An Assessment of the Bakalanga Cultural Sexual Practices in Relation to HIV/AIDS Spread and Prevention: A Case of Matabeleland South Zimbabwe

Abstract

HIV/AIDS prevalence in Zimbabwe has been reported to be at 13.7% yet Matebeland South has been reported to have highest prevalence of 21%. The National HIV/AIDS Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) attributed this high prevalence to the high mobility in the area due to the influx of cross-border traders, migrants, border jumpers and fortune seekers being lured by the need to go to neighbouring countries and long periods of separation of spouses with some of them having gone to South Africa or Botswana to seek fortunes. The highest population in this province is the Kalanga ethnic group which is a very secretive group and have cultural sexual practiced which have not been investigated. This study therefore sort to investigate Therefore, this study seeks to analyse the BaKalanga current cultural sexual practices  in relation to HIV/AIDS prevention and spread. The study used qualitative phenomenological research design to collect data from Bakalanga ethnic group which consisted of two dialects which are Tjikalanga and Tjililima, from October 2011 to April 2014. A phenomenological qualitative research approach describes a "lived experience" of a phenomenon. Quantitative data was used for the demographic data and knowledge of existence of the sexual practises and one thousand eight hundred and eight three (1883) respondents were interviewed for this purpose.This ethnic group was chosen because of its unique cultural sexual practice which have remained so secretive that even some young adults of the group are not aware of the cultural practises. This secretiveness made data collection very difficult at some points.

The study found that cultural sexual practises such as "Nholo wemwizana”(having sexual intrcourse with a daughter in law),””Nkadzana”(small wife), and " Nlunyana” (small husband) were still being widley practised and my be contributory factors to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the province. The study recommended that HIV/aids preventive statergies should be cultture sensitive and include the culture  custodians in planning preventive measures as the the  ABCD has no place in this culture, hence HIV/AIDS campaigns are based on wrong assumptionsabout sexual behaviour.