Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention in Africa

Circumcision and HIV transmission link in Africa.

Promotion of male circumcision as a method for preventing HIV in 15 African countries, is it taking medical advantage of a vulnerable medical population?

Smiling friends in Kenya, Africa

Having started among ancient Egyptians and ancient Semitic peoples as a religious sacrificial ritual, male circumcision for HIV prevention in Africa has become the norm.

 

Group of friends in Uganda Africa

When it was reported uncircumcised heterosexual males were more likely to contract HIV/AIDS than their circumcised counterparts, in Africa, since 2007, the World Health Organization and The Joint United Nations Program on HIV AIDS recommended voluntary medical male circumcisions as an additional HIV prevention tool among males aged 10–29 years. 

Nearly 15 million voluntary medical male circumcisions have been performed for HIV prevention in 14 African countries Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

The plan is to reduce the number of people needing HIV treatment and care by having 27 million males in high prevalence HIV countries in Africa undergoing a one-time voluntary medical circumcision as part of integrated sexual and reproductive health services for males. 

In 2007, WHO and UNAIDS issued recommendations on medical male circumcision as an additional HIV prevention strategy based on scientific evidence from three randomized controlled trials undertaken in Kisumu, Kenya, Rakai District, Uganda, and Orange Farm, South Africa. 

The experimental group which underwent the circumcisions were given the following instructions: “When you are circumcised you will be asked to have no sexual contact in the 6 weeks after surgery. To have sexual contact before your skin of your penis is completely healed, could lead to infection if your partner is infected with a sexually transmitted disease. If you desire to have sexual contact in the 6 weeks after surgery, despite our recommendation, it is absolutely essential that you use a condom.”

WHO states medical male circumcision reduces the risk of female-to-male sexual transmission of HIV by approximately 60 percent since the inner foreskin contains cells that HIV targets to enter the body and small tears or genital ulcers on the foreskin can increase HIV risk. 

The most recent data from Uganda shows that in the five years since the Ugandan trial was completed; high effectiveness has been maintained among the men who were circumcised, with a 73 percent protective effect against HIV infection. 

The Lancet, which refused to publish the male circumcision trials due to certain ethical concerns published a study led by Dr. Maria Wawer at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, concluding that circumcising men did not reduce HIV transmission to their female partners. 

WHO states male circumcision should always be considered as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package of services and be used in conjunction with other methods of prevention.

As a continent, Africa has the highest percentage of circumcised men, over 60 percent. Africa also has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS, with South Africa housing the world’s largest HIV-infected population. 

In countries like Nigeria and Kenya, the latter being one of the countries where the study was conducted over 80 percent of males are circumcised, yet they contain the second and fourth largest HIV-infected populations in the world respectively.

Did you know? Medical male circumcision is surgical removal of the foreskin, the retractable fold of tissue that covers the head of the penis.


Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
  2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
  3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
  4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
  5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
  6. About African Night Running


Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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Around 5% of mainland Africa is covered by water, including lakes, rivers, estuaries, bays, straits, gulfs and other bodies of water.  Africa is home to some of the world's largest rivers and lakes, such as the Nile River and Lake Victoria. While up to 60% of Africa is classified as desert or drylands, a total volume of around 626.4 million cubic miles (2.616 billion cubic kilometers) of water surrounds Africa. The water resources of Africa play a vital role in supporting the continent's ecosystems, as well as the lives and livelihoods of millions of people who depend on them for drinking water, agriculture, energy generation, industry and commerce. Water is life Exploring the Rich Waterways of Africa: A Look at the Number and Diversity of Lakes and Rivers on the African Continent. Two oceans border Africa. The five major oceans of the world are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. There are two oceans that border Africa - the Atlan
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Usage of Amen and Ashe or Ase Ashe to Amen learn about the custom of using the words Ashe and Amen historically. Where did the word Amen and Ashe come from why is it said and what does it mean? In Judaism, 3,500 years old and Christian religions 2,000 years old, Amen, means may it be so. In the African Yoruba language among the Yoruba people whose culture is as old as time, Ashe or Ase means may it be so. Ase or Ashe means power, commandment, and authority, the ability to make whatever one says happen from the spiritual to the physical realm. In the Yoruba language, Ashe is omnipresent spiritual energy. Followers of Judaism and Christian religions use the word Amen. It is the word utilized to end prayers as an affirmation for the requests to be provided by God. Yoruba is as old as time, Ashe refers to the life force within all living things, the spark that animates life. It is used as a term used in the same manner as Amen at the end of appeals and prayers as an affirmati
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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

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Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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