all
africa
homosexuality is all-african
September
1999: Thanks to the efforts of a group of Norwegian researchers
homosexual behaviour amongst members of a tribe in the north
of Namibia, a tribe that has not been influenced by Christianity,
has been recorded. In the same vein, the American psychologist
Marc Carlson unearthed powerful evidence pointing towards
similar practices amongst no less than 48 tribes in Zimbabwe.
Not to mention the ubiquitous mineworker’s marriages, or
the liberated sexual behaviour prevalent amongst followers
of gang leader Nongoloza at the beginning of this century,
or the traditionally sanctioned Venda system of female marriages,
or the caresses that the young shepherds of the Botswana
bushveld heap on each other….You see!
There
is something bizarre about vying mlungus displaying this
urge to prove unequivocally that homosexuality is an all-African
activity. Carlson is the first to admit this. At the end
of the pre-conference on religion and sexuality last week,
preceding the yearly Jamboree of the International Lesbian
and Gay Association (ILGA.) in Johannesburg, the question
arises whether homophobic African leaders will be persuaded
by a growing number of Antrohomo-Apologists and their research
to have a change of heart. Carlson: "It would be so
much more effective if Africans would discover their own
history. My research is useful if it contributes to that."
The
pre-conference raised even more questions. Those present
were enthralled by the account of his experiences presented
by Pieter Oberholzer, who is attempting to convert NG church
members in the Western Cape to a gay-friendly world view,
and by the talk given by the lesbian pastor Nokukuthla,
who preaches at the Hope and Unity Metropolitan Christian
Church (HUMCC) in Hillbrow. But why ever do people join
an institution – the church - that promotes gay bashing
and homophobia? One of the leaders of the National Coalition
for Gay and Lesbian Equality and member of the S.A.C.P.
Mazibuko Jara impressed the audience with his explicit rejection
of the persecution of gays in previously socialist countries,
but was unable to convince those East European representatives
present of his brand new addition to communist ideology.
"You are very lucky you haven’t lived through it",
one of them countered.
Similarly,
the following main conference raised more questions than
it was able to answer. The significance of this pink meeting
seems more related to the fact that it actually happened
than to what it achieved. It was held in Africa for the
first time, and was attended by representatives from at
least ten African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe,
Botswana, Cameroon, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Zambia,
and Uganda. Also, representatives made mention of the existence
of gay/lesbian organisations in Ghana and Nigeria. Apart
from this, it soon became clear that the circumstances in
which the gay and lesbian freedom fighters have to operate
are diverse in the extreme. In Lusaka, the recently constituted
gay organisation has been threatened by a group of vigilantes,
who have announced they will identify gays, report them
to the police and subsequently force them to name at least
five other homosexuals. In Uganda, homosexuals face life
imprisonment for their behaviour – anyone over 18 who is
not married is a potential suspect. In many other countries,
gays and lesbians face little or no persecution as long
as they don’t attempt to organise themselves or develop
a gay identity. This raises the question whether western
ideas on organisational structures and development (and
the inevitable formation of ghettos implicit in them )are
suited to the African climate. The relatively advanced movements
in Namibia and Zimbabwe are following, more or less successfully,
the example set by South Africa in joining broad-based democratic
movements to achieve their goals. The Namibian Rainbow Project,
for example, reports that the manifest of the "Congress
of Democrats", founded recently by S.W.A.P.O. dissident
Ben Ulenga, now pleads for a "freedom of sexual orientation"
clause in the constitution. And the prominent "Movement
for Democratic Change" member and trade union leader
Morgan Tsvangirai has recently called for the ending of
discrimination of gays and lesbians in the workplace. Representatives
of Public Services International, an organisation representing
public service unions and NEHAWU, recently presented a brochure
detailing rights of gays and lesbians in the work place,
and announced that they would use their influence to gain
support amongst the unions. Incredibly, even the new Zimbabwean
draft constitution has a "freedom of sexual orientation"
clause. Unfortunately, chances of this being adopted by
the ZANU-pf dominated parliament are slim, to say the least.
And
then there is South Africa, the (constitutionally) liberated.
But while representatives from other African countries eye
the example set by South Africa with admiration mixed with
envy, the local movement is burdened with a multitude of
dilemmas. The movement is extremely successful in political
and judicial lobbying. Unfortunately, it has as yet little
or no organised following at grass roots level. Black lesbians
are feeling marginalised. Attempts to promote racial diversity
within the ranks are being undermined by an influential
commercial lobby, striving for a strengthening of the pink
rand. Van Niekerk, writing the foreword to his phonebook
listing gay companies called "the Gay Pages",
tries to justify his publication by announcing that "the"
gay and lesbian community is one of the highest income-groups
around. The glossy magazine "Outright", targeting
well-heeled white moffies, warned the organisers of the
Gay and Lesbian Pride March this year not to let the "politico’s"
dominate the proceedings. To which Tim Trengove-Jones, writing
in the latest edition of the monthly gay and lesbian magazine
Exit, countered that without these "politico’s"
there would never have been a gay pride parade at all.
The
significant election of the South African Pumi Mtetwa and
the Turkish Kursad Kahramanoglu as joint secretaries-general
of the traditionally western dominated ILGA, will in future
undoubtedly lead to a strong focus on the South. Hopefully,
the organisation will be able to steer clear of any attempt
to create the stricture of an artificial "Pan-African"
single ideology. Circumstances, opportunities and cultures
are far too diverse to permit this. "The fact that
we are one single continent does not mean that we have one
single identity", contends Keith Goddard, co-ordinator
of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ).
How
relaxed and open modes of co-operation can enhance existing
diversity was demonstrated amply during the tenth Gay and
Lesbian Pride March last Saturday. Twenty thousand participants
created a parade that was more colourful than ever before.
And fortunately, the politico’s had succeeded in turning
the march into a tribute to Simon Nkoli, who died last year
of the effects of Aids. The unveiling of a memorial to Nkoli
was a fitting tribute to his contribution to the struggle
for equal rights for gays and lesbians. He was the one able
to recruit hundreds of members from the townships, and in
so doing successfully created a following for those within
the ANC who came out in support of gay-friendly policies
within the movement.
