The author's entry point to colonial space is through the city of Beirut. Beirut is a city that has been shaped by colonialism, and the author's work explores how the city's colonial history has shaped its present. The author argues that decolonizing space means challenging the ways in which colonialism has shaped our understanding of space. This includes challenging the ways in which we think about race, gender, sexuality and disease like HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS has been a major problem in Africa for many years. In the 1990s, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was one of the cities hardest hit by the disease. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Addis Ababa was caused by a number of factors, including poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and social stigma all of which are a product of colonialism.