President Mahama and the powerful gay lobby - Part 2

MOSES FOH-AMOANING AND DESMOND TUTU

We concluded the first installment of this two-part series with an exegetical commentary on Moses Foh-Amoaning’s and Desmond Tutu’s philosophical disagreements over same-sex relationship. There was however one major essential difference between the two men which, unfortunately, we did not bring to the attention of our readers, that, Tutu has a lesbian daughter, called Rev. Mpho Tutu, an ordained Episcopal priest who not too long ago married her longtime lesbian partner, Marceline van Furth, of the Netherlands.

Even more interesting, Rev. Mpho was previously married to Joseph Burris with whom they had two beautiful children. Desmond Tutu attended her daughter’s marriage to her lesbian daughter. We have decided to bring up this matter because there is a great possibility that it may have shaped his views on same-sex relationship, romance, and marriage. This matter is in some unique ways very unlike the seething controversy that, not too long ago, rocked the conservative Dick Cheney family over the sexual orientation of his lesbian daughter, Mary Cheney and her marriage to her lesbian-wife Heather Poe, and the senatorial ambitions of Liz Cheney, Dick’s other daughter, the older of the two. The New York Times reported on this controversy in 2013:

“Indeed, while Liz Cheney seeks to make clear her opposition to same-sex marriage, her father more than a decade ago was able to embrace fairly moderate views on the subject, breaking publicly with President George W. Bush over Mr. Bush’s support for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He has gone further still since then, telling Barbara Walters in 2011, “I certainly don’t have any problem with” same-sex marriage…”

Finally, we may want to impress upon our diligent readers to take a hard look at the so-called Mark Foley Scandal and the shocking resignation of Ken Mehlman, ex-Chair of the Republican National Committee, as they directly relate to the righteous hypocrisy of the Republican Party and its leadership and those on the conservative evangelical Christian right who support this party.

OTHER MATTERS TO CONSIDER

Once again, we shall not delve into the alleged scientific or genetic basis of homosexuality. One primary reason is that there appears to exist, in our opinion, too much politics surrounding the science of possible genetic predispositions to same-sex relationship or homosexuality in the human family. The other reason is that this author lacks the authority to speak eloquently on the controversial subject matter as it directly relates to the science and genetics of homosexuality, if in fact there is anything as such.

Thus, we shall leave that controversial terrain to conservative Christian scientists like Dr. Francis Collins to cover this matter. We shall however point readers to Dr. Collins’ New York Times bestselling book “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence For Belief.” This well-written book covers that controversial terrain for all those who wish to get acquainted with the subject matter.

Again, as we said earlier we shall be silent or take the fifth as the alleged science or genetic basis of homosexuality has become largely a convenient question of political football depending on who is funding the research into the science and genetics of homosexuality or on the partisan ideology and religious persuasions of the scientist (s) involved in any such scientific project or research. Also, the fact of animals allegedly demonstrating genetic or hormonal expressions of same-sex or homosexual tendencies broadly falls under similar critical reservations as we have described it in the penultimate sentence.

Neither are we interested in whether or not Africa has had a long experiential history of homosexuality. In fact, there are certain aficionados of racial and ethnic fetishism who deeply reject their natural bodies and wish they belong(ed) to other ethnic and racial groupings, a controversial position that boils down to natural preferences for genetic otherism. This is unlike those who have genuinely accepted the descriptor “cisgender,” a serious question not so in the case of those who have chosen to identify with the descriptors “transgender,” “transvestite,” and “transsexual,” and “pansexuality.”

So as we can all probably see, these are all serious questions open to debate and discursive exegetical extrapolations of materials based on anthropology, science and genetics, religion, oral history (orature), environmental influences, endocrinology, speleology, human psychology, historiography and the like.

A QUESTION FOR GHANAIANS

The central question for us is what the Ghanaian Constitution essentially says about the practice of homosexuality and whether or not President Mahama can independently decide for the nation on which direction it [the nation] should pursue on same-sex rights. The answer is certainly not in the affirmative. The idea that the Constitution seemingly frowns on homosexuality and its derivatives through a vague phrasal language such as “unnatural carnal knowledge” muddles the controversy even further. What does this vague expression actually mean? This question remains to be fully addressed.

As a matter of fact, some of the sexual behaviors of heterosexuals broadly fall under this vague language too. There is therefore a strong need for constitutional amendment to provide emphatic clarity as the only way we can remove the philosophical haziness of this nebulous phrase, “unnatural carnal knowledge,” from psychosocial interactions in the public space. Yet we cannot do this at the expense of national development. There are more pressing development issues for Ghana and Africa to deal with than devoting expendable or limited resources towards this political question of sexual orientation. Rather, we need these expendable or limited resources devoted towards national development, seeking social justice for disadvantaged groups like the physically and mentally challenged and children, and building stronger institutions.

As things stand today in Ghana, political corruption and duopoly remain a major threat to national development and social-political stability than homosexuality, say. This is evident in the judgment-debt scandals, overpricing of development projects, and the like. Our view is, therefore, that what two consenting adults decide to do with their bodies should be strictly a matter of privacy or of bedroom politics. However, dealing with pedophilia and possible instances of bestiality (zoophilia or animal-sex) should remain a top national priority. For instance, journalist Mark Griffins reports Denmark recently passing a law “making bestiality a criminal offence from July 1st to tackle animal-sex tourism.” Griffins defines the term bestiality as:

“Relating to recurrent intense sexual fantasies, urges, and sexual activities with non-human animals. At present, there are still a number of countries where zoophilia is illegal including Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Finland, Hungary, and Romania. In the US there is no federal law against zoophilia although most states class it as a felony and/or misdemeanour although in some states it is technically legal (for example, Texas, Kentucky, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Wyoming, West Virginia, and New Mexico)…”

Notwithstanding the above, President Mahama can only speak for the nation only in the contexts of an outcome of a referendum and of public opinion. As well, the government can also only bring itself to protect individuals against possibilities of public torture for those who choose to express or identify with a particular form of sexual orientation that somehow contradicts public cultural sensibilities and norms. This is what is actually done in Scotland where a group of disgruntled minority MPs recently heckled and boycotted President Mahama’s planned speech to the Scottish parliament. We would have therefore had wished the minority Scottish MPs had been better informed of the situation on the ground, rather than to their resorting to cheap political emotionalism and sexual superiority in pushing their selective agenda in the presence of President Mahama.

On the other hand, the fear that the West may be pushing the agenda of same-sex politics in Africa as a “birth control” exercise may not be well founded. Western laws do not bar persons within the same-sex fraternity who wish to have children of their own from doing so. In fact some persons in same-sex relationships have done exactly so through surrogate mothers and adoption. Regardless, this therefore does not necessarily mean members of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) fraternity should be treated as animals as is done under the dictatorships of theocratic enclaves with strong Sharia/Islamic laws in place, or polities with strong conservative Christian backdrops as in places like Jamaica, for instance. This readily brings to mind the militant lyrical radicalism of Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye Bye” which says in part:

“World is in trouble; Anytime Buju Banton come Batty bwoy get up an run; At gunshot me head back; Hear I tell him now crew (Its like) Boom bye bye Inna batty bwoy head; Rude bwoy no promote no nasty man Dem haffi dead; Boom bye bye; Inna batty bwoy head; Rude bwoy no promote no nasty man; Dem haffi dead (Two man); Hitch up on an rub up on An lay down inna bed; Hug up on another; Anna feel up leg; Send fi di matic anDi Uzi instead Shoot dem no come if we shot dem; Don't want Jackie, Give dem Paul instead; Dem don't want di sweetness, Between di leg; Gal bend down backway; An accept di peg…

“An if itreally hot; You know she still naw gon fled; A some man Still don't want diPanty raid; Pure batty business dem love(Me say) Boom bye bye; Inna batty bwoy head; Rude bwoy no promote the nasty man Dem haffi dead Boom bye bye Inna batty bwoy head Rude bwoy no promote no nasty man; Dem haffi dead(Woman is di) Greatest thing; God ever put pon di land Buju lovin dem from head Down to foot bottom But some man a turnaround; Where dem get that from Peter is not for Janet; Peter is for John; Suzette is not for Paul; Suzette is for Ann; Where the bobocloth Dem get dat from…

In other words, Buju Banton, now serving time in an American prison on drug charges, charges which some conspiracy theorists still believe to be trumped-up charges linked to his homophobic music and political stance, elevates the superiority of heterosexual sex over what he essentially sees as the “depraved” aberration of homosexual sex, thus calling for the killing of practitioners of same-sex romance or relationship. Music genres such as “Boom Bye Bye” falls under the generic rubric “murder music.” Dancehall artiste Elephant Man’s “Log On,” T.O.K.’s Chi Chi Man and some homophobic dancehall tracks by other dancehall artists such as Beenie Man, Sissla Kalonji, and Capleton, to mention but three influential musicians, fit the profile of “murder music.”

There is one particular instance when, in 2001, Jamaica’s Labor Party used as its campaign theme song, “Log On To Progress,” a subtle reference to Elephant Man’s sensational dancehall track “Log On.” However, Jean Wycliff, a virtuoso guitarist and respected ex-member of rap group Fugees, admitted in a recent interview that the selective critique of “murder music” and their artistes is grossly misplaced. Wycliff fundamentally believes these artistes are only expressing their right to free speech much the same way practitioners of same-sex relationship and their activists are doing. Thus, we should all learn to use the Constitution to address our grievances against supposed members of the LGBT fraternity rather to resort to violence, murder, and intimidation.

Nor should this interpretation be taken to mean our endorsement of any sexual practices deemed holistically antithetical to the generally accepted standards of societal cultural values and norms.

Instances of “corrective rape” against suspected lesbians do take place in Jamaica now and then, as recently happened in the case of a Ghanaian, Francis Kofi Okra, who reportedly raped a lesbian in the United Kingdom (UK). Clearly, and the latter observation notwithstanding, Bob Marley’s “One Love” unequivocally stands in sharp contrast to what critics have got to say about “murder music” and its homophobic import, so too are his largely heterosexual corpus of romantic tracks from “Waiting in Vain,” “Bend Down Low,” “Turn Me Loose,” “Baby We’ve God A Date,” “She’s Gone,” “Satisfy My Soul,” “Try Me,” “Stir It Up,” “Is This Love” to “No Woman, No Cry” (there are others).

Thus, in hindsight, the question becomes too difficult to attempt to divine what Bob Marley would have made of Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye Nye” given that homophobia is a normative fixture of Rastafarianism, a political religion of which Bob was a respected member. On the other hand we have Christina Aguilera who sings on her pop-charting single, “Beautiful,” in part:

“Every day is so wonderful; Then suddenly it's hard to breathe. Now and then I get insecure From all the pain, I'm so ashamed. I am beautiful no matter what they say. Words can't bring me down. I am beautiful in every single way. Yes, words can't bring me down…Oh no. So don't you bring me down today? To all your friends you're delirious, So consumed in all your doom. Trying hard to fill the emptiness. The pieces gone, left the puzzle undone. Is that the way it is?...”

Yes, we are all beautiful in every way! What is certain is that some politicians in Africa are also capitalizing on same-sex or the convenient politics of sexual orientation as a strategic and tactical diversion from their abject failures and lackluster performance. The late America evangelist Jerry Farwell, for instance, completely ignored what America’s possible role in Middle Eastern geopolitics may have fueled the rise of political Islam, Islamic terrorism, Muslim anger, and the memorable incident of September 11, 2001: “The pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle...all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen’ [the terroristic bombing of America on September 11, 2001” (our emphasis).

Or, world champion professional boxer, Manny Pacquiao, who sought political office by appealing to his conservative electoral base in the Philippines, reportedly made these controversial comments: “I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt. I still stand on my belief that I’m against same sex because of what the Bible says…”

OTHER IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER PETER GARY TACHELL (BRITAIN)

“Prior to Western colonization, there are no records of any African laws against homosexuality. The real import into Africa was not homosexuality but homophobia. It was enforced legally by colonial administrators and ideologically by Christian missionaries. The colonial narratives of racism and homophobia are very closely intertwined. It’s one of the great tragedies of Africa that so many people have internalized the homophobia of that colonial oppression and now proclaim it as their own authentic African tradition…In many cases, the very laws being imposed so zealously were introduced by the European empires that carved up and plundered Africa…”

REVEREND CANON GIDEON BYAMUGISHA (UGANDA)

“First of all, I don’t—I would want to us to differentiate between African views and colonial views. These laws that are in Uganda are not African laws. These laws are colonial laws that were brought about by the British, and they were left intact when they left, and they’ve not changed. Africa before colonization had a way of engaging with, of accommodating people who were the minority in the community. But when these rulers came, they were arrogant, they were discriminative, they were harsh. And now it surprises me when I hear many Africans saying we will defend their laws, which they never put in place…”

FINAL THOUTHTS

As we said elsewhere in this essay, there is a certain school of thought whose advocates see Western push for LBGT rights in Africa as a “birth control” agenda meant to regulate and streamline population growth. Then, there is this other school of thought that also believes white folks are wont to take advantage of African or “black” humanity to push its homophilic agenda on the rest of the world, just as white folks in America used enslaved Africans who brought marijuana to the Americas, to push for political commercialization of the plant particularly in the United States.

We have not, however, forgotten so soon what Peter Tosh’s controversial reggae tracks “Legal Marijuana” and “Legalize It,” Culture’s “International Herb” and “Callie Weed Song,” Mighty Diamonds’ and Musical Youth’s “Pass The Kouchie,” Black Uhuru’s “Sensimilla,” Israel Vibration’s “Herb Is The Healing”…say about marijuana and its potential oncologic, palliative, or therapeutic value. Indian gurus have been smoking marijuana as part of their religious activities for God knows how long (see the YouTube documentary titled “Smoking Babas—Holy men of India,” a documentary by Alfredo de Braganza)!

CONCLUSION: WHAT IS IN FOR PRESIDENT MAHAMA AND GHANAIANS

That is just by the way, a necessary digression if you like. What is rather at stake here is that those minority Scottish MPs who opposed President Mahama should have known that Ghana is a democracy, albeit a dubious one at that, and that this dubious democracy does not derive its operational constitutive powers from a theocratic constitution. Therefore, the way to go about this controversial homosexual or same-sex politics is not through executive dominance but rather through the mandate of popular sovereignty.

This is exactly what they, the Scots, did when some of them agitated for political independence from Great Britain. It is still to be understood that Ghana’s Constitution itself is a borrowed document from the national constitutions of the United States and Britain, hence the well-paced attributions of Peter Gary Tachell and Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha. That is those of our national laws that proscribe or frown upon the practice of homosexuality is partly, if not fully, Western in origin.

Again, elsewhere we have quoted a number of commentators on this very question. Then again, the Scottish MPs should have known about or had some intellectual familiarization with colonial constitutional history as it specifically relates to Spain, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, and Germany on the one hand and Africa on the other, before their ill-fated boycotting of President Mahama. It is therefore proper that they allow Ghanaians and their laws to work.

It is rather sad and unfortunate that Ghanaians do not allow their laws to work, hence the existence of bureaucratic and institutional weakness across the body politic, a banana republic where impunity reigns supreme. But Ghana and the rest of Africa, first of all, should break free of this dependency complex called foreign aid. The West is telling Africa anything it wants, including its imposition of the homosexual agenda on Africa, because it [the West] partly controls the national purses of African countries in addition to a considerable percentage of the expenditure of the African Union (UN).

To make a long story short, Africa will continue to remain slaves to the West for as long as we remain tethered to foreign aid. Finally, and quite indispensably, real independence will come only when African countries forcefully reject foreign aid. President Mahama and all African leaders should take note of this, for we could not be clearer that this statement of fact as Dambisa Moyo explores in her bestselling book, “Dead Aid.” “Respect is earned,” it is said, “but not given”

References

Jonathan Martin. “Dispute Over Gay Marriage Erupts In Cheney Family.” The New York Times. November 17, 2013.

Mark Griffins. “Why Would Anyone Want To Have Sex With An Animal? The Psychology Of Bestiality.” Independent. February 2, 2016.

David Smith. “Why Africa Is The Most Homophobic Continent.” The Guardian. February 22, 2014.

Ghanaweb. “Scotland Opposition ‘Fights’ Mahama Over Gay Rights. “March 17, 2016.

Ghanaweb. “Mahama Wasn’t Embarrassed in Scottish Parliament—Hanna Tetteh.” March 18, 2016.

Leah Nelson. “Jamaica’s Anti-Gay ‘Murder Music’ Carries Violent Message. “Southern Poverty Law Center. February 27, 2011.

Ghanaweb. “Mahama Boycott In Scotland Exaggerated—Jon Benjamin.” March 18, 2016.

Bill Chappell. “Manny Pacquiao Apologizes For ‘Comparing Homosexuals To Animals.” NPR. February 16, 2016.

Democracy Now. “Rev. Canon Byamugisha Makes History as 1st African Religious Leader to Reveal HIV-Positive Status.” Reverend interviewed by Amy Goodman. July 27, 2012.