President Mugabe President ObamaThe newly revamped relations between the United States and Africa now face an unprecedented test following a new policy to defend the LGBT community announced recently by the administration of President Barack Obama.
Who are these LGBT folks? LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender who the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, referred to as “our family, our friends, and our neighbours”. She insisted: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and it does not matter who we are, we are all human and our rights are birthrights.”
This was last week, on December 6, when Clinton took to the podium in Geneva to speak in recognition of the International Human Rights Day, which since 1948 has been commemorated annually on December 10, the day United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She spoke before a gathering of ministers, ambassadors, and representatives of the UN.
Clinton said that there is one work left in the international efforts to secure that 1948 commitment for an invisible group of people who are always beaten, terrorized, and even executed with the authorities in their countries doing little or nothing to protect them. She then dropped the bombshell: “I am talking about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.”
With the diplomats listening in disbelief, Clinton built her case eloquently with examples, background, logic, and even a critique of some religious practices to explain why it matters to her government to defend these people but in the end her stone-faced audience left the hall disappointed. Certainly, she predicted this kind of reaction but coincidentally she was the messenger who believed in the message, so she did nothing to grease the speech.
As Clinton spoke in Geneva, here in Washington DC Obama was issuing a memorandum to show that his administration means business on this matter. Obama unveiled a government strategy dedicated to fight human rights abuses against LGBT persons all over the world.
Clinton informed her audience that Obama on that morning directed all American government agencies working overseas to join in the fight in order to stop criminalization of LGBT status and behaviour. Seriously, Obama ordered these agencies, about twelve of them, to prepare a report within 180 days, and annually thereafter, on their progress in the struggle.
Obama said these agencies must ensure that American diplomacy and foreign assistance promote the protection of LGBT rights, and even sign up international organisations in the struggle. He clearly stated that his government will respond swiftly and meaningfully to abuses against LBGT people abroad.
Then Clinton announced the launching of the $3 million Global Equality Fund to support the work of civil society organisations abroad and asked other countries to join in. Clinton assured LGBT people that they are not alone. Thus, on top of a decade-long war on terror waged by George Bush, Obama has just added another war, now on anti-gay countries.
A few weeks ago when British Prime Minister David Cameron announced the same policy, there was outrage in some African countries including Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria, with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe calling him “satanic.” Africans simply said: “Keep your money.”
It may be a little dicey for many African capitals to yell at Washington, but make no mistake, Africans won’t take it. Currently, only South Africa recognises the rights of LGBT people but this is a country where incidences of “corrective” rape to return lesbians back to “womanhood” are on the rise.
Anyone who understands African values, whether religious or traditional, knows certainly that Africans will never legalise same sex marriages, no matter how hard Western nations push them. Africans find the practice morally repugnant. Most likely, African governments will attempt to stop persecution of homosexual suspects to spare them judicial proceedings, but nothing more.
Luckily for Africans, some Americans, notably Republicans and Evangelical Christians, are totally opposed to Obama’s policy, calling it a war on religion and have promised to use it against him in the coming elections. Likewise, conservatives are pushing for federal legislation to protect the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.
African leaders, however poor their countries are, are slowly gaining momentum against what they see as neo-colonialism, politically defined as the coercive attitude of powerful nations towards weak ones, and when the aid card is used, all Africans get agitated. Notably also, some African leaders don’t care much about their people, thus, cutting off aid won’t intimidate them.
But Washington has a lot of things on which to work with African governments such as the war on terror, peace and stability, democracy, food security, oil and trade in general. Therefore, in any case, this LGBT policy will seriously complicate the calculus of US-Africa relations. Let us wait and see!
Mobhare Matinyi, Friday, 16 December 2011, The Citizen.
1 comment:
Huyu jamaa (Obama) ana matatizo fulani. Si kiongozi mzuri kama wengi tulivyodhani angekuwa wakati wa campaign za 2008. I doubt his credibility now and I don't think he has the best intention at heart (especially for Africa). Akiwa kama mwana wa Africa, alikuwa na duty ya kuipa kipaumbele Africa na utamaduni wake na siyo kui-undermine kama anavyofanya sasa hivi na sera zake hizo za LGBT. Mpaka anazidiwa na George Bush alivyoisadia Africa. Mpaka sasa naanza kushuku kwamba zile tetesi zilizovuma wakati wa kampeni kwamba yeye mwenyew ni gay labda ni za kweli.
I hope Obama loses the elections in 2012, bora hata Mitt Romney anaonekana ni mtu mwadilifu japo hata kidogo.
I hope he
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