Media use and Pentecostal churches’ response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Johannesburg

Abstract

Nigerian charismatic Pentecostalism has become a permanent feature of South African urban society. This Pentecostalism has had considerable influence on local churches in South Africa. Nigerian Pentecostal churches have also greatly influenced how other churches in South Africa respond to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. This study sought to understand how these South African churches that are linked to Nigerian Pentecostalism are responding to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. To achieve this objective, the researcher conducted an ethnographic study at the Church for Christ Ministries (CFC) based in Johannesburg. This church has strong connections to the famous Nigerian charismatic leader TB Joshua. Results from this study show that, the use of media technology has become an integral part of the CFC’s efforts against the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The CFC combined together their doctrinal teachings and HIV and AIDS programmes with the use of media technology, to address the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Johannesburg. These doctrinal teachings and programmes have been merged with the use of video-media technologies to come up with a formidable response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Johannesburg. The study combined together Michel Foucault’s concept of biopower and Erving Goffman’s concepts of stigma and the dramaturgical perspectives, to come up with a framework that can be used to understand the impact of merging video media technology to existing church strategies against the HIV and AIDS epidemic. This study made use of a qualitative research design. Data was collected using interviews, participant observations, document analysis, reviewing of video footage and review of the church’s Facebook page. Snowball, purposive sampling and Facebook sampling were utilized as sampling techniques by the researcher. Finally, the study made use of thematic content analysis as a way of analysing data.