Comments on: Scammers targeting gay men in Ghana & Kenya

By: Sokari

Sokari — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:12:43 +0000

Anengiyefa @ Your comment was in my spam box and accidently got deleted so am publishing it here as was unable to recover it.

“thingsifeelstronglyabout.blogspot.com
Hi Gay Singles, I agree, Sokari’s blog is very interesting. However, I note that on your site, there is no provision for gay sigles in sub-Saharan Africa. Is there any reason why?”

By: Gay Singles

Gay Singles — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:29:04 +0000

Hi there, I found your blog via Twitter you have some very interesting posts.

By: Sokari

Sokari — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:24:23 +0000

Anengiyefa @ I agree with you that people need to come out but its a big risk in terms of their jobs, their homes, their families and so on so not an easy choice to come out when illegal. Class too has much to do with illegality impacts on you. For those who are well off it is much easier as you have the privacy of your own home etc and it is much easier to lead the life you want to than if you are poor and live in over crowded conditions etc.
However I dont agree that the struggle in African hasn’t started. it has been going on for at least the past 5 years in various countries – Uganda, ~Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal – and of course South Africa. Activists are working in a number of ways with the often very limited resources at their disposal. But it is going to be a long process. There have been successes in all of the countries I mention so there is no need to be wholly pessimistic – In India the law has changed by going through the courts and the constitution but changing the mindset of society is a much much harder task as South Africans are experiencing right now.

I also think by writing about LGBTI issues is part of the struggle and I note that in the past year there are more and more LGBTI blogs being written by Africans – so we can all contribute to bringing about change in one way or the other.

Thanks for your comment as always.

By: anengiyefa

anengiyefa — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:41:39 +0000

But Sokari, it is not as if all those African gay people who have bitten the bullet by coming out are all now languishing in jail. There will be some unpleasantness definitely, but even in Europe and America and other such places, it was not an easy struggle for gay people to achieve recognition, some sort of equality and the freedom from discrimination. In countries like Russia and Argentina the struggle continues. Ours in Africa hasn't even started. We cannot agitate for equality when they don't even know who we are. There is no other way to achieve this and we owe it to future generations of gay Africans to start doing something about it now. More and more gay men and women need to come out, so that our society can fully understand what they are dealing with. Indians have already done this and look at the results that we see today in Indian law.. .-= anengiyefa´s last blog ..Would you take the ex back? =-.

By: Sokari

Sokari — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:40:19 +0000

@Anengiyefa – Its hard to make a choice to be visible when you are an illegal person!

By: anengiyefa

anengiyefa — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:40:48 +0000

Well, in my view gay people too contribute to the success this menace, since most gay African men insist on keeping hidden that vital part of their nature. This situation only provides potential scammers or blackmailers with fertile ground on which to carry out their contemptible acts. If there was nothing to hide, there would be nothing with which blackmailers would threaten gay men. The sodomy laws are a only a means by which the lack of understanding of homosexuality by the generality of the African population is legitimised. The laws by themselves are not the reason why Afican gay men continue to cower in their hiding places, since hardly anyone, including the known gay people, are ever prosecuted under those laws. Greater visibility of gay people can only enhance our society's understanding of homosexuality, thereby creating the awareness that these sodomy laws have no place in a modern progressive society, and eroding the potential for scams against gay men. .-= anengiyefa´s last blog ..The Ijaw Dictionary Project =-.

By: Andy Shilongo

Andy Shilongo — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:55:26 +0000

Corrupt police plays a crucial role in these scams. They are either actively involved in the scamming or the threat of police involevement is used as instrument to provide leverage in extortion. Decriminalisation of Homosexuality is the only option to curbe the increase of corruption and human rights abuses by the judiciary. It gives Ghana a bad reputation. If Ghana wants to keep on boasting on its leading role in Democratisation in Africa, it has to extend the protection of the law to this last discriminated minority in the country. http://www.gayghana.org is an online platform of the GLBT community in Ghana and is involved among other things in advocacy and political lobby to promote gay rights in Ghana.
.-= Andy Shilongo´s last blog ..Gay visitors to Ghana =-.

By: Tamaku

Tamaku — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:18:26 +0000

These scammers exist mainly because unjust sodomy laws continue to plague law-abiding citizens. .-= Tamaku´s last blog ..Confessions of a gay Kenyan student =-.