Ghana: Gays come under fresh attacks
A gay rights activist
There seems to be no respite in sight for homosexuals in Ghana, as they continue to come under intense and sustained criticisms and condemnation from several thousands of Ghanaians across the length and breadth of the country.
Homosexuals in Ghana have been subjected to caustic and abrasive verbal attacks since the Daily Graphic, Ghana’s leading newspaper, reported June 1 that, about 8,000 homosexuals had been registered by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Western and some parts of the Central regions. The paper reported that majority of them had been “infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS”, adding that the figure included “students in junior and senior high schools (JHS/SHS), the polytechnics and workers”.
In recent times, attacks against homosexuality have intensified, with people calling for tougher action against homosexuals in the country. Homosexuality is regarded as an unnatural act in Ghana and punishable by law. According to Section 104 (1) (b) of Ghana’s Criminal Code, ‘Whoever has an unnatural carnal knowledge of any person of sixteen years or over with his consent is guilty of a misdemeanor’, while (1) (a) of the same code, which makes reference to sodomy, states, “Whoever has unnatural carnal knowledge of any person of the age sixteen or over without his consent shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than twenty-five years.’
But some have called for the implementation of tougher laws such as the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which many hope will lead to an eradication of the practice.
Though the Government of Ghana is to yet officially respond to the numerous calls for action, several high profile individuals, some close to the corridors of power, have been vocal and unrelenting in their calls for immediate action.
Delivering a statement on the 30 years of the official discovery of HIV/AIDS on the floor of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, Ghana’s Second Deputy Speaker, described homosexuality as an “abomination” that must be stopped “before the human race was destroyed by something worse than AIDS”.
“Let us watch these practices, sensitise our society and save the human race, both from dire consequences of our profligacy as well as the wrath of the living God”, he emphasied.
In a quick reaction, Alhaji Rashid Pelpuo, the Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Wa Central in the Upper West Region of Ghana, said it was unfortunate that the practice of homosexuality and lesbianism had caught up Ghanaians.
He called on Ghanaians to return to the fundamentals of family life, adding that young people should be brought up to observe their indigenous culture.
“Blind copying of foreign life should be discouraged in order to preserve the fabric of socio-cultural practices of the country”, the Deputy Majority Leader stated.
Sheikh DR Osmanu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam of Ghana and a man held in high esteem by majority of Ghanaians, did not mince words in his opposition to homosexuality.
According to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Chief Imam described homosexuality as “a great sin” forbidden by Islam, adding that the acceptance of “homosexual practices might attract and bring destruction to the nation.”
“In as much as we strive, in our quest for perpetual peace and development, to attain heights in developmental projects we should not allow or tolerate the infiltrations of foreign cultures into our sacred societies”, he said.
Sheikh Dr Osmanu Sharubutu went on to add that Ghana would be on track to create a better society devoid of poverty and illiteracy if undignified and immoral acts were rejected.
In an attack synonymous to that of a guided laser missile, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Revd Professor Emmanuel Martey, condemned homosexuality and bisexuality in strong terms, describing the practice as “unbiblical, un-African, abnormal and filthy” , and stressing that the practice must not be tolerated, according to a Daily Graphic report.
Revd Professor Emmanuel Martey added that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana would decide later this year whether or not to continue relations with churches which had decided to ordain homosexuals in any part of the world.
According to him, the righteousness of most churches had become “filthy rags and preachers with diapers” were “now mounting the pulpits”, adding that churches in Europe and America were ordaining homosexual pastors and blessing same-sex marriages in contravention of christianity.
All foregoing condemnation of homosexuality are entirely in line with the views of many Ghanaians who see homosexuality as satanic and alien to Ghanaian culture. Online and on air, in workplaces and at the market places, on facebook, twitter and other social networking platforms, criticisms of homosexuals are continuing, while calls for the government to take a tougher stand on the issue have also intensified.
Though human rights activists in Ghana, led by the irrepressible Nana Oye Lithur, are relentlessly advocating respect for gay rights and tolerance of gay practices, it is difficult to envisage an end to anti-gay rhetoric in a country of very religious people.
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Category: News
Why this issue has come up again is a mystery to me. It seems to me that one has to be suffering from myopia to maintain that homosexuality has not been present in Ghanaian culture. The attacks, claiming it’s a foreign condition, are sounding uncomfortably xenophobic. The only encouraging thing is that, this time round, the voices of reason are less afraid to speak out. And as for the religious “leaders”, they are unfortunately living up to my lack of expectations.
Graham, a couple of preachers have publicly condemned the practice. High placed Ghanaians have done the same, as have ordinary Ghanaians. I don’t see an immediate end anti-gay rhetoric.
top marks to the people of ghana for keeping their decency. unfortunately we aussies are already in the sewers.