Wednesday November 26th, 12:00 to 1:30

Alex de Waal

"New Variant Famine: HIV/AIDS and Social Involution in Africa."

415 Warren Hall, located at Amsterdam Avenue and 115th Street.

Summary:

Southern Africa is undergoing a food crisis of surprising scale and novelty.  The familiar culprits of drought and mismanagement of national strategies are implicated.  However, this crisis is distinct from conventional drought-induced food shortages with respect to those vulnerable to starvation, and the course of improverishment and recovery.  We propose that these new aspects to the food crisis can be attributed largely to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region.  We present evidence that we are facing a new variant famine.  We have used frameworks drawn from famine theory to examine the implications.  HIV/AIDS has created a new category of highly vulnerable households, namely those with ill adults or those whose adults have died.  The general burden of care in both AIDS-affected and non-AIDS-affected households has reduced the viability of farming livelihoods.  The sensitivity of rural communities to external shocks such as drought has increased, and their resilience has declined.  The prospects for a sharp decline into severe famine are increased, and possibilities for recovery reduced.

A PDF file of the paper is available here.

Presenter:

Alex de Waal is a British writer and activist who has worked for 20 years on issues of war, famine, human rights and governance in Africa.  Recently he has focused on the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS.  He is affiliated with Justice Africa and the Africa civil society governance and AIDS initiative (GAIN).  He is the author of eight books and numerous articles in academic journals and the popular press.

 

Please contact Ben Cahill with any questions about this seminar.

Return to CGSD Events