Ade wasn't naïve. He knew well that single people
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in his flock were sexually active. Even Ade himself can't honestly claim
that he was a virgin when he got married. So what the hell was he doing?
I was furious but back then, lacked the courage to tackle him.
But the awful truth is out now. HIV infection is now on the rise among
heterosexual black Africans and the suggested main route of transmission
has been via unprotected sex. So much for Ade's idea that AIDS was God's
way of punishing gays.
And yet...spiritual leaders like Ade are faced with a dilemma. Preachers
cannot be seen to be condoning pre- or extra-marital sex under any circumstances.
After all - as many still ask - what do married couples need with condoms?
The reality is that married people sometimes stray. Men, married or otherwise,
tend to have more sexual partners than women, but not every African wife
remains faithful to her husband, either.
So heterosexual Africans, particularly males, tend not to get tested for
HIV until they are faced with an AIDS-defining illness. Despite huge recent
medical advances, by this time, it is too late for many. This need not
happen but it continues to. Too many still feel that they are not at risk
- and sermons like pastor Ade's hardly help.
Maybe one of the first things religious leaders should consider is that
there might no
longer be any such thing as a high-risk group. What we do have is high risk
