AFRICA, SWAZILAND: Understanding HIV Stigma

Lindiwe Mondy Simelone of SWANHEPPA (Swaziland network of people living with HIV/AIDS) reports on a project that combines quantitative research, oral testimony and media in Swaziland. Lindiwe is a project coordinator, as well as oral testimony interviewer.
‘Give Stigma the Index Finger: Understanding and Responding to Stigma, funded by Comic Relief is a project working in waziland, Ethiopia and Mozambique aiming to increase understanding of HIV stigma by empowering men and women living with HIV to take an active part in the research and resulting advocacy. ‘The project, initiated by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), is partnering with networks of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in each of the three countries, and also parts of the Panos network who are providing technical input into oral testimony and working with the media. In Swaziland the partners are SWANHEPPA and also the FLAS (Family Planning Association of Swaziland).
‘In Swaziland, a group of ten men and women living with HIV came together for an oral testimony workshop in Swaziland in August 2011. All of these interviewers had some existing interviewing experience from carrying out the (mainly quantitative) PLHIV Stigma Index survey in Swaziland (see www.stigmaindex.org). Siobhan Warrington from Panos London and Happines Mkhatjwas from Behavioural Change were the facilitators for the workshop. Part of the workshop introductory sessions involved participants drawing their own rivers of life and talking about those in pairs. This enabled the potential interviewers to reflect upon their own pasts before they started interviewing others. This was followed by more practice interviews in pairs – what an experience! People who knew each other had the chance to sit together and talk and share about each other’s life experiences. It was an emotional journey which brought memories they had not shared with anyone; it brought tears, laughter and happiness which they had treasured for so many years. Listening to someone talking for an hour or so was a new skill, as most of the interviewers are HIV counselors who generally spend time talking to their clients. A slide show of the workshop can be viewed here: http://panos.org.uk/ projects/give-stigma-the-index-finger/
‘All interviewers went on to record and transcribe four oral testimony interviews, and came together for a series of review workshops to share experiences and improve skills. A total of forty-one interviews have now been recorded, transcribed, typed up and some translated into English. A reading committee from the four different partner organisations (SWHANHEPPA, FLAS, IPPF and Panos) are currently reviewing and summarising the testimonies. The testimonies will contribute to policy documents on HIV Stigma in Swaziland as well as creative communication outputs and activities to reach a wider general public.’

Lindiwe and two other interviewers discussing the dos and don’ts of interviewing, Photo: Siobhan Warrington.

For more information about the project please contact Lindiwe Mondy Simelone at lindzsim@yahoo.com or Andy Guise at AGuise@ippf.org

Source: ORAL HISTORY, Spring 2013, p26