Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
New Vision (Kampala) - December 2, 2003
Alfred Wasike
About 40 million people are infected worldwide and 1.2 million live in Uganda. Museveni said, "I hear people mixing morals and safety. This is very dangerous. It should stop.
11% of Ugandans are Muslims while 85% are Christians. These are God-based religions. But why did AIDS spread so fast among our people? It is because morals are confused with the safety of our people."
Museveni was speaking at the 2003 World AIDS Day at Kololo Airstrip yesterday.
The occasion was graced by former Big Brother Africa Housemates led by their Ugandan colleague Gaetano Kaggwa.
Museveni said the defence against AIDS was educating the youth with coherent massages based on "our" culture with modifications.
He said cultural practices like wife inheritance and sharing and circumcision with unsterilised equipment must be condemned.
He called for faithfulness. He also called for stable families and use of contraceptives like condoms.
He said the Domestic Relations Bill should resolve these issues like African culture used to.
"We don't want frustration in homes. These Western and Middle Eastern behaviours that are imported into Africa are not helping us fight AIDS. Who said that God is European or Arabic? I can't accept these imported cultures to paralyse our people.
"We must save the world. We must tell the people the truth. We must give them the right equipment to protect themselves," he said. He said prostitutes do not enjoy selling themselves but lacked employment.
"Let us help them protect themselves so that when churches and mosques come to preach, they will find healthy people to convert. Only a multi-pronged approach can save us," he said.
He advised the youth not to rush into sex, saying life was more important. He also warned against peer pressure because of the wrong messages from overseas.
"Be cowards when it comes to sex," he said.
He said boys should not imagine that they would become men by the number of girls they slept with.
"You hear boys saying 'You see that ki-girl there, I slept with her.' That is false heroism.
"You girls are too anxious to please the boys. He says, 'I love you very much naye njagala ondozeeko' (but I want to taste) and you willingly accept it. That is very wrong," he said.
031202
NV031201
Copyright © 2003 - The New Vision. All articles are republished on AEGIS by permission. Material may not be redistributed, posted to any other location, published or used for broadcast without written authorization from Managing Director/Editor-in-chief, The New Vision, P.O. Box 9815, Kampala - Uganda, Tel/fax: 256-41-235221, E-mail: wpike@newvision.co.ug.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .