MOST BARBADIANS may not know or have heard much about Mozambique, an African nation, but at this time we do share something in common with that country – the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS.This is why recent reports coming out of Mozambique about why the disease is spreading there would hold more than passing interest.
A report by the BBC this week quoted the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Mozambique, Francisco Chimono, as claiming that some European-made condoms along with some anti-retroviral drugs used to treat the disease, have been infected deliberately with HIV "in order to finish quickly with African people".
It is of some significance that Chimono was speaking at celebrations marking 43 years of his country's Independence.
He left no doubt about his feelings on the matter when he said: "Condoms are not sure, because I know that there are two countries in Europe, they are making condoms with the virus on purpose."
Although refusing to name the two countries he still maintained: "They want to finish with the African people. This is the programme. They want to colonise until up to now . . . ."
Put differently, the archbishop's thinking is akin to claiming some European countries have come up with a solution to get rid of Blacks similar to how Nazi Germany had set out to be rid of the Jews in Europe in World War II.
It is now known that the Roman Catholic Church wherever it has influence is opposed to the use of condoms and prefers to focus on sexual abstinence and fidelity within marriage as the way HIV/AIDS should be fought.
However, the claim by Archbishop Chimono must be seen as being grounded less in bias against condoms but reflecting instead feelings of paranoia.
But while seeing this as a reason why his claim should be dismissed as so much nonsense, it is said that the archbishop wields much influence among the 17.5 per cent Mozambicans who are Catholics in a population of 19 million.
At the same time, the statistics show that 16.2 per cent of that population is also HIV positive.
It is estimated that in Mozambique 500 new cases of HIV are recorded every day and this has been happening when there was not any fear or suspicion along the lines Archbishop Chimono is now encouraging.
This could make fighting the speed of the disease in Mozambique even more difficult. The irony is that the archbishop acknowledges that if Mozambicans "want to change the situation to face HIV/AIDS it's necessary to have a new mentality; if we don't change mentally we'll be finished quickly".
He is perhaps hoping to shock his countrymen into "a new mentality" by telling them that there is a plan afoot to wipe them all out through spreading HIV/AIDS hoping they would be minded to accept the plan his church sees as the only way to fight the spread of the disease – a plan that does not include the use of condoms.
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