CULTURE, RELIGION AND POLITICISATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN SELECTED AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

Homosexuality is attracting more attention like never before. In the United States of America, it is homophobia that is becoming unacceptable, while homosexuality is becoming more acceptable. According to the Pew Forum, the number of Americans engaging in same-sex marriage is continually increasing. France, Norway, and England, to mention a few, have all embraced homosexuality. However, homosexual practice is regarded in most African cultures as unnatural, un-African and a threat to social and cultural values. With the exception of South Africa, where homosexual orientation and behaviour are “cultural emblems” of some Africans, much of Africa still treat members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) organisation with much disdain. The 2009 anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda and the proscription of gay marriage in Nigeria in 2014 have received widespread attention. The International Gay and Lesbian Association asserts that homosexuality is outlawed in 34 African countries. As a result of this, some European countries have started implementing laws that limit or prevent budget support to African countries that “circumscribe” the rights of homosexuals. However, despite this pressure, different African countries have toughened up existing laws against homosexuality. Only the South African Government permits same-sex unions out of all the jurisdictions surveyed. It legalised same-sex marriage in 2006. After this legalisation, a plethora of groups have sprung up in different parts of Africa advocating for the recognition of LGBTQ. Therefore, this paper aims to examine how culture and religion shape the politicisation of homosexuality in Africa and highlight how African traditional cultural values influence homophobia. Using sociological and historical approaches, the paper submits that the politics of homosexuality in Africa is shaped by cultural cum religious ideologies and colonialera “sodomy laws.”