LGBT News Zambia gay rights activist Paul Kasonkomona arrested

I think it is safe to say that world society should disregad any african goverment claiming to define what is 'indecent': 2008 Human Rights Report: Zambia

 

The entire issue of homophobia in Africa is so complex and nuanced. Ultra-right wing American televangelists are extremely active in Africa and have a lot of influence on policy. I think Joyce Myers was the number one selling author in Uganda for a while and Pat Robertson was really good friends with the former Liberian President Charles Taylor, you know, the human rights violator. It goes on and on like that. Most of these televangelists are shockingly popular in some of these countries and are responsible for influencing public opinion on LGBT and other social issues.

There's also this myth perpetuated by certain governments that homosexuality is a western and/or consumerist concept and not from Africa. This idea is crap of course since LGBT people are everywhere by natural means. I believe it's vital to debunk this myth by giving LGBT Africans as much exposure as possible. It would also help to cite historical counterexamples. Maybe we should start discussion threads on some of the more prominent gay African bloggers.

(Then there's the problem of the commercialization of gay culture, but that's a whole other thread.)

 

This is why Africa is still so behind.

 

Really? I thought it was because years of colonilization and mass murder.

It's not their choice that they couldn't get a proper education because they were being enslaved. You shouldn't tolerate ignorance, but you should respect the inability to prevent said ignorance.

 

Its so sad to me to see the effects of colonization. As mentioned above and in the article, a lot of the homophobia in africa is a direct result of previous colonial european influence, and modern day american religious influence. Yet they want to protect themselves from western ideas....

Africa has such a beautiful but also troubling history, and I really hate to read and learn about the many troubles faced by the people there. And so much of it is the influence of european colonization and the religion they brought to africa. I think you see a lot of this in the colonized parts of the world, where their cultures, traditions, and religions were destroyed, replaced with european ideas, which have now become part of those countries and regions self identities.

I can only hope that in Africa as well as in other parts of the world, the many brave and strong voices will be heard and finally respected, and that basic human rights along with lgbtq rights grow in much needed areas. But really, its just so terrible whats been done to that continent, and the really horrible african tree thats grown from those colonial european seeds.

 

I thought the title said Zombie Gay Rights.

 

you might want to research the culture of africa before colonization and the scurge of slavery; it was not that different before european interferance as it is now.

 

Ahem, Abu Nuwas anyone? Homosexuality was quite common in the Abbasid Empire, and despite there not being any non-written record, African culture showed little to no signs of anti-homosexual stances. And even then, I replied saying that the reason Africa is behind is because of European colonisation, what does your comment have to do with anything? Plus either way, Africa was relatively advanced during the 300-European renaissance era. Ibn Battuta travelled the world, the Sub-Saharan Africans were building forts and trading with the Indians and the Arabs, South Africa showed signs of advanced Agricultural techniques, yet once Europe came into the picture everything fell apart, I think we grew into an era advanced enough to realise that what Europe did certainly isn't justifiable.

Africa was practically destroyed because of all the wars over land and the people were abused beyond abuse, to try and claim that it's their fault that they don't have a proper education, or a working government is simply nonsense.