The role of visual semiotics in shaping HIV and AIDS discourses in Kenyan print media:

Abstract

Since the first reported case of HIV and AIDS infection in Kenya in 1984, there have been concerted efforts aimed at combating the disease and managing its impact on the public. Such efforts include clinical interventions and development of Information, Education and Communication materials targeted at the general public. Between the years 2004 and 2005, the Kenya government developed media campaign materials that appeared as advertisements in newspapers. Most advertisements presented the sanitized version of HIV and AIDS. This paper argues that the sanitization of HIV and AIDS is an “identity project” negotiated among the players involved: the media, the government, medical practitioners, religious groups and the public. The effect of culture on the way HIV and AIDS discourses are constructed has implications on the way the public views the issue of HIV and AIDS and treats those who have it. It also reveals possible sites of difficulty when government and religious organizations communicate about the issue.