Peter EspeutTHE CARIBBEAN region is second in the world in terms of the incidence of HIV/AIDS; only Africa has a higher rate. The stories coming out of Africa are horrendous: of absolute declines in population, of an entire generation cut down, with only the very old and the very young left behind it sounds like deep rural Jamaica after the men and women of labour force age have migrated to the towns. Almost every family counts its dead. Several African countries fear for their future national development with a much reduced labour force. The Caribbean is headed there, so the statistics say.
We are fertile ground for an epidemic of HIV/AIDS. One of the ways this killer disease is transmitted is through sexual intercourse, which would not be a problem if Jamaicans were largely faithful to their partners, and young people postponed sexual activity until marriage. But, Jamaica and the Caribbean have a long-standing tradition of sexual profligacy which makes it unsurprising that the region has the second highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world.
So immersed in our culture are we, that we assume that so many things peculiar to us are 'normal'. Some people are tired of hearing this, but the early onset of sexual activity among our young children, the large number of teenage pregnancies, the low rate of marriage, the high number of absent fathers, all are the legacy of our slave plantation past.
The pattern of Jamaican family life established in slavery has proven hard to shake off. Those then in power made the rules and set the trend. Masters had the freedom of their slave women and girls, and usually freely indulged, even when their bed-partners were 'married' to slave men. For those in doubt, read the diary of Westmoreland penkeeper Thomas Thistlewood published by Douglas Hall under the title 'In Miserable Slavery: Thomas Thistlewood in Jamaica 1750-1786', or 'Lady Nugent's Journal'.
SUGAR DADDY
Respectability and church membership have not been able to prevent the common practice among the elite of having one's wife and a coloured or black mistress the 'Sugar Daddy' and the 'Boops' syndrome. Slavery broke down the strong family structure which the slaves would have conformed to in Africa, and established a system which was unfriendly towards marriage. After the external trade in slaves was abolished in 1807, the only way to get new slaves was through pregnancy and births, and substantial rewards (like freedom) were offered to slave women for heroic childbearing. Other values emerged which reinforced these behaviour patterns after emancipation until today.
CONTEMPORARY LEADERS
The family life of many of our contemporary political leaders has not been able to change the social norms. My research has turned up cases of parents offering the favours of their daughters to visiting politicians and their entourage in much the same way as planters' attorneys and their cavalcade made use of the slave women on estates they visited. It is claimed that the dons have the pick of the garrison girls.
Those who wish to see Jamaica survive the HIV/AIDS pandemic have unanimously concluded that the only thing that can save us is 'behaviour change'. As the night follows the day, if our current sexual performance continues, we will overtake Africa and become El Numero Uno, and see a dramatic decline in our population and future economic prospects.
LEADERS OF SOCIETY
Many feel (as I do) that the first behaviour change must take place in the leaders of society, who must recognise the source of the problem and take steps to change the societal values and attitudes towards sex and family life.
The next area in which many disagree is whether 'behaviour change' should promote abstinence and faithful relationships (emotional sexual maturity) as its flagship, or condom use. Is it coincidence that a genuine Christian lifestyle is the best antidote for HIV/AIDS? Christianity promotes the virtue of self-control, especially in sexual matters, although this is not very popular in Jamaica, which as a nation suffers from emotional sexual immaturity (my wife says I must not make any reference to Mark Wignall's columns). The feeling among many is that it is unrealistic to expect most Jamaicans to buy into sexual abstinence and the idea of faithful relationships in the context of the 'BR' and the 'PP' and the dancehall culture.
I believe that too easily we sell ourselves short; we are capable of transcending even that. And besides, I believe that to expect Jamaicans in our present culture to use condoms 'every time' is tremendously unrealistic.
The threat of HIV/AIDS to Jamaica's future is quite serious, but as usual with serious matters, it is not being taken seriously by our political leaders nor by the church, who could gain good mileage by so doing. At a time like this we need good, solid leadership from the church.
In my view, behaviour change in the area of our sexual and family values is essential to our future progress as a nation, along with constitutional, political and educational reform, and conservation of the environment. But alas and alack! I fear that our present crop of leaders will not be able to take us there.
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and is executive director of an environment and development NGO.
