In July and August of this year I was lucky enough to be stationed in Durban. One of the more interesting things that I saw when I was there was the Brothers for Life campaign.  I’ve got to say, for all the criticism that can be (justifiably) lobbed at previous South African governments in regards to HIV, credit needs to be given where credit is due.

The campaign focuses on the need for South African’s men to take responsibility for their role in the epidemic, to create a new ideal of what ‘masculine’ is.  Of course, this won’t solve everything – contrary to popular belief, a large percentage of married HIV-discordant couples consist of a positive woman and a negative man, meaning that HIV is not entering the relationship via the irresponsibility of the man – but it is a wonderful start.

Behaviour change programs, such as the widely lauded ABC (Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condomise) program in Uganda are great at telling people what they should do, but not very good at giving them compelling reasons to do it.  Knowledge of HIV prevention in South Africa is quite high, but people continue to engage in risky behaviour.  Even in the model case of Uganda, recent numbers suggest that even with high levels of knowledge, individuals have begun to once again engage in behaviour that they know is risky.

There are many reasons for this – expectations, norms, stigma – and these reasons all share a common dimension – belief.   People know one thing, but believe another.  (i.e. Yes, I know that condoms can prevent HIV, but if I insist on one, my partner will think that I have been unfaithful.) At the end of the day knowledge does not necessarily produce action (or at least action is not always based on knowledge).  For proof of this, talk to anybody who has been in a relationship.

The point is that HIV prevention campaigns need to look beyond information.  They need to address how people process that information, and that means understanding the realities of the social context in which the messages are given.  Brothers for Life is a great example of this, and I hope it continues to make the news for the right reasons.

Check out the Brothers for Life TV and Radio spots here.

** In other related news, a new television campaign put out by Brothers for Life specifically targets  the deaf. People living with disabilities are at disproportionately high levels of risk of HIV infection for a whole host of reasons.  That a national campaign is addressing and engaging with this reality is promising. (For more information on HIV and disability, take a look at some of the work of Jill Hanass-Hancock at HEARD.)