Nowhere to turn

"He came back from time to time to threaten to disclose my identity if I did not give in to his demands."

Kweku, Ghana

"I didn't dare to lodge a complaint. I was afraid they were going to question me and that it would come out that I was gay...I would have risked being locked up in prison."

Alex, Cameroon

"I feel trapped in a cage."

Symon, Malawi

Wherever lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are forced to keep their sexual orientation and gender identity secret for fear of prosecution, violence and other legal and social persecution, blackmail and extortion of LGBT people is endemic. In Africa, where a majority of countries criminalise same-sex sexual activity and where a variety of laws are used to penalise transgressive gender expression, blackmail and extortion are part of the daily lives of many LGBT people who are isolated and vulnerable to abuse.

The Report, Nowhere to Turn: Blackmail and Extortion of LGBT People in Sub-Saharan Africa (PDF) investigates the problem of blackmail and extortion of LGBT in Africa - a challenge that has remained unaddressed for far too long. The report illustrates how LGBT Africans are made doubly vulnerable by the illegality of same-sex activity and the stigma they face if their sexuality is revealed. Based on research initiated in October 2007, the volume features studies by a number of leading African activists and academics on the prevalence and severity of these crimes in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Cameroon.

These contributions vividly depict the difficult position that LGBT people are placed in by blackmailers and extortionists - victims are often deterred from seeking help and justice, for fear of further persecution by authorities and communities and can end up being isolated from any supportive community, humiliated, manipulated and threatened with theft, vandalism, rape and even murder.

Human rights defenders, non-governmental organisations and governments have a responsibility to understand that these crimes are a constant reminder of LGBT people's legal and social vulnerability. The report's contributors explore the role the state plays in these crimes by ignoring blackmail and extortion when officials in the police and judiciary fail to ensure that victims are able to safely report incidents and obtain redress. It goes on to argue that states are in fact failing in their human rights obligations by refusing to acknowledge and respond when victims are robbed of their dignity, privacy, their autonomy violated with impunity and they are denied equal access to the protection of the law. The Report's concluding chapter urges attention to the rampant problem of blackmail and extortion of LGBT people and urges States to take concrete steps to reduce the incidence of these crimes by decriminalising same-sex activity and ensuring that all people are able to access the justice system.

Some excerpts from the Report:

Rashid, a 22 year-old student in Mamobi, met the man who would later blackmail him through a mutual friend. The two had several sexual encounters, until one day Rashid refused to have sex with him. Upon hearing this, the blackmailer removed his clothes and started to yell throughout the communal residence about Rashid’s sexuality. He would not stop until Rashid paid him 200,000 cedis. In these situations, blackmailers take advantage of the presumptive innocence that so often results from speaking up first – by announcing that they have been taken advantage of, the blackmailer immediately puts their victim on the defensive in front of a suspicious public.

*

Many of the most extreme threats were made by extortionists. Victims who did not comply with their demands were not only threatened with disclosure, but were also threatened with assault, rape, attacks on friends or family, damage to property, or murder if they did not comply with a set of demands. K.K., a 37-year old bar attendant, was raped at knife-point for several nights by a customer from his shop. K.K. remembers how the customer “came with a knife and fucked me every night,” using the threat of mutilation or murder to force K.K. to have sex with him. The kinds of threats that extortionists made were patently illegal, but without access to the police or the full protection of the law, gay and bisexual men were often helpless to stop them.

*

Yaw, a 28 year-old

Christian, was alarmed when someone he met through church threatened

to inform other members of the faith community about his homosexuality.

According to Yaw, “he threatened to report me to the church’s elders – saying

that I raped him and paid him off with the things he actually stole from my

room – if I kept on demanding them back from him.”

Here is what the IGLHRC had to say about this in a press release.

Writers and Academics Against Homophobia

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and others have condemned the murder of Ugandan gay activist, David Kato. On Monday a group referring to itself as Writers and Academics Against Homophobia issued a press release. Feel free to share this petition through your social networks.

PM News reports it thus:

Nobel Laureate, Proessor Wole Soyinka, authors and academics have condemned the murder of Ugandan gay activist, David Kato.

They called on the Ugandan government to find and prosecute those involved in the murder of David Kato who was a well known gay campaigner in Uganda.

According to the group which includes BCC award winners and best selling authors, misgiving about homosexuality should not be a matter for the government to delve into. They therefore urged African governments to expunge all anti-homosexuality provisions in their constitutions. The group said that scientific research has cleared the fog of ignorance that some religions foisted on the people concerning homosexuality.

Similarly the group called on all African governments to emulate South Africa which has expunged her laws that criminalise homosexuals or treat them as unworthy of the same rights as other citizens.

The document was signed by at least 60 signatories including Damola Awoyokun, Wale Adebanwi, Diran Adebayo, Joe Agbro and Anengiyefa Alagoa.

The Petition

We the undersigned condemn in the strongest possible terms the murder of Mr David Kato the Ugandan gay rights campaigner. We wish to state emphatically that homosexuality is neither a sin nor a social or cultural construct. It is a biological given. Homosexuals are human beings like everybody else. Scientific research has been helpful in clearing the fog of ignorance entrenched by some religious texts in regards to homosexuality. Our opinions of homosexuality must change for the better just as our opinion of slavery has changed even though it was endorsed by those same religious texts. All violence against gays and people deemed to be gay in Africa must cease forthwith.

We call on the government of Uganda to find and prosecute all those involved in the murder of Mr Kato, including the newspaper that called for the hanging of gays. We also call on African governments to learn from the South African example by expunging from their laws all provisions that criminalize homosexuality or treat homosexuals as unworthy of the same rights and entitlements as other citizens. African states must protect the rights of their citizens to freedom and dignity. Homosexuals must not be denied these rights.

Undersigned:

1. Wale Adebanwi, PhD, University of California, US

2. Diran Adebayo, Writer, UK

3. Jide Adebayo-Begun, Writer, Nigeria

4. Kayode Adeduntan, PhD, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

5. Biola Adegboyega, University of Calgary, Canada

6. Shola Adenekan, Editor, The New Black Magazine, UK

7. Pius Adesanmi, PhD, Carleton University, Canada

8. Akin Adesokan, PhD, Indiana University, US

9. Chimamanda Adichie, Writer, Nigeria

10. Faith Adiele, Writer, US

11. Joe Agbro, Journalist, Nigeria

12. Anthony Akinola, PhD, Oxford, UK

13. Anengiyefa Alagoa, Writer, UK

14. Ellah Allfrey, Deputy Editor, Granta Magazine, UK

15. Alnoor Amlani, Writer, Kenya

16. Ike Anya, Public health doctor and writer, UK

17. Bode Asiyanbi, Writer, Lancaster University, UK

18. Sefi Atta, Writer, US

19. Lizzy Attree, PhD, University of East London, UK

20. Damola Awoyokun, Writer, UK

21. Doreen Baingana, Writer, Uganda

22. Igoni Barrett, Writer, Nigeria

23. Tom Burke, Bard College, US

24. Brian Chikwava, Writer, UK

25. Jude Dibia, Writer, Nigeria

26. Chris Dunton, PhD, National University of Lesotho, Lesotho

27. Ropo Ewenla, Artist, Nigeria

28. Chielozona Eze, PhD, Northeastern Illinois University, US

29. Aminatta Forna, Writer, UK

30. Ivor Hartmann, Writer, South Africa

31. Chris Ihidero, Writer, Lagos State University, Nigeria

32. Ikhide R. Ikheloa, Writer, US

33. Sean Jacobs, PhD, New School, US

34. Biodun Jeyifo, PhD, Harvard University, US

35. Brian Jones, Professor Emeritus, Zimbabwe

36. Martin Kiman, Writer, US

37. Lauri Kubuitsile, Writer, Botswana

38. Zakes Mda, PhD, Ohio University, US

39. Colin Meier, Writer, South Africa

40. Gayatri Menon, PhD, Franklin and Marshall College, US

41. Valentina A. Mmaka, Writer, Italy/South Africa

42. Jane Morris, Publisher, Zimbabwe

43. Joseph Sndanni Mwella, Advocate of High Court, Kenya

44. Mbonisi P. Ncube, Writer, South Africa

45. Iheoma Nwachukwu, Writer, Nigeria

46. Onyeka Nwelue, Writer and filmmaker, India/Nigeria

47. Fred Nwonwu, Writer and Journalist, Nigeria

48. Nnedi Okorafor, PhD, Writer, Chicago State University, US

49. Ebenezer Obadare, PhD, University of Kansas, US

50. Juliane Okot Bitek, Writer, Canada

51. Tejumola Olaniyan, PhD, University of Wisconsin, US

52. Ngozichi Omekara, Trinidad and Tobago

53. Akin Omotosho, Actor and filmmaker, South Africa

54. Kole Omotosho, PhD, Africa Diaspora Research Group, South Africa

55. Samuel Sabo, Writer, UK

56. Ramzi Salti, PhD, Stanford University, US

57. Namwali Serpell, PhD, Writer, Harvard University, US

58. Brett L. Shadle, PhD, Virginia Tech, US

59. Drew Shaw, PhD, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe

60. Lola Shoneyin, Writer, Nigeria

61. Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate for Literature

62. Olufemi Taiwo, PhD, Seattle University, US

63. Kola Tubosun, Writer, Fulbright Scholar, US

64. Uzor Maxim Uzoatu, Writer, Nigeria

65. Abdourahman A.Wab7eri, Writer, US /Djibouti

66. Binyavanga Wainaina, Writer, Kenya

67. Ronald Elly Wanda, Writer & Lecturer, Marcus Garvey Pan-Afrikan Institute, Uganda

68. Kristy Warren, PhD, University of Warwick, UK

69. Cornel West, PhD, Princeton University, US

Note: Since time of posting some additional signatories have been included. The author of this blog is at number 13 on the list of signatories.

Hiatus

Hello everyone, there has definitely been a break or interruption in the continuity of this blog. Please bear with me. I will be back soon. 

Cheers.

Anengiyefa

One per cent of Ghanaians are gay or lesbian..

More than 200,000 people or one percent of Ghana's adult population regard themselves as gay or lesbian according to a study. The data has been collected by the Ghana Household Survey (GHS).

100,000 individual respondents to the survey provided the biggest pool of Ghana social data after the national census, the statistics service said.

95 per cent of adults identify themselves as heterosexual/straight, while just one percent of adults see themselves as gay or lesbian. Another 0.5 per cent of adults said they are bisexual and a similar proportion described their sexuality as 'other'. Just under 3 per cent of adults responded "don't know" or refused to answer the question. Fewer than one per cent of respondents provided no response.

The highest proportion of adults who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual were in Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi with the lowest found in Tamale.

Taken from here.

For more on homosexuality in Ghana click here.

Beasts of no nation

Saying farewell to youth

I had cause recently to read up on 'night sweats'. I did this on the Internet, as you do, when you need to find out more about something that's been on your mind. Okay, I guess I have to admit at this point that I have in fact been suffering from night sweats, a condition that has meant that in recent times my night's sleep has been disrupted far too frequently. So I searched for more information on the web and narrowed my search down to "night sweats in men". All the sources I read, after having excluded various other medical conditions that may be indicated by night sweats, were pointing towards one thing: Andropause, or the Male Menopause, also sometimes described as Androgen Deficiency of the Ageing Male (ADAM). (The word Decline is sometimes substituted for Deficiency).

I would not be entirely honest if I said that I'd heard of the term andropause before now. And even from the literature that I've come across, it is clear that there is considerable controversy among the experts as to whether andropause, or the male menopause, is a valid concept at all. However, it seems undisputed that there are distinct biological changes that take place in men during mid-life, which are comparable in some ways to the female menopause, even though it is also undisputed that unlike women, men can continue to reproduce well into old age.

Menopause is a "complete cessation of reproductive ability caused by the shutting down of the female reproductive system.." Andropause on the other hand is "a decline in the male hormone testosterone. This drop in testosterone is considered to lead in some cases to loss of energy and concentration, depression and mood swings. And while andropause does not cause a man's reproductive system to stop working altogether, many suffer bouts of impotence.." (cough!)

I won't bother you too much with all the technical details, which I'm sure all of us are perfectly capable of scouring the Internet for. I do wish however, to go a bit further by saying that apart from the night sweats, several of the other supposed symptoms of andropause that I discovered during my search, do in fact apply to me as well. So what are those symptoms and what is my response to each of them?

• Hot flashes ................. Not sure
• Excessive perspiration .... Most definitely
• Loss of libido ............... Maybe
• Impotence .................. No comment
• Anxiety ..................... Sometimes
• Depression ................. I think so
• Impaired memory ......... Can't remember
• Lack of concentration .... Maybe
• Fatigue ..................... Sometimes
• Insomnia .................... Yes definitely, but mostly because of the night sweats

So you see I do have cause to be concerned that andropause, the male menopause, is now a reality for me. I have seen suggestions for "treatment", such as hormone replacement therapy. But this holds no appeal for me, since I would rather that I allowed myself to age gracefully. Two days ago I sat in the barber's chair, watching as clumps of my cropped hair fell from my head into my lap. I was keen to take a closer look to see how many grey hairs I could find. Well, there weren't many, but there were definitely more greys than the last time I sat in that same chair.

And talking about this now is not out of place, because only this evening I was informed of my impending appointment as an Elder in the church. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was attending the Young Men's Group meetings. Well, I suppose the time comes when each of us must confront the reality of ageing. But have no doubt, I intend to wear all of my grey hair with pride..

Postscript

And recently I have noticed that people have been referring to me as "Sir" when they talk to me; strangers, some even of my mother's age.. Hmm, I know about the traditional English politeness, but this is nothing to do with that.. I'm not sure if I'll get used to being called Sir, or even whether I like being so called..