Myths and Misconceptions of the Orthodox View of AIDS in Africa

This article rebuts conventional claims that AIDS in Africa is a microbial problem to be controlled through sexual abstinence, behavior modification, condoms, and drugs. The orthodox view mistakenly attributes to sexual activities the common symptoms that define an AIDS case in Africa - diarrhea, high fever, weight loss and dry cough. What has really made Africans increasingly sick over the past 25 years are deteriorating political economies, not people’s sexual behavior. The establishment view on AIDS turned poverty into a medical issue and made everyday life an obsession about safe sex. While the vast, selfperpetuating AIDS industry invented such aggressive phrases as “the war on AIDS” and “fighting stigma,” it viciously denounced any physician, scientist, journalist or citizen who exposed the inconsistencies, contradictions and errors in their campaigns. Thus, fighting AIDS in Africa degenerated into an intolerant religious crusade. Poverty and social inequality are the most potent co-factors for an AIDS diagnosis. In South Africa, racial inequalities rooted in apartheid mandated rigid segregation of health facilities and disproportionate spending on the health of whites, compared to blacks. Apartheid policies ignored the diseases that primarily afflicted Africans - malaria, tuberculosis, respiratory infections and protein anemia. Even after the end of apartheid, the absence of basic sanitation and clean water supplies still affects many Africans in the former homelands and townships. The article argues that the billions of dollars squandered on fighting AIDS should be diverted to poverty relief, job creation, the provision of better sanitation, better drinking water, and financial help for drought-stricken farmers. The cure for AIDS in Africa is as near at hand as an alternative explanation for what is making Africans sick in the first place

New Works about Somalia and Somalis

Prof. Geshekter is maintaining a database listing all bibliographic citations referring to Somalia and the Somali diaspora. This article presents an update of the works published in 2006-2007.Prof. Geshekter wuxuu diyaariyay ururin raadraaceed oo ku saabsan Soomaaliya iyo qurbajoogta Soomaaliyeed. Maqaalkani wuxuu soo bandhigayaa qorallo la soo saaray 2006 iyo 2007.Il Prof. Geshekter cura un database che riporta tutte le citazioni bibliografiche relative alla Somalia e alla diaspora somala. Questo articolo presenta un aggiornamento dei lavori pubblicati nel biennio 2006-2007.Document provided by Bildhaan, Digital Commons at Macalester College.Dokumentigan waxaa dadka u soo bandhigay Bildhaan, Digital Commons ee jaamacadda "Macalester College".Documento messo a disposizione da Bildhaan, Digital Commons del Macalester College.Link: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/bildhaan

Somali maritime history and regional sub-cultures: a neglected theme of the Somali crisis

The author suggests an innovative analysis of Somali crisis roots. He carries out an investigation on Somali maritime history and the relationship with colonizers, and on the regional sub-cultures in opposition to the widespread idea of a unique and homogeneous Somali culture.Qoraagu wuxuu hab cusub u baarayaa sababaha gundhigga u ah dhibaatada Soomaaliyeed. Wuxuu si tifaftiran uga hadlayaa taariikh badeedda Soomaaliyeed iyo gumaystayaasha, iyo dhaqan gobolleedyada oo ka soo horjeeda aragtida shaacbaxday oo ah in Soomaalidu ay ku midaysan tahay xagga dhaqanka.L'autore suggerisce un'analisi innovativa sulle radici storiche della crisi somala. Fornisce dettagli sulla storia marittima somala e le relazioni con i colonizzatori e sulle sotto-culture regionali in opposizione all'idea diffusa di un'unica e omogenea cultura somala.Paper presented to the 1st Conference of the European Association of Somali Studies, London, SOAS.Maqaalkan waxaa lagu soo bandhigay Shirweynihii koowaad ee Daraasaadka Soomaaliyeed ee Ururka Yurub, London, SOAS.Articolo presentato alla Prima Conferenza dell'Assiociazione Europea di Studi Somali, Londra, SOAS

Interview with Professor Ioan Lewis at his Home in London

In this in-depth interview, Prof. Lewis touches a variety of subjects which are linked together in relation to Somalia: his educational choices and path, his first encounter and research work in Somalia, the relationship with the British Protectorate Administration and with Somalis, his publications, his analysis on some political events and the state of the art of Somali studies.Waraysi lala yeeshay Prof. I.M.Lewis, oo taabanaya arrimo kala duwan oo la xiriira Soomaaliya: cilmibaarista uu Soomaaliya ka qabtay, qoraalladiisa iyo falanqayntiisi xagga siyaasadda Soomaaliyeed iwm.In questa approfondita intervista, il Prof. Lewis tocca una grande varietà di argomenti, legati tra loro perché relativi alla Somalia: le sue scelte e il suo percorso educativo, il suo primo incontro e il lavoro di ricerca in Somalia, i rapporti con il Protettorato Britannico Amministrazione e con i somali, le sue pubblicazioni, la sua analisi su alcuni eventi politici e lo stato dell'arte degli studi somali.Documento messo a disposizione da Bildhaan, Digital Commons del Macalester College.Document provided by Bildhaan, Digital Commons at Macalester College.Dokumentigan waxaa dadka u soo bandhigay Bildhaan, Digital Commons ee jaamacadda "Macalester College".Link: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/bildhaan

Putting African History on Film: A Retrospect on the Somalia Film Project

Retrospect on the production of a documentary-movie on XX century Somalia, trying to explain how historical material can be used by the cinema: difficulties and merits of the collaboration between directors and historicians._-_Filin dokumentari oo ku saabsan Soomaaliya qarnigii XX oo muujinaya sida macluumaadka taariikheed looga adeegsan karo filin samaynta: dhibaatooyinka iyo faa'ida laga helayo wadashaqaynta soosaaraha iyo taariikhyahanka._-_Retrospettiva sulla produzione di un film-documentario sulla Somalia del XX secolo che tenta di spiegare come il materiale storico possa essere utilizzato dal mezzo cinematografico: le difficoltà e i pregi della collaborazione tra registi e storici

Anti-Colonialism and Class-Formation: The Eastern Horn of Africa, 1920-1950

The article explores the colonial entails in the Horn of Africa, especially in the fratricidal conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia in claiming of Ogaden region. The second part of the paper is concerned with Somali class structure and class formation in a pastoralist economy.Maqaalku wuxuu ka hadlayaa waxyaabaha culayska badan leh ee laga dhaxlay gumaysiga, oo si gaar ah ula xiriira iskudhaca Soomaaliya iyo Itoobiya oo u sabab ah sheegashada gobolka Ogaadeeniya. Qaybta labaad ee maqaalku waxayse ka hadlaysaa dhismaha iyo samaysanka dabaqooyin dhaqaalohooda ku dhisan beerqodaal iyo raacato sida Soomaaliya.L'articolo affronta la pesante eredità coloniale nel Corno d'Africa, in particolare relativamente al conflitto fratricida tra Somalia ed Etiopia per la rivendicazione della regione dell'Ogaden. La seconda parte dell'articolo, invece, si occupa della struttura e formazione delle classi in una economia agro-pastorale come quella somala.Thomas Labahn (ed.