Other ways of being a diviner-healer: Musa W Dube and the African church's response to HIV and AIDS

Abstract

Scholars of African Christianity have tended to celebrate African women purely as charismatic founders of movements. Alternatively, they focus on African women’s active participation in church life. Rarely have young African Christian women been acknowledged for their academic achievements and leadership in addressing contemporary issues that affect the continent. This article examines Musa W Dube of Botswana’s contribution to the African Church’s response to HIV and AIDS. The first part provides the historical background relevant for appreciating Dube’s work. The second part examines Dube’s activism in encouraging an effective religious response to HIV and AIDS in Africa. The third part reviews Dube’s contribution to the integration of HIV and AIDS in theology and religious studies in Africa. The fourth section provides an overview of critiques of Dube’s HIV and AIDS work. Overall, the article acknowledges Dube’s leadership in the church’s response to the HIV epidemic in Africa and beyond.