Progressive faith leaders and activists from West Africa have joined forces to work to end anti-LGBTI bias in the region and seek “a world governed by respect and dignity.” The new Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNoWA) includes members from Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Liberia. The network’s founder and co-chair is Anglo-Nigerian … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ghana
Q. Why expose gay celebrities? A. Bravery … Really?
By Yaw Amanfoh What leads a person to ruin the lives of other people for nothing but a paycheck? This year, on Feb. 26, Ghana’s Flex Magazine published an article called “Exposing Gays and Lesbians in the Showbiz Industry.” Its author, Ebenezer Narh Affum, stated in the article that there was a “dire need” to … Continue reading
Tally of LGBTI rights, wrongs in 29 sub-Saharan countries
Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made progress in recognizing the human rights of LGBTI people, but much work remains to be done in the region’s 29 countries that still have laws against same-sex intimacy. LGBTI rights in those African countries are the focus of the following excerpts from the 2015 edition of the U.S. … Continue reading
Outed! Can LGBT Africans ever be safe?
By Yaw Amanfoh Public exposure of LGBT celebrities is an explicit goal of Ghana’s online Flex Newspaper, where advocacy of anti-gay exposés differs little from the examples set by many other sensationalizing media outlets in Africa and elsewhere. “Trust [us] to expose gays and lesbians in the showbiz industry … when we obtain hard evidence” … Continue reading
How gay-friendly Scots provoked anti-gay ‘hysteria’ in Ghana
The political leader of Scotland has reportedly stirred up a hornet’s nest of anti-LGBT hysteria in Ghana by pressuring Ghana’s president about LGBTI rights without first conferring with LGBTI activists in Ghana, KaleidoScot reports. Regarding the March 18 incident, a leading activist in Ghana said “the pressure on President Mahama was uncalled for. We, the … Continue reading
LGBT Christians in Africa: A prime focus for new videos
For years, Anglo-Nigerian pastor Jide Macaulay has challenged the widespread idea that Bible-believing Christians should oppose homosexuality. Now he wants to spread that message electronically, worldwide, especially in Africa. Macaulay, founder of the gay-friendly House of Rainbow churches in Nigeria, Ghana, the United Kingdom and elsewhere, is seeking to raise £3,000 (about US $4,300) for … Continue reading
Shameful: Anti-LGBT denials by bishops, Ghana leader
Christianity is, and remains, a foreign addition to African culture and, in truth, does not honestly reflect Africa’s organic image. We all know how the religion is said to have started, where its practices originated — which surely was not in Africa. Many religious leaders, especially in Africa, are ignorant, self-centered and deceptive. Despite what … Continue reading
Akwaaba! (Welcome!), says Ghana — but not if you’re gay
By Yaw Amanfoh “Wecome!! Akwaaba!!” says the sign at Accra International Airport. In the photo, taken in 2010, the mixed message is framed by a traditional kente print. It starts off with a warm welcome, then quickly reverts to the hatred of “sexual deviants.” In the Ghanaian Criminal Code, Article 104 of Chapter 6 defines … Continue reading
Empire’s evils live on, so activist rejects Empire’s honors
What’s to be done about the continued repression of LGBTI people in Commonwealth nations that hang onto anti-homosexuality laws originally imposed by the British Empire? One answer to the question is clear to Anglo-Ghanian LGBTI rights activist Phyll Opoku-Gyimah. She has turned down the honor of being named an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent … Continue reading
Don’t fall for photo of man (repeatedly) burned alive
Until credible evidence emerges, it’s probably wise to set aside a widely shared story on Facebook that a man was burned to death in South Sudan because he was gay. The article appeared on Hot in Juba, a website that describes itself as an “all round celebrity gossips and entertainment news website,” based in Juba, … Continue reading
