What to Wear to a Funeral

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Despite the fact that I am working on an HIV and family planning project here in Zambia, I’ve so far found it easy to forget about the reality of HIV in this country. Currently approximately14%!o(MISSING)f the population is suspected to be living with HIV/AIDS; in Lundazi, the estimate is significantly lower (around 10 or 11%!)(MISSING). Some of the most recent figures rank Zambia somewhere around 7th in terms of global HIV/AIDS prevalence. And this is with considerable improvement—in the early 90s one in five Zambians were suspected to be positive. So things could certainly be worse and Zambia has shown commendable progress. But Lundazi’s 10%!r(MISSING)emains a staggering number. It means that walking down the street one out of every ten people I pass could be living with the disease—a statistic that I still have trouble processing; a figure that does not yet have a human face.

During one of my initial orientations at the CARE office in Lusaka, the conversation drifted toward dress code. Muna—the administrator who was giving me the introductory briefing—had recently been to Bangladesh for a meeting and was amused that the country seemed to have such strict norms around what people should and shouldn’t wear. In Zambia, he said, people are generally very flexible about attire. He did note, however, an important exception: “When you go to a funeral, you may want to wear a traditional wrapper and head piece, to show respect.” When, and not if.

Muna went on to comment that thirty years ago funerals were not so common in Zambia, but with the steady spread of HIV/AIDS in the last few decades they now constitute a regular community occurrence—such a normal feature of daily life that they merit special attention in an introduction of the country to a visiting foreigner.

A good friend and old roommate of mine in Dhaka had once lived in Zambia, and I knew from reading her blogs (http://wheatabix.blogspot.com/) that the regularity of funerals was something I might have to confront. It is hard to prepare, however, to suddenly find yourself in a situation in which something as enormous as the HIV/AIDS endemic can be so normalized. It scares me that in Zambia the disease is so inescapable its implications shake down to a questions as basic as what to wear. I can only hope that for me the discussion stays in the hypothetical realm and that the day does not soon come when I have to consider what to wear to a funeral.

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Comments

[Dad]

Well written as always. A touching insight into a different country. Thanks.

[Bruce Colbert]

Zambia and HIV
Is Zambia predominately Catholic and practicing. If so they are doomed because the church and the POPE have reiterated in a loud voice that abstin.ence is the only acceptable way to reduce the problem. Any use of condoms is prohibited. Utter madness Jean and I love your travel journals. Bruce Colbert