Religion and Politics

Good News on AIDS in Africa

Jenny Trinitapoli and Alexander Weinreb for Slate report on the effect local religious leaders have had on the reduction of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Instead of the typical narrative of the West “saving” Africa from AIDS, Trinitapoli and Weinreb credit local religious leaders as the heroes in the war on HIV. “Far from pushing fire-and-brimstone doctrine, religious messages about abstinence and faithfulness have been pragmatic and effective. They have reduced the spread of HIV in countless African communities that have been unreached by resources from the Global Fund and its counterparts.” Trinitapoli and Weinreb further this argument in their new book, Religion and AIDS in Africa. 

Read at Slate

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