Deadly Myths - Jill Kruger, Deputy Director: Social
and Behavioural Science, HIVAN
People
often use the word "myth" when they speak
or write about HIV/AIDS. But what is a "myth"?
Traditionally, myths are stories passed down from one
generation to another, about gods and about heroes with
unusual courage and strength. In Zulu mythology, Nomkhubulwana,
the daughter of heaven, sends rain, promotes fertility
and is the patron of girls and young women. Among ancient
Greek myths is that of Prince Jason who, with the help
of the sorceress Medea, obtains the golden fleece and
saves the Argonauts. This myth has been made into a
modern-day adventure film.
Nowadays,
we still refer to ancient myths without thinking about
their origin. Cupid, for instance, is portrayed every
February in the lead-up to Valentine's Day, as a child
whose arrows will pierce the hearts of his victims,
causing them to fall in love. In Roman myth, Cupid was
the youngest son of the goddess of Love, Venus. In ancient
Greece he was Eros, the youngest son of the goddess
of love, Aphrodite.
Anthropologists still study the sets of myths which
underlie people's collective identities, but since the
nineteenth century, people use the word "myth"
in an everyday sense to mean something that is widely
believed but which is not really true. Myths about HIV
and AIDS are growing.
Features of myths
Myths are of unknown authorship.
Myths are held by a number of people, either locally,
regionally, nationally or more widely.
There may be a grain of truth somewhere in a myth, but
as a whole, a myth is untrue.
Myths are linked to people's socio-cultural environment.
Myths serve to explain some phenomenon of nature or
to make sense of contradictions or paradoxes in the
world. People
may use myths to distance themselves from personal responsibility
in cases of crisis.
Myths are often stronger than scientific knowledge in
driving people's behaviour.
During 2003, HIVAN plans to produce a TV documentary:
Deadly Myths, about HIV/AIDS myths that lead
people to engage in behaviours that place them or other
people in dangerous, risky or difficult situations.
We would like to tap into our readers' knowledge of
some or all of the following:
1. How would you define/describe MYTHS about HIV/AIDS?
2. Do you know any myths about the TRANSMISSION of the
HIV virus (among adults/children)?
3. Do you know any myths about CURES for AIDS (among
adults/children)?
For each of your responses, please tell us:
(a) Where or how you first heard about the myth?
(b) About how many people do you know who believe this
myth and
(c) How do they act as a result?
Please send
your responses by email to: myth@hivan.org.za
and please include your telephone numbers.
To read more
on Jill Kruger and her previous documentaries, please
click here
People
often use the word "myth" when they speak
or write about HIV/AIDS. But what is a "myth"?
Nowadays,
we still refer to ancient myths without thinking about
their origin. Cupid, for instance, is portrayed every
February in the lead-up to Valentine's Day, as a child
whose arrows will pierce the hearts of his victims,
causing them to fall in love. In Roman myth, Cupid was
the youngest son of the goddess of Love, Venus. In ancient
Greece he was Eros, the youngest son of the goddess
of love, Aphrodite.
People
may use myths to distance themselves from personal responsibility
in cases of crisis.