AIDS in Africa: its present and future impact

Abstract

Based on fieldwork carried out in the Rakai and Kigezi Districts of Uganda, the authors attempt to outline the long-term social and economic impact of AIDS in Africa, focusing on the effects on demographic structure, agriculture and the family and community - but also on the individual. After an introductory chapter, the demographic impact is explored, with a specific focus on Uganda. Two chapters then deal with individual and social ways of coping with AIDS, how it is explained and rationalised, and the practical ways of dealing with its impacts. The following chapter provides an explanation of the social and economic environment in Uganda which forms the background to the rapid spread of the disease. Chapter six gives a more detailed account of coping mechanisms in households and communities, discussing household structure and the demographic cycle, social differentiation and the care of orphans. To date, Bugandans have largely adapted existing well-tried strategies for dealing with stress and disasters. The next two chapters deal specifically with the care of orphans and the adaptations of farming systems to the loss of productive labour. The final chapter attempts to place the Ugandan case in a wider perspective, and calls for an end to public complacency.