AIDS and Power: Why There Is No Political Crisis - Yet Contributor(s): de Waal, Alex (Author) |
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ISBN: 1842777076 ISBN-13: 9781842777077 Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC OUR PRICE: $29.65 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2006 Annotation: Why, twenty years into the crisis, are democratic governments performing so poorly in tackling AIDS in Africa? De Waal argues that existing approaches are driven by interests and frameworks that fail to engage with African societies' resilience and creativity. Already, African communities have confounded some of the worst predictions of disaster. If adequately supported, they will find ways of sustaining development and democracy in the midst of HIV/AIDS. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Health & Fitness | Diseases - Aids & Hiv - Medical | Health Care Delivery |
Dewey: 362.196 |
LCCN: 2006040551 |
Series: African Arguments |
Physical Information: 0.39" H x 5.08" W x 7.86" (0.40 lbs) 160 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: One in six adults in sub-Saharan Africa will die in their prime of AIDS. It is a stunning cataclysm, plunging life expectancy to pre-modern levels and orphaning millions of children. Yet political trauma does not grip Africa. People living with AIDS are not rioting in the streets or overthrowing governments. In fact, democratic governance is spreading. Contrary to fearful predictions, the social fabric is not being ripped apart by bands of unsocialized orphan children. AIDS and Power explains why social and political life in Africa goes on in a remarkably normal way, and how political leaders have successfully managed the AIDS epidemic so as to overcome any threats to their power. Partly because of pervasive denial, AIDS is not a political priority for electorates, and therefore not for democratic leaders either. AIDS activists have not directly challenged the political order, instead using international networks to promote a rights-based approach to tackling the epidemic. African political systems have proven resilient in the face of AIDS's stresses, and rulers have learned to co-opt international AIDS efforts to their own political ends. In contrast with these successes, African governments and international agencies have a sorry record of tackling the epidemic itself. AIDS and Power concludes without political incentives for HIV prevention, this failure will persist. |