The breakaway Anglican Church, Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) has banned eight Anglican Church activists including Nigerian gay activist, Davis MacIyalla of Changing Attitude Nigeria. Gafcon which includes a large number of preachers of intolerance and un Jesus like individuals such as Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda and Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya. Gafcon was formed by these and some 1000 other Bishops from across the Anglican Church to oppose the ordainment of gay clergy, blessings of same sex marriages and are vehemently anti-homosexulality.

Archbishop Akinola’s speech at the Gafcon highlights the intransigence and dogmatic attitude of this group of Bishops. Also note the grouping together of homosexuals along with child abusers and rapists.

Looking back, one must confess that some of the resolutions couldn’t have been more prophetic. Take for instance the Encounter’s resolution about ‘Scripture, the Family and Human Sexuality’:

Reflection on our Encounter theme has helped further to deepen our resolve to uphold the authority of Scripture in every aspect of life, including the family and human sexuality.
Therefore:

6.1 We call on the Anglican Communion as a Church claiming to be rooted in the Apostolic and Reformed Tradition to remain true to Scripture as the final authority in all matters of faith and conduct;

6.2 We affirm that Scripture upholds marriage as a sacred relationship between a man and a woman, instituted in the creation ordinance;

6.3 We reaffirm that the only sexual expression, as taught by Scripture, which honours God and upholds human dignity is that between a man and a woman within the sacred ordinance of marriage;

6.4 We further believe that Scripture maintains that any other form of sexual expression is at once sinful, selfish, dishonouring to God and an abuse of human dignity;

6.5 We are aware of the scourge of sexual promiscuity, including homosexuality, rape and child abuse in our time. These are pastoral problems, and we call on the Churches to seek to find a pastoral and scriptural way to bring healing and restoration to those who are affected by any of these harrowing tragedies.

The church is a powerful institution and the words of the Bishops repeated from their pulpits on Sunday mornings encourages and condones the anti-LGBT violence in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda. The Two weeks three gay men were violently attacked and arrested in Lagos..

The attack happened in an area called Alabarago, a commercial and suburban part of Lagos, just over two weeks ago. Three men, all in their in their twenties, went out late in the evening to buy drinking water. Area boys (the name for thugs in Nigeria) attacked them and started beating them. The area boys then took them to the Baale (chairman of the local street community). He handed the men over to the police, telling the police the three were homosexuals and that they behave like women. The three have lived in the area for some time and are well-known locally. They were not involved in any form of sexual activity.

The police then arrested them for being homosexual. At the police station they were put in a cell and held in custody for almost two weeks. They were not taken to court but each of them was eventually made to pay bail of N10,000 (approximately £50).

One of the BANNED, Susan Russell, asks the question “Who would Jesus ban?” - good point!

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Gafcon
Anglican Church
LGBT

Africa’s Anglican bishops are presently meeting in Lagos to “discuss what they regard as the major challenges facing the church including AIDS, war and poverty”. However so far the main focus has been homosexuality and the ordination of a gay bishop in the US. According to various reports this issue may split the Anglican church forever. The meeting is being held in Nigeria but I don’t see the bishops or President Obasanjo, who has joined melee, in uproar over sentence to death by stoning of two women under Sharia law. Nor do I see them in uproar over the fact that 40,000 women in the past 6 years (many of the them no doubt Christians) have been repeatedly raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo and more recently the women in Darfur. Yet there is this fierce rage towards gays and lesbians, endless pronouncements about how “un African” homosexuality is, against our culture and tradition etc etc etc. These religions of dogma and control, preaching fire and damnation against all who do not submit to rules made by men but claiming to be divine.

In Prison The Whole Of My Life is a documentary covering the arrest, trial, imprisonment and fight for a retrial for Mumia Abu Jamal. Mumia’s is presently undergoing a complex appeal process which focuses on three major trial violations - the racism of the judge who was heard by the stenographer at trial to make a racist comment about Mumia; the racial bias of the jury members; the prosecutor’s direction to the jury which “attempted to reduce jurors’ sense of responsibility by telling them that a guilty verdict would be subsequently vetted and subject to appeal”. Mumia remains on death row and the new trial will is to decide on whether Mumia should continue to face the death penalty or face life imprisonment with no parole. The campaign for a complete new trial on guilt or innocence remains.

Trailer Film in prison my whole life

The film links Mumia Abu Jamal with the many incidents of human rights violations and militarism in the United States such as the Iraqi war, Guantanamo Camp X-Ray, Abu Ghraib , Katrina. It also brings together the racialisation of the US justice system and the “prison industrial complex, the racialised death penalty and overall assault on dissent by the state and the federal government. One begins to see that US foreign policy of aggression actually starts at home.

One particularly obscene example is the bombing of the MOVE community on May 13th 1985. The film includes the actual footage showing the plane flying over the houses and dropping a bomb. Five children and six adults were killed, many injured and their homes destroyed…….more here and here.

More images here including the actual bombing.

How to choose a jury US style:

I also believe the incarceration of Mumia Abu Jamal, the severe irregularities surrounding his trial, the racism and what I see as the US government’s systematic and continuous attack on the progressive and radical Black community are not disconnected from US foreign policy in Africa. For example the support of the continued occupation of the Niger Delta by the Nigerian military to protect US oil interests, the establishment of AFRICOM whether based in Africa or in Europe (deployment is instant either way). I also believe this is a Pan African issue in the sense that Africans and African descendants in the Americas and Caribbean (including and especailly Haiti) are in the words of Angela Davis

“…..have a special responsibility [to each other] not by virtue of their biological connection or racial link, but by virtue of a political identification that is forged in struggle. We should be attentive to Africa not simply because this continent is populated by black people, not only because we trace our origins to Africa, but primarily because Africa has been a major target of colonialism and imperialism. ….” “Abolition of Democracy”

The phrase “No Visible Movement” is taken from the film in a discussion between Angela Davis and the film’s narrator, William Francome, on the differences between the campaign to free Angela Davis and the Mumia campaign. In the case of Angela Davis there was a far more cohesive and much stronger radical and visible movement in the 1970s than we see today.

Links: In Prison video trailer.

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Mumia Abu Jamal
In Prison The Whole Of My Life
USA

PRESS STATEMENT: SA LESBIAN AND GAY COMMUNITY CONCERNED ABOUT DEMOCRACY CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE

The South African Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP), formerly known as the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE), is concerned about the deepening political, economic and social crises in Zimbabwe. We express our full solidarity with the lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, women, workers and all the people of Zimbabwe. We add our voice in condemning the unjustified delay in the release of the 29 March elections. As Zimbabwean Independence Day approaches on 18 April 2008, Zimbabweans have nothing to celebrate in honour of their heroic liberation struggle and historic achievement of freedom and democracy.

The actions of the government of Zimbabwe, the police, the army, the judiciary and the Zimbabwean Elections Commission are against universally accepted democratic principles and practice. The Zimbabwean government is responsible for the social and economic crises facing that country. The crises are rooted in actual social stratification processes and ZANU-PF policy choices that support them. These originate from the early 1990s adoption of neo-liberal Structural Adjustment Programmes by Mugabe’s government. They have been reinforced by the failure of that government to transform that country’s economy into one at the hands and service of the needs of the overwhelming majority of the people. It is under such conditions that principles of democracy, equality and non-discrimination get sacrificed and political leaders look for easy scapegoats to hide their failures. No wonder then that Mugabe’s first targets were lesbian and gay people in Zimbabwe.

The homophobia promoted by ZANU-PF is not divorced from the oppression of women, the exploitation of workers and the gross violation of human rights that the same government has been responsible for. Beyond majority numbers, democracy is also about progressive values of equality, freedom, human rights and non-discrimination.
[Read more…]

The “food riots” in Haiti are easy fodder for the media especially when no explanation is seen to be necessary. Try and find a single report with any historical background to the food crisis other than relating it to the overall food crisis across the global south and the rise in the West’s demand for bio-fuel. Once again the majority world feeds the minority world’s over consumption. A case of feeding the cars whilst starving the people.

Some facts about Haitian government’s spending (the Haitian government is not really a government - it’s a kind of proxy group of puppets working under the direction of the US).

Haiti’s government sends almost $1 million per week in loan payments to the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), much of which is payments on loans given to past dictators. That money could be better spent feeding Haitian citizens and stimulating Haiti’s economy.

But money (that Haiti doesn’t have) is not just being used for loan repayments . Not only has Britain been uncritical of MINUSTAH***’s many atrocities in Haiti they have been selling arms to Haiti. The most recent UK foreign office report dated 12th December, 2007 is revealing. Not just arms to Haiti but to their neighbour The Dominican Republic and to Columbia and Ecuador plus a host of other countries. So why does Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, need the following weapons including air-to-air missiles and components for submarines?

aircraft radars, air-to-air missiles launching equipment, air-to-surface missiles launching equipment, air-to-surface rockets launching equipment, bomb handling equipment, components for airborne electronic warfare equipment, components for aircraft carriers, components for aircraft radars, components for air-to-air missiles launching equipment, components for air-to-surface missiles, components for anti-ship missile launching equipment, components for anti-ship missiles, components for anti-ship missiles, components for antisubmarine rockets launching equipment, components for combat aircraft, components for combat helicopters, components for command communications control and intelligence equipment, components for corvettes, components for depth charges, components for electronic warfare equipment, components for fire control equipment, components for frigates

[Read more…]

Sokwanele

These photographs were taken the day before yesterday. The two men are MDC MT supporters based on Mashonaland East. They, and others, were viciously assaulted by Zanu PF militia on Tuesday night. Three houses were burned down in the same area in ongoing attacks. This must be stopped!

The Zimbabwean people have spoken in the elections. We said NO to violence and NO to lawlessness. This is a new Zimbabwe: we must not tolerate this abuse of our right to a peaceful democratic country, and this abuse of our people. We must stand together against tyranny. Take Action!

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has called an emergency meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to discuss the Zimbabwean presidential poll delay. This is the first move by Zimbabwe’s regional neighbours to intervene since the elections on 29th March 2008. President Mwanawasa is the current Chairman of the 14-nation South African Development Community. This is what he said yesterday:

I wish to take this opportunity to commend the people of Zimbabwe for the calm and peaceful manner in which the elections were conducted.

Similarly, I appeal to them to maintain the same spirit of calmness which they exhibited during the elections as they await the results of the presidential elections.

However, given developments immediately following the elections, I have decided, as Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to call an extraordinary summit on Saturday 12th April, 2008 to discuss ways and means of assisting the people of Zimbabwe with the current impasse as well as adopt a co-ordinated approach to the situation in that country.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AND HOW YOU CAN DO IT

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Zimbzbwe
Elections