Hunger and Shame by Mary Howard Ann V. Millard

Author:Mary Howard, Ann V. Millard [Mary Howard, Ann V. Millard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Medical, Pediatrics
ISBN: 9780415916141
Google: WsrqbNt3VMMC
Publisher: Psychology Press
Published: 1997-01-15T04:43:12+00:00

Oral contraceptives

9%

Intrauterine device (IUD)

5%

Sterilization

8%

Other methods

3%

Total

25%

Men using modern contraception

29%

a Source: Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 1992:9.

Change, Child Spacing, and the Shame of Kwashiorkor

Customary sexual practices indirectly promoted long birth intervals and a relatively short reproductive span. Having many children in quick succession was understood to result in scarcity of food and assistance for the new mother and an increased workload as well. In the 1970s, kuvimba was commonly associated with poverty, and both kuvimba and poverty were viewed as shameful failings on the part of the parents.

Breastfeeding while pregnant, failure of a woman to be circumcised before childbearing, and failure of a man to make bridewealth payments were some of the explanations given for kuvimba during the NURU study. Even though some of the customary reasoning behind these explanations has been lost, notions of proper timing and spacing of births persist. In the realm of human sexuality, Christianity often contradicts some central tenets of Chagga morality, especially regarding the spacing and timing of births.

Despite the teachings of Christian priests, pressure has been maintained on women to sustain long intervals between births. The people of Kilimanjaro, including some Catholics, are increasingly adopting birth control. In the midst of these sweeping changes, people have difficulty knowing what to expect from one another or when and if it is appropriate to impose sanctions for undesirable behavior.

A discretionary pattern of condemnation nevertheless was present in the 1970s and continues. Affluent individuals have more freedom to transgress customs than others. Few criticized wealthy parents such as Philippe and Edwardi Lema, who successfully fed, clothed, and educated all nine children born in quick succession. They could cite church teachings about the value of many children and the evils of birth control. The obvious failures of the impoverished to secure resources and prevent malnutrition, however, could be compounded by community censorship for lack of propriety. To many who observed the struggles of their neighbors during the food crisis, kwashiorkor came to symbolize the shame of very poor people.

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