Starting this week, OneLove interviews a representative of the OneLove Campaign regional partners in the nine countries taking part in the campaign.

The aim of the interviews is to give you some insight into the issues that  affect multiple concurrent partnerships in those countries.

This week we interview Hope Dolo, the director of  Phela Health and Development Communications, a health communication NGO in Lesotho.

Phela is working with strategic partners such as C-Change, Soul City, Social Surveys and Care to drive the OneLove campaign in Lesotho. The OneLove campain is endorsed by the National AIDS Council of Lesotho.

The OneLove campaign was launched in Lesotho in the middle of January this year.

OneLove: What does OneLove mean in Lesotho?

Hope: Most people involved in the campaign readily agreed that OneLove means having one sexual partner. Some interpreted it as having that one partner for the rest of their lives. However, both the research and discussions with people show that most people don’t see it as a practical thing to do. They have a lot of reasons why it can’t be achieved.

These include the argument that one can not be sexually satisfied by one person “variety is the spice of life.” There is also belief that it is natural that a man will have several partners, especially if he is away from his wife or if the wife is feeding.There is  even a saying which explains why a man should have many partners, and a woman should not.

“Monna ke mokopu o oa nama”  meaning, a man is a pumpkin, he spreads. This idiom goes on to say that “Mosali ke k’habeche o oa ipopa,”  meaning a woman is cabbage, she stays in one place.

OneLove: What is the role of culture in love relationships in Lesotho?

Hope: The culture in Lesotho allows for people to have extra-marital affairs “bonyatsi” or “poko”. This happens in the context where a man is ‘allowed’ or is tolerated to have a sexual relationship with another woman while his wife is breast feeding.

This is regarded as a means to avoid ‘spoiling’ the infant. It is believed that if a feeding mother has an active sexual life, the milk becomes bad for the child. It is believed that such a child will have symptoms that resemble those of malnutrition. Therefore, the society tolerates a man who has an extra marital relationship to save his child from this condition.

It is also understandable if a man has an extra marital affair in the case where his wife is aged and can no longer please him sexually. The man would usually seek a younger woman to satisfy his needs.

There is also the instance where a husband dies and his brother is allowed and expected to take care of the wife’s needs, sexual and otherwise. If it is a wife who dies her husband is expected to identify a woman to marry. Usually such a woman will be a younger one who will be able to bear children and to care for the late woman’s children. It is preferred that such a woman be a younger sister or relative of the deceased woman. However, in the recent years this is not a prerequisite.

If a woman can not bear children, it is understood that her husband can marry another wife to bear him children. In the past emphasis was on having a boy child. In instances where a couple can not have children, the woman is advised to get a man within her husband’s family (with similar features or of the same blood), to make her fall pregnant so that the baby will pass as the husband’s own. The husband is not let into the secret, so he will know the child as his.

OneLove:  Why should traditional leaders in Lesotho support the OneLove campaign?

Hope: The campaign seeks to deal with the issue of the spread of HIV among the people they lead. It will enable people to engage in discussions about their lives in a way they have never done before. The leaders will be encouraged to identify the positive aspects of culture that can be enhanced and be used to promote desired behaviour change. We would have to work very closely with prominent traditional gate keepers to find ways to go about this process.

OneLove: Why should religious leaders in Lesotho support the campaign?

Hope: The campaign is in line with the teachings of the religions in that it encourages people to refrain from engaging in MCP. The campaign should be appealing to the as they can merge religious quotes to the OneLove messages to make it speak to the needs of their followers.

Learn more about MCP in Lesotho

For more information about multiple concurrent partnerships in Lesotho, download a booklet called Men, Women & HIV and AIDS, published by Phela Health and Development Communication.

The 40-page booklet will help you to understand the way men and women relate to each affects the spread of HIV and AIDS. The booklet also provides information on what we can do you, your family and community can do to fight HIV and AIDS.  Parents, teachers, health and community workers can also use the booklet.

You can also download a recent research report about the beliefs  and practices about sex, gender and culture in Lesotho. The report is called Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Lesotho.

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