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| Ban Ki-Moon |
The effrontery of the UN Secretary-General at the recent African Union Conference in Addis Ababa was unbelievable. Perhaps he was persuaded to do so by those who really hold the power of his office. This is likely because Mr. Ban Ki-Moon is intelligent, learned and astute.
The Secretary-General’s office is not that far from acknowledged serious human rights violations. I have not heard him speak about these.Also, recently he was supposed to supervise or oversee action to prevent human rights violations in Libya. He knew as he lectured the piccaninnies at Addis Ababa that far from human rights being established, wanton vandalism, murder and beastly cruelty reign in Libya.
Furthermore, the Libyan leader, a staunch supporter of the African Union had been brutally murdered. Clearly, judging by his lecture he did not think much of African leaders. Following men like Dag Hammarskjold, the Secretary-General should have known about the real problems which confronted Africa yesterday and today.
Instead of discussing major issues he chose to speak about African attitude towards homosexuals and the lessons to be learnt from the so-called Arab spring. Many Africans, including some Heads of State, are nervous about these topics. But we should put emotions aside and address criticisms on these issues factually and robustly.
In Ghana, as in many African countries, we took it for granted that sexual relations only exist between men and women. It was however realised that there were a few deviants who were attracted to their own sex. They were supposed to be ‘queer’ but were not discriminated against by law. Colonialism brought in British ideas and practices and soon Christian and Victorian values became widespread.
Homosexuality became an offence as it was in Britain. But in Ghana, as in many African countries, we did not hound homosexuals and lesbians. In my youth a few odd practices occurred in boarding schools but they were taken to be passing phases.
We nicknamed one senior girl at Achimota “shame”. She had a “box room” to herself and apparently the girl friend joined her at night.
The English housemistress had reason to suspect they were lesbians. So one night, soon after “lights out”, she sneaked into the boarding house and climbed the steps quietly. She opened the “box room” door slightly and the occupant, thinking it was her friend, flung the door open and pushed the visitor in while she embraced her with kisses.
In horror, she realised it was the housemistress who then cried “shame…” The story reverberated through the house and soon boys with friends or relations in the girls’ school heard the story with embellishments. I got to know that many of the senior girls had “special” friends. But it was a passing phase and all got married and lived normal lives.
With the boys it was more serious. A handful practiced anal sex. Again, apart from one or two who continued “queer”, all settled down as normal married men. Being inquisitive, I discussed the abnormal behaviour with the elderly. It was generally believed a few people were homosexuals or lesbians.
We made jokes about them but not in their presence and they were not molested. The first time I knew that it was an offence to be homosexual was when I was introduced to the writings of the Irish dramatist, novelist and poet Oscar Wilde. I enjoyed the “Importance of Being Earnest” and I read all about Oscar Wilde. I was taken aback to learn that he was imprisoned for two years for homosexual offences and died in exile.
I think Europeans, especially the British feel guilty about their treatment of homosexuals in the past. They have changed the law in Britain and their Prime Minister expects us the former colonial subjects to follow suit dutifully. But we hardly invoked the homosexual law here and we have at the moment much more important issues to deal with.
We should allow the foreign law to die a natural death. In Ghana, there have been news about sexual relations between men and goats. The population was naturally shocked. I hope the renowned Secretary-General would not regard society’s rejection of such behaviour as “discrimination based on sexual orientation”.
Incidentally, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon recalled the so-called Arab spring and magisterially advised African leaders to “listen to their people”. But the majority of the people are appalled by homosexual and lesbian behaviour. Perhaps to the Secretary-General and his powerful mentors in New York, the real people who should be listened to are those whose behaviour and thinking processes are similar to those of Europeans and Americans.
African leaders should tell Mr. Ban Ki-Moon and his western mentors that Africans are confronted with real life-threatening problems which are their priorities at the moment. To them human rights did not start with the droit de l’homme of the French revolution or with the end of the droit de seigneur. They have known their rights, human and others, to have been usurped for many generations by others.
Today, leaders and people are determined to promote their own well-being and interests even in a world of camouflaged cruelty and oppression. Africans cannot be happy with the myopia of many of their own leaders. But they are trying. Results may be slow; but it was slow in Europe and America. “Modern” democratic systems may not be well-established in Africa. But when was democracy well-established in America? Have we not witnessed unacceptable, undemocratic practices and serious human rights violations in America and Europe in our short life-time?
Only the people of Africa can make life acceptable for Africans. It is a small world and others can assist with genuine criticisms and helpful suggestions. But foreign help guided mainly by foreign interests will not promote the progress of democracy and the rights of man in Africa. We thank Ban Ki-Moon for his concern.
We can assure him that we are determined to work for our own progress in our own way. We pray that he will not allow the world organisation he leads to be hi-jacked by the powerful nations.
Meanwhile, let us acknowledge our “backwardness” and tell those who want sexual behaviour to ignore the norms and susceptibilities of our backward society that we shall not change our practices to look modern. We shall not modify or change our laws to make men marry men and women marry women.
Marriage should remain a union between the opposite sexes. Men can live with men and women with women. We shall not molest them or peep through the keyhole to find out what they do at night. They can make wills to give their possessions to their partners as is given to dogs in some countries.
We shall not however waste energy and resources on “civilised” human rights requirements on sexual behaviour while the simple necessities of food, shelter, health and education elude most of our people.
Source: K. B. Asante/D-Graphic
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