leaders to take a lead in HIV and AIDS advocacy, through utilization of existing traditional structures.
He was speaking when he officiated at a HIV/AIDS workshop for Chiefs at Chimwemwe lodge in Petauke yesterday.
Dr Chirwa said AIDS is more than a health problem and requires a broadbase multi-sectoral approach to effectively address its effects.
And in an interview with ZANIS Chief Mnukwa of the Ngoni people of Chipata District said HIV/AIDS is linked to long standing cultural behaviour, literacy and beliefs that need to be addressed in the Chiefdoms.
Chief Mnukwa noted that the spread of the pandemic in communities is accelerated by many people who are still illiterate about facts surrounding these pandemic.
Chief Mnukwa has since advised traditional leaders to hold meetings with their subjects in order to control illiteracy levels which remained high among the people as a measure of strengthening control of the spread of the disease.
The workshop was held to raise awareness of the HIV/agenda through active engagement of traditional leaders in order for them to actively advocate for AIDS prevention, support care and impact of mitigation in their respective chiefdoms.
The workshop also drew participation of Chiefs from Nyimba, Chama, Chipta and Petauke districts.
ZANIS
Traditional leaders are promiscuous, especially M’pezeni.
When you understand the background to AIDS, you see that it is not only believable; it is utterly logical.
Once science was far enough advanced in biotechnology to create and destroy life through microscopic manipulations of cells, it was inevitable that this type of bacteriological weapon(AIDS), which is capable of killing every man, woman and child on earth was inevitable. Just as it was inevitable that nuclear bombs would be dropped once physicists
had split the atom in a world at war.
Mr Chirwa, it the traditional leaders who need more infro about HIV/AIDS. Look at Mpezeni,
What can he tell his pipo?
Mpezeni once said that HIV inaifya maningi cifukwa inankhala pa cokudya
# 4. zedson. I can confirm Chief Mpezeni said exactly that. It was after an HIV sensitisation workshop which was conducted in his area. The Chief was then called upon to say a few words. To the chagrin of organisers and participants, Chief Mpezeni said, ‘ va mwalabila tamvwa. Lomba vuto la naonapo neo ni yoteti, aya matenda ya HIV yaifyo nkala pa chakulya.’ ( literally translated, ‘what you have said we have heard. But the problem that I have found is that this HIV has come to sit right on our food ). That is Mpezeni for you.
Mpezeni plz wake up. Even food when it is contaminated must not be eaten. Teach your people correct things for them to remain heath. Dr Chirwa plz arrange a seminar for traditional leaders before you encourange them to help in the fight agaist HIV/AIDS or they will mislead their subjects.