The recent Demi Project in the
UK
defined human sustainability as…..”A way of
configuring civilization and human activity so
that society and its members are able to meet
their needs and express their greatest potential
in the present, while preserving biodiversity
and natural ecosystems, and planning and acting
for the ability to maintain these ideals
indefinitely…”
The recent documentary by
Sorious Samura on what he termed “Africa’s
Last Taboo” as posted on the popular website
Youtube.com as streaming video
displays some African countries in the light of
having to solve their most recent plight of
homophobic and sentimental reactions towards gay
people. This documentary has case studies
ranging from gay couples in
Malawi who have been dished 14 years with
hard labor as a sentence for clandestine and
gross sexual misconduct. On the other hand,
Sorious interviews one of Uganda’s popular
Christian Bishops who actively protests and is
in favor of the law against homosexual acts. The
entire 49 minutes of this video documentary
looks like Africa has once again bargained and
bought for itself a new name in the globe, “homophobic
continent”. However, before further
discussions on this issue, let us return to the
drawing board.
For centuries after the
abolishment of slavery and its trade,
Africa has consistently poured blames on the
western world for the its wrongs and the long
term effects of colonization on development in
the continent is unquantifiable; neither can the
radical disruption of most indigenous African
religions and cultures caused by Christianity
and other forms of colonial rule be quantified.
Even to this day, most historic artifacts of
African origin are housed and showcased in
European countries rather than their ancestral
locations in Africa. Going by the above
definition of sustainability, the society
and its members should be allowed to meet their
needs and express their greatest potential in
whatever form they deem necessary but not to the
detriment of future generations or even to
themselves or their economy. It is partially
based on this egalitarian belief of equality in
rights, freedom of choice and expression that
formed the basis for most European countries to
pass the Gay rights bill. Originally English Law
identified anal intercourse and bestiality as
offenses punishable by hanging as a result of
the Buggery Act of 1533. Major reforms have
since transformed this once criminal offence to
one where same sex couples can enter into
civil partnerships and also have rights
to adopt by 2002 that is after 469 years of
evolution. Two consenting Adults are free from
the age of 16 regardless of their sexual
orientation to engage in any form of sexual
activity they wish to according to the UK Sexual
Offenses Amendment Act of 2002. Today lawmakers
in Uganda,
Kenya
After spending 49 minutes
watching Sorious Samura’s documentary on Uganda,
Kenya and Malawi about homophobic Africa, I
decided to raise some significant arguments
which are:
üü
If every two consenting
adults regardless of their sexual orientation
are allowed to involve in any type of sexual
activity they wish, how can
human beings sustain themselves in terms
of regeneration?
ü
When this activity of two
consenting adults achieve its equilibrium and
all of Africa’s youth become gays and Lesbians
where do we see the kids to adopt?
ü
Or do we turn our women to
machines for producing kids for same sex
partners to adopt? Thereby relegating
heterosexual partnerships to child production
partnerships.
Most UN
economic surveys always come out with
reports that say most Africans Live below the
poverty line and earn less than a dollar
in a day. Economic surveys are even more
stressful routes to proving this fact, as most
African’s lack basic infrastructures needed to
live a comfortable life.
ü
How then can same sex
couples afford to pay
surrogate mothers to have babies for them
as practiced in richer and developed nations?
The question is not that
Africa is borrowing a new lifestyle from the
West as insinuated by the Christian Bishop in
Sorious’s documentary, it is needless to accuse
the west for this development as human sexual
patterns are supposed to be inherent and
controlled by them, but the question should be:
Is Africa learning a new lifestyle it can
sustain? Why buy a Lamborghini when you do not
have a single tarred road to drive it on. Soon
we could be paying with foreign exchange to have
surrogate mothers in the West bear children for
same sex marriages in Africa. Is this a way of
selling the surrogate technology and business to
Africa?
The aim of this article is
not to take sides but to objectively and
creatively give an informed insight and analysis
of this new situation at hand. However, a
sentence of 14 years with hard labor might not
have been the best solution for the case in
Malawi involving two gay men as this punishment
might not create any positive changes rather
could deter the minds of these men. However, at
the same time who are we to judge the ethically
based Malawian Court decision in this scenario.
It is pertinent to note
that most developed western countries have
consistently been successful with most
frameworks they build for their social and
health systems, for instance the NHS in the UK,
the Integrated Solid Waste Management in
Germany, needless to count as they are numerous
of them. This is why we call these countries
developed and others under-developed. The
underlying mental model is that these nations
consistently research and adopt practices which
are adaptive to suits them the most at any point
in time in their history. Therefore when they
passed their pro-gay laws, African Leaders were
not there nor were they allowed to send in word
to show any forms of displeasure. But these
nations in the West were let to be with their
laws and norms. Why can’t Kenya and other
countries that pass similar laws because they
see it in their best interest be left alone to
enjoy or suffer the ills of their decisions. The
Game theory as proposed by the famous economic
theorist
John Nash says …..If everybody was to do
what’s best for them, at some point there will
be equilibrium… Why not kindly let Africa do
what it thinks is best for her at least for once
and Let the whole world see how she could fare.
Mathematician and Technology Consultant
based in the UK.
ikonyeama@yahoo.co.uk
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