Mozambican men are under pressure to prove their masculinity by sleeping with as many women as they can, says Denise Namburete, director of Nweti, a health and development communication NGO in Mozambique and OneLove partner in that country.
Some of the pressure comes from cultural beliefs, which play a great role in love relationships and in the prevalence of multiple concurrent partnerships. This influence can be remarkably observed in the way people are raised up and how social construction of sexual roles is undertaken, she says.
“For example, how boys and girls see masculinity and femininity, respectively, and the expectations that are built into the overall society about how men and women should fulfill the roles of their gender,” she says.
In terms of multiple concurrent partnerships, there is a greater openness and permissiveness for men to have many sexual partners. Men are also under social and peer pressure to prove their masculinity (as macho) through sex. Women are expected to fulfill their social and sexual role of being wives and mothers.
Traditional leaders can help
Denise says traditional leaders can play a very important role in helping to reduce the practice of having multiple concurrent partners in their communities, and thus help reduce HIV infection.
“Traditional leaders are the gatekeepers of culture and tradition and they enjoy a lot of acceptance and respect within communities. If the endorsement comes from them and changes start happening within the communities they lead and influence, the OneLove messages will reach communities without too much resistance.”
This will lead to people changing their behaviour ( by having one partner and being faifthful) and ultimately help to reduce the number of HIV infections in the country.
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