Why Africa South of the Sahara has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world

Most of Africa South of the Sahara, for centuries was cut off from the industrial revolution that transformed most of the world. Due to this isolation, Christianity which influenced European culture and laws did not come to Africa early enough to influence African traditions, cultures and laws. Consequently, polygamy, fornication, and promiscuity were not considered SINS, by African laws, customs and traditions. Hence HIV/AIDS

By A.S. Ngwana,

To know why Africa South of the Sahara has the highest rate, about 76 percent of HIV/AIDS infections in the world, we must revert to history.
From about 100,000 to 10,000 years ago man survived mainly by hunting, fishing, scavenging and living a migratory type of life. But from about 10,000 years ago, man was able to domesticate plants and animals and to live a sedentary life. This agricultural revolution made possible a phenomenal growth of human population and set the stage for events in human history that led to civilisation and economic development.
Man wanted many children for economic reasons. The big man or the rich man was the man with many children who could cultivate big farms and grow richer. These men became chiefs, fons, emirs, or Kings with overwhelming importance and power. In this urge to get material influence and power, many people resorted to polygamy and large families. Sexual intercourse was mainly for procreation and pregnancies were no problem at all because children were considered a gift from God. Hence more children meant more blessings.
All governments throughout history actively encouraged their population growth. The motivations varied from economic, defence and social security. Consequently they treated abortion, murder, manslaughter, and euthanasia as serious criminal offences, punishable in some cases with the death penalty.

In 1873 the U.S. Congress enacted the “Comstock Law”, which regulated public access to birth control devices, medicines or information, for the next 60 years. It was illegal to distribute any device (condom), medicine or information designed to prevent conception, this was applicable even to physicians.
The most notorious policies to boost birth rates and population growths were deployed by totalitarian regimes of far left and right. In Ceausescu’s Romania, the Marxist dictator instituted monthly pregnancy test to see if women were performing their patriotic duty, and they provided more subsidized housing to larger families.
Fascist regimes even went further as Mussolini introduced a tax on bachelors above a certain age.
In Nazi Germany the pro-birth program was highly motivated and information about contraception was suppressed and unmarried adults faced tax penalties.
Across the communist block pro-birth policies were applied. Even in democracies like the France of the 1920s, laws were introduced to limit the sale of contraceptives and payments were allocated to women who stayed at home (giving birth).
Europe like the rest of the world adopted the culture of life for religious, economic and political reasons. European culture and traditions were greatly influenced by the Christian religion and laws and customs were based on the “sanctity of life”. Abortion, adultery, and homosexuality were an offence, and divorce, contraceptives, suicide, euthanasia, prostitution, bestiality, necrophilia, paedophilia, pornography and incest were forbidden by law.
Then secularism, materialism and realism crept in and things started falling apart.
The Industrial Revolution transformed Europe from an agrarian society into a predominantly manufacturing world. Industrialization, mechanisation, and science and technology rendered manual labour less demanding and almost irrelevant in some cases.

But most of Africa South of the Sahara, for centuries was isolated and cut off from the technological, intellectual progress and cultural revolutions that were taking place in the whole world. It was cut off from the civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Near East by the Sahara Desert. It was cut off by the Equatorial Nile. It was cut off by the oceans and it was cut off by the almost impenetrable tropical forest. In its isolation, Africa remained an AGRARIAN society and maintained the need for large families and many children. More so, many children died at infancy due to diseases and lack of medicine. Consequently, parents had many children on the assumption that some would survive to adulthood. Fertility was an important part of life and the gods were often consulted when this was lacking, for more children meant more blessings from God. Barrenness was considered a curse from God. Hence the African love for many children developed and with it our culture of POLYGAMY.

Christianity, which had influenced European culture and laws, did not come to Africa early enough to influence African traditions, cultures and laws. Consequently, polygamy, fornication, and promiscuity were not considered SINS, by African laws, customs and traditions.
HIV/AIDS is spread mainly by sexual intercourse. Polygamy and the African love for many children encourage promiscuity, and promiscuity encourages the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Hence Africa South of the Sahara has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world. Therefore to control the spread of AIDS in Africa South of the Sahara, Africa must change or modify some of its cultures and traditions. Those African countries South of the Sahara, which have embraced the Christian religion, and practiced fidelity in monogamy and abstinence before marriage, as preached by the Christian religion, have experienced a great reduction in their rate of the HIV/AIDS infection.