Culture

UK, US mount subtle pressure on Ghana over homosexuals, lesbians, others

Indications that the United Kingdom and the United States are keen on pushing LGBTQ rights, considered a cultural aberration in Ghana, have emerged.

Published

6 years ago

June 18, 2018

Africa News Watch

Indications that the United Kingdom and the United States are keen on pushing LGBTQ rights, considered a cultural aberration in Ghana, have emerged.

The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Ghana, Iain Walker has said his government owes itself and the world a right of duty to ensure that laws that set out to ‘intentionally or unintentionally’ discriminate against homosexuality are changed or new favourable ones created.

The High Commissioner passed this comments on GhanaWeb’s 21 Minutes with KKB over the weekend as monitored by MyNewsGH.com.

Mr Walker’s comments were in reaction to a question about what might have prompted Theresa May, UK Prime Minister to offer to help Ghana change its laws to be more favourable and accommodating to homosexuals when President Akufo Addo participated in a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting hosted in London by the United Kingdom.

The UK High Commisioner said Theresa May’s comments were “within the context of LGBT rights”, adding that “it (homosexuals rights) is something that we the UK feel very strongly about”.

The UK High Commisioner becomes the second top diplomat of a powerful Western Nation to add his voice to the call for de-criminalization of homosexuality in Ghana.

The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson had earlier said he thinks Ghanaians are “myopic” on the subject of homosexuality.

He said Ghanaians’ attitude towards the subject reflects a “lack of understanding of the sciences”.

In the interview with Ghanaweb’s Kyenkyenhene Boateng, the US Ambassador had categorically replied to a question as to whether he holds the view that it is myopic to oppose the basic human rights of gays just because of their sexuality. The Ambassador had replied: “I do think it’s myopic. I think it reflects a lack of understanding of the science.”

In apparent response to public outcry, however, the UK High Commissioner, Iain Walker, has cleared the air on the raging volatile issue on homosexuality and the role his home country is playing as far as the topic is concerned.

He stressed that contrary to what many believed to be the stance, UK would never dictate terms to Ghana as far as laws on the community of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer rights were concerned.

“Ghana’s a very tolerant country. I well understand the fact that many LGBT people live in societies and are not persecuted. They are accepted and there’s the tolerance of it… I think we say that we in the UK helped create laws that were unintentionally or at the time intentional but now unintentionally discriminatory. We feel the responsibility that if countries wish to change those laws we’d like to find a way of helping and that’s what Theresa May was saying when she spoke to all members of the commonwealth,” he stated.

Related Topics:Ghana homosexuals lesbians Robert P. Jackson UK US

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Culture

South African DJ Black Coffee bags World’s Best DJ 2024

Published

23 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

South African disc jockey, DJ Black Coffee, has been named the World’s Best DJ 2024 at the Golden Moon Awards.

Reporting on the award, prominent South African tabloid, IOL, wrote:

“All hail Black Coffee from South Africa, winner of the Golden Moon award for the World’s Best DJ 2024! Black Coffee has taken the global stage by storm, blending his unique Afro-house sound with deep, soulful grooves that resonate with audiences worldwide.

“A pioneer, a visionary, and a cultural ambassador, Black Coffee continues to inspire millions, pushing boundaries and connecting the world through his music. A truly deserving icon of this prestigious honour!”

DJ Black Coffee whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, was not the only local South African entertainer who was recognised at the awards as rising star, Palesa Desiree Shilabje, popularly known as DESIREE, was also named the World’s Breakthrough Artist 2024.

On DESIREE, the tabloid said:

“DESIREE’s rise to prominence comes from her ability to craft electrifying DJ sets that seamlessly blend genres—African-inspired house, deep house, techno, and soulful rhythms.

“Her passion for diverse sounds has landed her on some of the world’s most respected stages, like DC-10, fabric, and Hï Ibiza, bringing her deep African influences to a global audience.

“Beyond her music, DESIREE proudly represents the intersex community, using her platform to inspire and educate about her experience. A truly groundbreaking artist, DESIREE is already leaving an unforgettable legacy.”

The Golden Moon Awards are held every year to select the best 100 clubs in the world and to award prizes in different categories to the major players in nightlife, individuals, clubs and associations.

Culture

DRC authorities arrest six over break-in at Lumumba’s Mausoleum

Published

3 days ago

November 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say six people have been arrested over a break-in and vandalism at the mausoleum of the country’s assassinated independence leader, Patrice Lumumba, in Kinshasa, the country’s capital.

The police had announced the six arrests late Wednesday and said they were still looking for two more suspects.

Interior Minister, Jacquemin Shabani, said in a statement that during the break-in which occurred on Monday, a case containing a single gold-capped tooth, the only part of the former leader that remained after his assassination, was broken by the vandals.

“We assure that the relic is secure and it is protected,” the minister said, without offering more information.

The return of Lumumba’s tooth from former colonizer Belgium in 2022 had been celebrated around Congo, with the tooth taken around the vast country so people could pay their respects.

Lumumba is widely hailed as the nationalist activist who helped end colonial rule in the DRC and went on to become the country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was assassinated within a year in 1961.

His body was dismembered and dissolved with acid in an apparent effort to keep any grave from becoming a pilgrimage site.

For many in Congo, Lumumba is a symbol of the positive developments the country could have achieved after its independence but instead, it became mired in decades of dictatorship that drained its vast mineral riches.

A military coup toppled Lumumba, who was arrested, jailed and later killed. His assassination, blamed on separatists, cleared the way for the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country he later renamed Zaire for decades with support from Western powers until his death in 1997.

His one remaining tooth was kept by the Belgian police commissioner who oversaw the destruction of his body.

The tooth was returned to Congo after the visit of Belgium’s King Philippe, who expressed regrets for his nation’s abuses in Congo when it was a Belgian colony.