More often than not, when homosexuality is brought up in an African context,it is dismissed as imported from the white man's land,hence;many homosexuals in Africa continue to live in denial of their sexual orientation in fear of being victimized by their families, friends and communities.
There is a trend of blame among communities,never allowing themselves to admit to or take responsibility of their own masses.
Especially where Western influences (notably Christian and Marxist) have been
pervasive, there is now a belief that homosexuality is a decadent, bourgeois Western
innovation forced upon colonial Africa by white men, or, alternately by Islamic slave traders.
Around the world, people view homosexuality as a vice of some other people.
Thus, the recurrent British claim Norman conquerors introduced homosexuality to the British Isles. Various French accounts view homosexuality as Italian, Bulgarian, or North African. Italians accept only the latter two homelands. Bulgarians attribute greater popularity and/or the origins of homosexuality to Albanians, and Albanians in turn to Turks. Similarly eastern Bantu claimed that pederasty was imported by the Nubians (Schneider 1885:295-6), Sudanese blame Turkish marauders(Weine 1848:120), etc.
Such views tell us something about perceived ethnic boundaries,but nothing about the origins or the historical transmission of cultural traits. The belief by many Africans that homosexuality is exogenous to the history of their people is a belief with genuine social consequences -- in particular stigmatization for those of their people engaged in homosexual behavior or grappling with gay identities. These beliefs are not, however, based on serious inquiry, historical or otherwise.
There is also a widely held belief that homosexuality is sparked by cultural forces rampantly promoted by popular media. Some are of the view that it is a lifestyle one adopts because of their preference.
While homosexuality has gained acceptance in some parts of the world; it remains a problem to many, especially in Africa.
The most recent which was the killing of the Ugandan gay and activist David Kato which has ignited a reactive space among lawmakers and respective masses.In Zambia, social attitudes towards homosexuals are marred with mostly negative and coloured by perceptions that homosexuality is immoral and a form of insanity. In 1999, Zambia Against People with Abnormal Sexual Acts (ZAPASA), a NGO combating homosexuality and homosexuals in that country, was formed. This was in addition to Zambia’s constitutional prohibition of same sex relationships in the penal code.
The capital question however still remains; is homosexuality a choice or is it something inborn? A study by S. LeVay, of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, found that there are differences between homosexual and heterosexual men, suggesting that homosexuality is genetical. In homosexual men, the cluster of cells in the hypothalamus was seen to be smaller than in heterosexual men. LeVay’s finding proved controversial because it represented a small sample and he himself acknowledged the inconclusiveness of his findings. However, this remains the shield that gays and lesbians use to protect themselves against those who criticise their sexual orientation.
In countries like Kenya and majorly South Africa that attracts massive homosexual pride marches,the Constitution, does not give the State the right to unfairly discriminate anyone on one or more grounds, including gender, sex and sexual orientation. It is not surprising that South Africa became the first African country to endorse same-sex marriages, following in the footsteps of Canada, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Sweden.
However, the much-reported murder of the two Soweto lesbians, Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Massoa, in July 2007, was a reminder that despite their acceptance, homosexuals are still not tolerated by the majority. Their killing also reminded us that the country has a long way to go in educating its citizens on homosexuality.
Torture, detention and inhuman treatment of homosexuals is tantamount to the violation of their right to liberty and security. Most of these rights are enshrined in the treaties that most countries signed and ratified. However, the same countries continue to take away these rights in the guise of protecting morality.
In relation to HIV and AIDS, this group is evidently left out in structures and systems that provided the needed social support,evidently making them more vulnerable to the disease and the stigma collectively.
On a writers note,I say,learnt or inborn, like other social disorders our attitude towards homosexuals should be that of corrective and not punitive measures.
REFERENCES:Contemporary Africa by Stephen O. Murray
SANGONET PULSE
BBC NEWS-AFRICA
By Nyambura Mundia.
Well reflected. Perhaps just some 'little' Queer theorisation missing. For instance, a reading of Foucault's "History of Sexuality" volumes would be wonderful. Perhaps another continuation piece that examines queer manifestations in African textual (especially literary and cultural) production! These, I believe will strengthen the argument and make the piece a 'citational' text. I enjoyed the reading. L. Odiemo-Munara, Egerton University, Kenya
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