Oral literature and HIV narratives in Swaziland – considerations for HIV prevention and communication
Key components of Swaziland’s national response to the HIV epidemic include reduction of multiple concurrent partnerships, delaying sexual debut, and increasing condom use. While these interventions, which aim to mitigate the social cost of HIV, have met with some success, campaigns designed to create behaviour change and lessen sexual risk have shown less promising results. This issue brief offers several policy recommendations that stem from tinganekwane, including: Swazi voices and preferences need to take precedence in message design; tinganekwane and the cultural context in which they exist should be utilised more in programming; values that are perceived as inherently Swazi can and should be integrated into prevention messages; the narrative of HIV prevention in Swaziland should change; and finally, a new narrative can be created to celebrate those who practice safe behaviours.
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