BOKSBURG, 14 April 2010 (SAfAIDS Media) - "The discomfort about speaking about issues of sexuality and intimacy are partly tied to religious beliefs, but are also strongly linked to cultural contexts and beliefs. This then means that ‘turning off the tap' on new HIV infections becomes difficult as there is an assumption that when we talk about HIV, we are talking about sex" said J.P Mokgethi-Heath, Priest and Member of INERELA as he presented a paper on ‘Religious culture and HIV prevention in southern Africa: a threat or an opportunity?'

Mokgethi-Heath's discussion touched on issues of religious interpretations and African cultural contexts and their impact on HIV prevention efforts. Speaking on the metaphor of ‘changing the river's flow',  he said that "faith communities often try to build a dam to ‘contain things'. The dam we build is absolute, we do not want to let any water out. However, you cannot contain a dam forever, and when it comes crashing down it crashes down with a rushing row, causing people to be even more vulnerable".

 He argued for an understanding of prevailing religious and cultural contexts and a shift of ideas within this context if HIV prevention is to be successful.

 Maintaining that the ABC approach has had limited success in African contexts, Mokgethi-Heath concluded his presentation by suggesting a move away from the ABC approach to the ‘SAVE' model of HIV prevention as used by INERELA.

 The SAVE model includes:

- a focus on Safer sex practices and safe blood products

- ensuring Available medical interventions

- Voluntary counselling and testing (with a focus on moving way from ‘AIDS friendly congregations', to ‘congregations that know their HIV status'), and

- Empowerment.