Discoursing Health Literacies for HIV/AIDS Education

Health literacy is an important tool for HIV/AIDS education.  It provides a space for students to use local literacy tools such as films, literature, and arts to explore ways of managing the HIV/AIDS virus in communities ravaged by the disease. HIV/AIDS affects the lives of millions of people in many African countries and requires a robust strategy by educators to tackle the epidemic and create safe spaces for students in schools and communities where young people face stigma and discrimination for having the virus, or living with people who have the virus. In this paper, the author discusses how students in some African countries respond to locally manufactured HIV literacy educational tools produced by members of the community. The author makes the case that it is important for schools to incorporate locally manufactured HIV/AIDS health literacy instruction into the curriculum; this would allow young people to engage with health literacies that are resonant of their embodied experiences. Keywords: Africa, discrimination, health literacies, HIV/AIDS, school programs