I am sitting in a medium sized lecture hall with a rainbow flag draped over the chalkboard in the front. We entered between two African men in traditional dress beating drums. The back rows were full, several bishops, many more people I recognize as Integrity and CA workers including that defrocked Ugandan bishop, and a few press scattered here and there. Steve Waring came in behind me. Seeing that we were without a seat, the nice man in the front gestured for us to have a seat in the first row, directly in front of Davis MacaIllaya who sits, first in a row of seats, facing the half full lecture hall.
A tall African man with a British accent has now taken the floor. He welcomes us and gives his name
I am Dean Rowan Smith, Dean of St. George’s Cathedral, Cape Town South Africa.
I am a gay man, I’ve come out openly to my family and my church. In 1994 during the discussion of homosexuality in South Africa, I said “we” must stand up for “our” rights. A reporter heard me and quoted me and I read and asked publicly what that meant. I woke up the next morning and saw the report and said “oh no”.
Laughter
Having heard the introduction from the drummers, I will ask Queen to stand and lead us in prayer.
Queen prays
Dean Smith: In 1978, 1988, 1998, the discussion of homosexuality in the communion took place in various levels. In 1998 the tone changed from one that spoke of interaction and relationship with gay and lesbian people and the tone became harsh. At the same time, well in 1988, there was denial that aides existed in Africa on the part of African church leaders. In a few years time, they accepted the fact that it existed in Africa and in the African church
.
The same was true about the actual existence of homosexuality. It was denied that it was there. I am African but I have a European accent so it was denied that I was truly African.
I have a green card that identifies me during Apartheid (I think he said, “as a gay man” but I could not understand that part of what he was saying)
Dean Smith introduces the speakers. There are five of them in addition to Davis MacIllaya. We are told that they will each “tell their stories”.
Ijoma: I am studying to be a priest. I am from the diocese of London. As I feel that I can only minister to those who have AIDS if I live in their context. I come from a conservative background but I decided that I needed to listen to their experiences about what it is like to be African and to be LGBT. Fiver or six years ago I would not be standing here. I wanted God to speak to me. He did and he led me to be hear supporting these people. I am here to listen again and to lend my support.
She gives a rather long reading from Frances Young “Brokenness and blessing”
The first person who will be speaking this afternoon does not exits if you were to read the Province of Nigeria website
Davis MacIllaya will tell you about himself and why he is so passionate about this cause for human rights.
Davis: I am the director for now of Changing Attitudes Nigeria. It is important to tell you that this is a branch of an English organization. Today I am not only sharing a little of my story but I am also going to tell you some part of the story of what does exist in Africa and what is taking place in Africa. It is important to thank the UK government for granting me asylum and creating a safe place for me to continue my work for LGBT Anglicans in Africa, not just Nigeria.,
My story started in 2005 when I became aware that there was a listening process and that Nigeria was not taking part in it. Even though I was Baptized, Confirmed and grew up in the church was a licensed lay reader, I had no idea what was going on in the Communion. When I discovered the listening process from a conversation with Colin Coward in 2005, I discovered that my leaders were telling the world something that is not true.
My Archbishop and the spiritual fathers of the province have said that Homosexuality is unknown to Africa, that it is alien.
There real thing that is alien and unknown to Africa is Christianity. If you ask me how this is true, I will tell you that God has been existing in Africa before western missionaries came to us with the bible. My people worship God through Akasso(sp.?) and the true Akasso communicated with God before Christianity came with the bible.
But that is not all that was here. Homosexuality existed before the westerners came with the bible. It as the missionaries with the bible who told the people that they could not do what they were already doing.
Before the missionaries, we did not know the bible. The stranger in Africa is not the homosexual it is the bible. Before that, there was homosexuality.
In my context we had names to identify homosexual relationships. It is called “supe”(sp.) . When you go to the west of Nigeria, we have men who serve as wives to other men. In such a relationships the people are called “Bowo” (sp?). When you go to the Muslim north you have more gay Muslims than there are gay Christians
Laughter
In the north there is a common language Auosa(sp?). When you say “———“(missed the word) you are referring to same sex relationships. These are the words used in local Nigerian languages.
The ship that brought Christianity to Africa did not bring these words. We knew homosexuality before the westerners came. They need to tell the truth that it is actually Christianity that is the stranger to Africa.
I was surprised that there are actually so many gay Christians in Africa. With Colin’s help I began to organize Changing Attitudes Nigeria. The church, when they discovered this at our first successful meeting on the 28th of December, the church called me a liar. The church said that I am evil, not gay, that I am not an Anglican and all of this to rubbish my image.
My problem started on the 28th of December 2005 and still continues to day. The idea is that when you attack the leaders others will be afraid to speak the truth.
I am in danger that is why I am in the UK. There are many out there in Nigeria being suppressed by the actions of the Nigerian church.
Dean Rowan taps the lecture hall desk lightly, which is the “time is up” signal and Davis sits down abruptly. A woman, seated next to him, facing the lecture, hall stands and reads from a text. She does not seem to have a good grasp of English and her remarks must have been typed up for her, but it is still a little difficult to understand what she is saying:
Flavia: I am from the all Africa Women’s Group, We are called a grass roots group we are very glad to be here and have the opportunity to speak against the violence that gays and lesbians face. I would give a brief presentation.
The Women’s Group is a self help group for women seeking asylum in the UK. Our group was formed in 2002. WE have some groups like the “black women’s action group” (?) and others who are based in the same place as we are.
We are a group that is helping asylum seekers. When we are there every women is welcomed.
(….missed a bit, unable to understand what she is saying)
Some of us have been raped because we were put on the streets, We come from different countries.
(Lists a number of African nations and then lists a number of middle-eastern and western nations)
Many of us have been politically active in our countries,
Like most women seeking asylum many of us are survivors of rape but we are not believed or if we are believed the cases are dismissed and we are not given asylum.
In Africa, lesbian women have been disbelieved about their homosexuality and told to be quiet about it. I myself have been detained even though the homosexuality has been accepted in my hometown. Nevertheless, I was detained. When I was detained, I was denied my education and it was stopped abruptly and since I was not educated all of this made me ill and confused.
I had a lawyer who my Aunt paid. They told me they were going to help me but it turned out not to be true. I do not remember what happened to me because I am not educated but it was very bad. Now I am waiting for my claim to be heard.
We want to congratulate Davis for winning his case. Some of have won but some are still waiting
We speak at conferences and carry out interviews with the media. People understand more when they hear directly from us and want to know how they can help. Students have started visiting women in detention and people have helped in a series of ways. Often church groups have stepped in to give us aid. We all have the right to be here. The world belongs to everyone.
Sukari: I am an LGBTI activist from Nigeria. I live in London. The two issues I want to address are:
1. We all have to be careful about racializing homophobia and thinking it just happens in Africa. We need to be careful about that. It happens in the west too.
2. On a positive note to say that I think most know that South Africa has protected LGBT people and Ethiopia is close behind. There are a number of LGBT associations working openly in a variety of nations.
The Nigerian government is in the process of making LGBT people illegal. Any advocacy for LGBT people will also be illegal. There will be evictions and expulsions from schools and people put in jail.
People are already being beaten, abused, raped and murdered with impunity. This even happens in South Africa where there are legal protections. At least 10 lesbians have been murdered there in the last year.
LGBT people live perilous lives moving from house to house. Last year several were outed in the press. If they are able to hide their sexuality they can work, if not they must move from place to place until people find out.
The need for emotional support is great as living with the burden of this kind of secret life is great.
Lesbians especially need help as they suffer from curative rape, public humiliation, beatings, being thrown out of family, out of church, thrown out by landlords, arrested by the police.
Transgender people are undressed publicly and humiliated. This one woman in Nigeria has been repeatedly beaten in public and in police stations over and over again.
There is much evidence of is behavior in Africa before Christianity. There has been a systematic covering up and blinding by leaders of the west. Both the African and western church need to take responsibility for that homophobia
One question that often arises is: What is the female identity?
In traditional African culture female on female touching and sexual experience was considered a normal part of life. We did not have a name for it. It was just done.
It was not until I came to the west that I came to find a name for was I was feeling.
There is a danger of putting homophobia as an African phenomenon. I am not sure whether the western people have been beaten or murdered.
Crowd: They have!
I do know that there are bishops and clergy in the west who are homophobic. It is not an African thing.
Finally I want to say something about organizing. We need to take the lead. We want you to sit down with us and listen to us but do not try to lead us. We know where we need to go and we would like your help and support but not direction.
...more coming
38 Comments •
Matt, can you ask if this story is true?
If yes, can we really rely on anything presented by Davis MacaIllaya? Have any of the death threat emails from Nigerians with Canadian yahoo email addresses been investigated to confirm if those emails were really from angry Nigerians, from Church of Nigeria officials, or from gay rights groups intent on playing up a story?
Also, why was this blog message released now a day before the listening process tomorrow? Is it to get a story in the news, as so few people are now paying any attention to the overhyped gay rights news? Or because something is about to come out to really discredit the whole story? Something odd about the timing of this, unless it is designed to ensure that all the eggs are not placed in the Davis basket tomorrow, as that one may get dropped based on Davis’ history as private warnings have been ignored?