The HIV/AIDS pandemic has afflicted Africa more than any other region of the world. In the United States, the AIDS scourge has disproportionately affected African American communities. In their tragic experiences with HIV/AIDS, both African states and African American communities can benefit from the new communication framework that the United Nations Global AIDS Programme and the Pennsylvania State University have developed to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The framework contains five universal values that are recommended for AIDS intervention programs across the world. The five values are incorporation of government policies, socioeconomic status, culture, gender issues, and spirituality. There are six additional values, two of which apply uniquely to each of the three world regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. For Africa, the two unique values are community-based approaches and regional cooperation. The situation in Africa presents valuable lessons for African Americans in the United States.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Airhihenbuwa, C. O.
(1995). Health and culture: Beyond the Western paradigm. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2.
Anarfi, J. K.
(1993). Sexuality, migration, and AIDS in Ghana–A socio-behavioural study. Health Transition Review, 3(Suppl.), 45-67.
3.
Asante, M. K.
(1990). Kemet, Afrocentricity and knowledge. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
4.
Asante, M. K.
(2000). Wonders of Africa: A Eurocentric enterprise. West Africa Review, 1(2). Retrieved from http://www.icaap.org/iuicode?101.123
5.
Awusabo-Asare, K.
, Anarfi, J. K., & Agyeman, D. K. (1993). Women's control over their sexuality and the spread of STDs and HIV/AIDS in Ghana. Health Transition Review, 3(Suppl.), 29-43.
6.
Brown, K. C.
, & Turner, J. G. (1989). AIDS: Policies and programs for the workplace.New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
7.
Cable News Network
. (1999). AIDS virus came from chimps. Retrieved from http://cnn.com/HEALTH/9901/31/aids.origin/index.html
8.
Caldwell, J. C.
, Orubuloye, I. O., & Caldwell, P. (1994). Under-reaction to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. In I. O. Orubuloye, J. C. Caldwell, P. Caldwell, & G. Stantow (Eds.), Sexual networking and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa: Behavioral research and the social context (pp. 217-234). Canberra: Australian National University, Health Transition Centre.
9.
Centers for Disease Control
. (1999a). Fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/hiv_aids/graphics/images/minority/
10.
Centers for Disease Control
. (1999b). HIV/AIDS surveillance report (Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 1-43). Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention.
11.
Cohen, B.
, & Trussell, J. (Eds.). (1996).Preventing and mitigating AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
12.
Cohen, C. J.
(1999). The boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the breakdown of Black politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
13.
Ferraro, K. F.
, & Farmer, M. M. (1996). Double jeopardy to health hypothesis for African Americans: Analysis and critique. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37(1), 27-43.
14.
Forsythe, S.
, & Rau, B. (Eds.). (1996). AIDS in Kenya: Socioeconomic impact and policy implications. Arlington, VA: FHI/AIDSCAP.
15.
Fullilove, M. J.
, & Fullilove, R. E. (1999). Stigma as an obstacle to AIDS action: The case of the African American community. American Behavioral Scientist, 42, 1117-1129.
16.
Hawk, B. G.
(Ed.). (1992). African media images. Westport, CT: Praeger.
17.
Hilts, P.
(1994). Introduction. In M. Essex, S. Mboup, P. J. Kanki, & M. R. Kalengayi (Eds.), AIDS in Africa (pp. xix-xxii). New York: Raven Press.
18.
Jaynes, G. D.
, & Williams, R. M. (Eds.). (1989). Blacks and American society: A common destiny. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
19.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
. (1998a).A measure of success in Uganda: The value of monitoring both HIV prevalence and sexual behaviour. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
20.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
. (1998b). Progress report for 1996/1997. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
21.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
. (1999). Best practice collection (Issue 1). Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
22.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum
. (1997). The business response to HIV/AIDS: Innovation & partnership. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
23.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and World Health Organization
. (1998). Sexually transmitted diseases: Policies and principles for prevention and care. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
24.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS/Pennsylvania State University
. (1999). Communication framework for HIV/AIDS: A new direction. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.
25.
Kaijage, F. J. (1994). HIV/AIDS and the orphan crisis in Kagera region: Socio-economic dimensions. Unpublished background paper prepared for the USAID Tanzania AIDS Project's Family Needs Assessment Report, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
26.
Lincoln, C. E.
, & Mamiya, L. H. (1990). The Black Church in the African American experience. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
27.
Monitoring the AIDS Pandemic
. (1998). The status and trends of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world. Geneva, Switzerland: Monitoring the AIDS Pandemic Interim Secretariat.
28.
Marchetti, D.
(1998, April 23). Helping kids not have kids. Chronicle of Philanthropy, 10(13), 9-12.
29.
Margillo, G. A.
, & Imahori, T. T. (1998). Understanding safer sex negotiation in a group of low-income African American women. In N. L. Roth & L. K. Fuller (Eds.), Women and AIDS: Negotiating safer practices, care, and prevention (pp. 43-69). New York: Harrington Park Press.
30.
Mazrui, A.
(2000). Preliminary critique of Gates'African wonders. West Africa Review, 1(2). Retrieved from http://www.icaap.org/iuicode?101.1.2.11
31.
Moore, J. B.
(1981). W.E.B. DuBois. Boston: Twayne.
32.
Norr, K. F.
, McElmurry, B. J., Moeti, M., and Tlou, S. D. (1992). AIDS prevention for women. Nursing Outlook, 40(6), 250-256.
33.
Roucek, J. S.
(1970). The Black American and the new viewpoints in Black American history. In J. S. Roucek & T. Kiernan (Eds.), The Negro impact on Western civilization (pp. 1-22). New York: Philosophical Library.
34.
Rushton, J. P.
(1995). Race, evolution and behavior: A life history perspective. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Press.
35.
Rushton, J. P.
, & Bogaert, A. F. (1987). Race differences in sexual behavior: Testing an evolutionary hypothesis. Journal of Research in Personality, 21, 529-551.
36.
Roach, R.
(1999). The race to save lives. Black Issues in Higher Education, 16(21), 22-26.
37.
Tichenor, P. J.
, Donohue, G. A., & Olien, C. N. (1970). Mass media flow and differential growth in knowledge. Public Opinion Quarterly, 34, 159-170.
38.
Tlou, S.
(1995, February).AIDS prevention for women: A community-based approach in Baltimore. Paper presented at the WHO Global Programme on AIDS Meeting, Effective Approaches for the Prevention of HIV/AIDS in Women, Geneva, Switzerland.
