Kelsey Kennedy

This dispatch is written by Kelsey Kennedy who is a Psychology and Women’s Studies major.  She writes about their experiences at CAPRISA the Center for The Aids Programme of Research in South Africa at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Her piece is entitled Wola – to hug.

Enjoy, Nesha

Wola

At the University of Michigan, many of us studied the women-centered scientific research that is happening in South Africa.  This past week, we had the privilege to meet with a research team from the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), a leading institution in the type of HIV research that we learned about.

We began by teaching the module to community outreach workers, who advise and counsel research participants and community stakeholders.  When the team first taught the module back, we were astounded by their creativity; they took the methodology as a framework for their original ideas and priorities for education. We also experienced one of the best explanations for overcoming stigma that we had ever heard from Duduzile Lembethe, which discussed everything from uthando (love) to ukwazi (knowledge of the disease) to wola (the power of hugs).  And it’s true that the CAPRISA team were experts on love and hugs, because we quickly gained strong friendships during our daily tea and lunch times.

While we were impressed by the research team’s grounding in community work, we were just as impressed by one of the Principal Investigators, Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim.  Dr. Abdool Karim is one of the world’s foremost researchers on microbicides, yet was accessible and eager to share her work with us. Currently, she is analyzing results from the most recent trial of Tenofovir preventative microbicides, which aims to allow women to take their health into their own hands. Dr. Abdool Karim’s scientific work is highly important, but what really stands out is her commitment to activism for research on women’s bodies and women’s health. Her work is founded in feminism and a commitment to South Africa, and CAPRISA is inspired by African ideas from African people, rather than those from the west. We are grateful that Dr. Abdool Karim met with us, and she is an inspiration to those of us who plan to work in progressive research and natural science.

Team member, Pedagogy of Action 2010
Kelsey Kennedy