Sexual discourse in the context of AIDS: dominant themes on adolescent sexuality among primary school pupils in Magu district, Tanzania

Abstract

School pupils in Tanzania have been identified as a risk group for HIV/AIDS, so a large part of TANESA’S anthropological research is aimed at charting and understanding forms of sexual risk behaviour among adolescents with a view to influencing change. This study presents the dominant themes of sexual discourse among adolescent primary school pupils in Magu district along the south-eastern shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The themes are: love and sex; sexual desire; money and rewards; and deception. The fear of pregnancy also emerges as a dominant theme. Because of the nature and extent of their sexual relationships, school pupils will be increasingly exposed to the risk of HIV and STD infection. This is exacerbated by the lack of condom availability and the proscribed nature of sex (and therefore condom use) among primary school pupils.