Sir, – Katherine Zappone rightly condemns the proposed “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” currently before the Ugandan parliament (Opinion, December 14th) which will give the green light to violent gay bashing and may cause the deaths of LGBT activists. However, post-colonial Africa does not take much notice of protests from “First World” countries about the laws which African countries wish to implement. Many Africans see the First World as a decadent place where family and clan values have little meaning to their traditional way of life and they view homosexuality as a disease or the machinations of the devil.
All post-colonial countries go through phases of ridding themselves of the laws of the former “oppressor”. Indeed, the first years of the Irish Free State saw heated debates on divorce and contraception which set the more progressive Protestant population against the newly “liberated” Catholic state.
Uganda will pass the laws it deems fit for its culture and society and it seems that even the withdrawal of international aid will not deflect the Ugandan parliament from passing these cruel and barbaric anti-gay laws. Indeed, international opposition to these laws may well have the opposite effect on the legislators of Uganda. – Yours, etc,