On being firefighters: insights on curriculum transformation in HIV and AIDS contexts Musa W Dube 1 Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana Abstract The article theorises about various responses to an HIV and AIDS outbreak by comparing it to a burning hut in the village. These responses range from indifference to action oriented engagement with HIV and AIDS. It is a framework that challenges scholars of religion and other disciplines to place themselves within the story of HIV and AIDS and to plot their own response. The approach is both autobiographical and insti- tutional in its analysis. The article thus highlights insights on curriculum transformation gathered from individual experiences and intuitional engagement by highlighting the writer’s response, organised efforts from the World Council of Churches, the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, the University of Botswana and other institutions. The conclusion emphasises that both research and teaching should be justice seeking. Introduction: the theory of a hut on fire In his artistic expression of “response to HIV and AIDS”, Dr Manoj Kurian of the World Council of Churches uses the metaphor of a burning hut in a village. He shows that when a hut catches fire in the village there are several types of responses from members of the village community. Some villagers jump into action, running towards the burning hut and doing all they can to put out the fire and save the hut. Perhaps these villagers are influenced by such Setswana thinking as matlo go sha mabapi, that is, if one hut burns, the neighbouring huts are also likely to catch fire. The saying underlines that one person’s vulnerability is our vulnerability, hence encouraging us to identify distance ourselves from the burning hut. 2 Those who jump into action may fully understand that saving one burning hut is saving the whole neighbourhood. The piece of art also shows that some villagers, however, stand still, put their hands on their heads and cry, Malo nna wee! Ke tla dira jang? This group of villagers consists of those who just stand, crying helplessly about the situation. The piece depicts a third group of respondents as well. The third group of people give a burning hut in the village one glance and say, “It is none of my business. Those who play with fire will get their fingers burnt”. Sometimes they give one glance and say nothing. This group of people continues with business as usual and ignores that a hut is burning in the village. They don’t seem to care or know that matlo go sha mabapi, that is, the vulnerability of the other is the vulnerability of all of us. I am sure there should be many other forms of responding to a burning hut in the village. Readers can add to this art by demonstrating other forms of responses that occur or have occurred in the HIV and AIDS era. They may wish to highlight the responses along the lines of gender, class, age, ethnic, religious and sexual identities. But these three can serve to assist us to perform a SWOT (evaluation of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis on ourselves individually and collectively as creative and empowered members of the academic institutions studying religion and theology. Individual academic staff members and the institution itself are somewhat interlinked and interdependent. From this artistic metaphor we may ask several questions: In the HIV and AIDS context, have we recognised ourselves, our communities and world as a hut on fire? Have we recognised ourselves as respondents? If so, how do we categorise our response? Have we been the action people, the helpless or the indifferent respondents? But given the twenty-eight years of living with HIV and AIDS in our world, we should now be able to plot how we have been, at some point, action people when facing a hut on fire; then helpless people and at other times indifferent people. We should even interrogate why we have moved from one 1 Co-Researcher for the Research Institute for Theology and Religion, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. 2 Another Setswana saying with a similar meaning is, “Setshege yo o oleng mareeidi a sele pele,” literarily, “do not laugh at the person who falls for the slippery road is ahead of you.” Both sayings seek to encourage compassion judgment or indifference.