The Violence of the LGBTQ+ Community In Africa

Religion & It's Influence 

  In many African countries homosexuality is illegal, with many anti-gay laws being passed within these various countries violence against this community has significantly increased in more recent years. Africa has a total of 54 countries, and and in only 22 of those countries are same-sex relations legal. The punishment for being in a same-sex relationship can sometimes be as harsh as serving a lengthy prison sentence, or even being sentenced to death. The emergence of these anti-LGBTQ+ politics in Africa is often attributed to Christianity, religion is a fueling factor to homophobia. Christianity is the dominating religion throughout African countries, and many religiously affiliated groups seem to be to blame for the oppression. Churches are a main source. Uganda Evangelical pastors have actively campaigned for the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, when voicing their opinions on homosexuality many political leaders have argued that it is "un-African", "un-biblical", and "un-Christian".  Religion is arguably the most aggressive obstacle for Africans within the LGBTQ+ community to overcome in attempt to gain acceptance from their greater communities. 

Kakuma Refugee Camp Protests 

   Kenya is home to one of the world's largest refugee camps,  Kakuma Refugee. 171,000 people live in this camp, around 71% are refugees, more than 800 are from South Sudan and are primarily woman and children, new ones arriving each week. Kakuma Refugee is made up of communities, and local tribes who will look after orphan children. The area rarely receives rain as it is very dry and muggy, and many young students living there are only provided with one meal a day. In Kenya, like many other African countries, homosexuality is a crime. Within the Kakuma Refugee camp there are LGBTQ+ refugees. These refugees have reported being violently beaten by locals and other refugees living in the camp. After experiencing this violence they attempted to camp out by the UNCHR for safety reasons, but were failed to receive any assistance and were instead forced to go back into the homophobic community where they were brutally attacked by refugees. Although police and ambulances were called for the violent events, they were slow to respond and did not do much. In June 2018, Ugandan refugee Mbazira Moses scheduled to host a pride march, which would be the first gay pride event in the camp. 

Although the march seemed to be a positive step forward, attracting many onlookers from Kakuma, it did not end well. Following the march, murderous threats towards the LGBTQ+ community were posted around the camp, telling them to leave or be killed. Violence at the camp worsened for the rest of 2018, and many refugees had to be relocated. Refugees have also accused administrators of the camp for turning a blind eye on the violence, due to their own personal homophobia. 

Simon Lokodo-Uganda 

Simon Lokodo, a former Catholic priest, and politician who served as Minister of State For Ethics & Integrity in the office of the president, has been very outspoken with his homophobic beliefs. He is proudly one of the creators of the countries anti-homosexuality bill. This bill sparked many protests. 

                                            Protestors wore masks to preserve their anominity.

 In an interview Simon Lokodo said he could never imagine kissing a man, he said "I think I shall die. I would not exist. It is inhuman. I would be mad. Just imagine eating your faeces". Lokodo believes that homosexuality is a choice, and that people a part of the LGBTQ+ community are set out to recruit other people to join them. In an interview Lokodo said, "Homosexuality is unnatural, abnormal and strange to our cultures," he said. "It has no output whatsoever; it only does damage and destruction. You cannot have a right to be a sick human being. There is no right in homosexuality. It must be cured." 

Conclusion 

    With many political leaders of different African countries who share beliefs similar to Simon Lokodo, it is hard to see where change will hopefully be made. Many individuals who hold high political positions are also very religious, specifically Catholic. Religion is a major barrier between the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community in Africa and their freedom. However, with people like Simon Lokodo and many, many others, it is hard to try and see a future where the LGBTQ+ community will no longer be oppressed and punished for just being themselves. 

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/23/africa-homophobia-uganda-anti-gay-law

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/30/gay-rights-world-best-worst-countries

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/03/06/on-gay-rights-young-africans-share-the-intolerance-of-their-elders

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-22578648

https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c8nq32jwjp0t/lgbt-rights-in-africa

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2018/07/beyond-african-religious-homophobia-how-christianity-is-a-source-of-african-lgbt-activism/

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/gay-refugees-kenya-report-repeated-attacks-locals-n1113456

https://seedsofsouthsudan.org/our-students/kakuma-refugee-camp/#:~:text=He%20informed%20SoSS%20that%20171%2C000,sent%20to%20Kalobeyei%20Settlement%20Camp.