ABSTRACT
While spending the day in an HIV/AIDS clinic, I had a long interview with S. He was very open about his status and had been so publicly. He was acting as an HIV positive activist to put a face to the anonymity of the disease. He told me that his wife had died from an AIDS-related disease and now he was looking after their young daughter on his own in the city. Gradually our conversation touched on the question of treatment. He commented that this was a very important change as I would be able to look after my daughter and try to support her while growing up. But nothing will change the social stigma, he said. This was a surprise to me as at the time in Uganda HIV/AIDS campaigns were highly visible and everyone seemed to know about the disease. Elaborating, he said that everyone knows about it but it does not change people’s attitudes. Still when I go back to the village no one wants to talk to me about my condition. But if the elders realise there is another person with potential HIV, they ask this person to come to the city and talk to me. He said none of these pills will overcome the stigma; we need social pills.
