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Article: HEART OF DARKNESS.(AIDS and HIV in Zambia)
- Article from:
- Harper's Bazaar
- Article date:
- March 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Hearst Communications, reprinted with permission of Hearst. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AIDS HAS SO DEVASTATED THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRY OF ZAMBIA THAT HOSPITALS ARE OVERWHELMED WITH PATIENTS, FUNERALS HAVE BECOME A DAILY RITUAL, AND THOUSANDS OF ORPHANS LIVE ON THE STREETS. JAN GOODWIN TRAVELS TO THE PLAGUE'S EPICENTER AND LEARNS HOW, IN AFRICA, HIV HAS BECOME PRIMARILY A WOMEN'S PROBLEM.
THE CROWDS OUTSIDE THE CITY MORTUARY START FORMING SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK. IT'S SUNDAY MORNING, A TIME IN LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, ONCE DEVOTED TO OBSERVING THE SABBATH, NOT BURYING THE DEAD.
As the sun rises, a line of traffic builds up, mostly pickups and small trucks bringing mourners, pickaxes, and shovels. There's sharp competition for gravediggers; the ...