Original Research

The forgotten children of Africa: Voicing HIV and Aids orphans’ stories of bereavement: a narrative approach

Amanda Richter, Julian Müller
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 61, No 3 | a464 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v61i3.464 | © 2005 Amanda Richter, Julian Müller | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 12 October 2005 | Published: 12 October 2005

About the author(s)

Amanda Richter, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Julian Müller, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Full Text:

PDF (134KB)

Abstract

This article looks at the bereavement of children left orphaned by the HIV and Aids pandemic that is crippling the continent of Africa. Their bereavement is examined by means of the narrative approach and by integrating this approach with the traditional African art of storytelling. By listening to the stories of three Zulu children, the article gives them the opportunity to express their own unique stories of bereavement: stories that would otherwise have been silenced by the wave of bereavement in the wake of countless deaths worldwide as a result of HIV and Aids infection. It looks at the losses these children have suffered, their greatest fears and how their Zulu culture and customs influence their emotional experience of losing their parents. The article shows how they can – by means of storytelling – reformulate the story of their lives and find the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Keywords

No related keywords in the metadata.

Metrics

Total abstract views: 4756
Total article views: 4925

 

Crossref Citations

1. The Tree of Life as a Metaphor for Grief in AIDS-Orphaned Adolescents
Shalya Hirschson, Elzette Fritz, Dean Kilian
American Journal of Dance Therapy  vol: 40  issue: 1  first page: 87  year: 2018  
doi: 10.1007/s10465-017-9243-7