Uganda In the Foreign Press

It is kind of funny. We Ugandans are quite vain. We value the way Uganda is portrayed in the eyes of the world. Even the government is not immune to that.
I think it comes from the days of Idi Amin, CBE (Conqueror of the British Empire). It is no joke to most Ugandans. We got tired of being the imbeciles of Africa. So, when the government gets good foreign press, most Ugandans, even those who dont support it, give grudging approval. Patriotic. And, a headline story like this in the Daily Monitor (of course, the New Vision is these days producing rubbish only, no news- govt mouthpiece, tamed), When the Monitor has a headline like this, it makes some of them sit back and ask, whatever happened to us?

Foreign press hits Uganda over gays

By Rodney Muhumuza

In a reversal of the favourable publicity that peaked during the 2007 Commonwealth summit in Kampala, Uganda is now taking a beating in the foreign press.

The litany of condemnations, in the US or elsewhere in Africa, translates into a battering that is inspired by the proposed anti-homosexuality law. In some cases, the articles recall the insane days of Idi Amin, whose alleged shenanigans continue to define Uganda among foreigners who have never been here, while many express outrage over the idea behind such a piece of legislation.

 Hey, I am not immune to that. Gay as I am..! I am Ugandan! So, it concerns me, though I am working to see that the story does get out.

No shitting. We deserve it for our stupidity, and if this helps wake us up, so be it.

Know what Ssempa will say? The foreign press is controlled by the gay agenda. All the other Christian leaders who condemned the anti-homosexuality bill, (text here) were labelled collaborators with the Homosexual International. Including Ssentamu of York, Rick Warren and others.

Tacked into the end of the story is the presumed reaction by the government. The Honourable Minister Oryem gives a characteristic answer of disdain.

Mr Henry Oryem, the minister of state for international affairs, yesterday said the government was not bothered by the criticism. “Homosexuality is not a priority for the people or the government of Uganda,” he said.

Indeed? I would have been suprised! With the demonstrations, the government statements not to 'bend over', the promises to show our public disdain and go ahead and kill our homosexuals. And all the other things....!

That retort is curious. If the bill is not so important, let us throw it out, shall we?

That article was talking about this editorial from the New York Times. They had not yet seen this one from the Washington Post.

THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY Bill of 2009 is an ugly and ignorant piece of legislation being considered in Uganda. If it is approved, the gay people of that nation would be subject to life in prison. This retreat from the death sentence originally proposed should neither be celebrated nor considered a concession by the government in response to pressure from the United States and other nations. The proposal is barbaric. That it is even being considered puts Uganda beyond the pale of civilized nations.

The nine-page bill, which says that "homosexual behavior and related practices" are a "threat to the traditional family," is an offense from beginning to end. The framers say it is needed to "protect" the country from those "seeking to impose their values of sexual promiscuity on the people of Uganda." They say the bill is also needed because children and youth "are made vulnerable to sexual abuse and deviation. . . ." Among the corrupting influences are "uncensored technologies" and "increasing attempts by homosexuals to raise children. . . ."

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The legislation talks about the "cherished culture" of Uganda and its "legal, religious, and traditional family values." We respect a nation's right to defend its culture and values. But sentencing men and women to life imprisonment because of their sexual orientation is an atrocity. Gays and lesbians would be punished by their own government for who they are. Contrary to the backward thinking of the Ugandan government, being gay is not a choice. But pushing homophobic laws that foment hate is.

The United States and other nations have urged officials to shelve the bill. So far, their entreaties have fallen on deaf ears……

I can feel the anger, the sheer disbelief behind the words. By contrast, the NYT editorial was mild. It was titled Hate begets hate. This is a rough, ugly indictment. Exactly the kind of language my country mates understand.
Hey, guess what, if this was in Uganda, the WP would be shut down for the next week or so, as the government questioned management about what they have written in their esteemed paper. Thanks, WaPo!

In Uganda, Andrew Mwenda laments the donor blackmail about gays. I would lament it, but, I am a gay Ugandan. The bill will first be withdrawn before I lament the, err, blackmail. To fellow Ugandans, we have to behave like a mature nation, we have responsibilities to OUR citizens. However bad we think they are. We dont have the right to legislate a genocide, simply because we think some people 'evil'. If the world condemns us for being stupid, well, better stomach that and get on with life. Stupidity is NOT helped by denial of the facts, like Nsaba Buturo, Ssempa and Bahati have been doing. Own up, bow your head, ask for forgiveness of your peers. Then we can move on.

Of course, by the time it got to the mainstream media, the blogosphere was almost saturated. But not quite. New revelations everyday. New things turning up. This was the story of 2009. For 2010, it just wont die. Have you watched the video of Scott Lively in Uganda? You will see what a darling man he is. How Christian is his love of homosexuals, and his campaign for this issue. He says he is not gay, like Ssempa, but, he is the world's self confessed foremost expert on gay issues and the gay agenda. I urge you, do watch that first video. Other parts of cyber are also waking up to the story. Here is POZ news. A story worth being aware of.

Here is a bit of analysis examining the Anti-Homosexual bill that I would like to share.

This law wouldn’t be anything new in the world: there are many other countries that still have draconian laws on the books. Most gays arrested in Saudi Arabia escape the death penalty and receive “only” a whipping. Iran has executed more than 100 alleged homosexuals since 1979. India last year finally took British-era laws off the books, opening the door for possible civil unions or marriage.

But Uganda’s proposed law is different in two ways:

It’s new.

It’s Christian.

What a damning indictment. It is new. It is Christian.
And, Christians in Uganda are very, very fervently pushing for it. Yes, they are. Want to read through Ssempa's Letter to Rick Warren? The law is new. It is Christian.

The letters of condemnation and non-support of the bill continue to pour in. Members of Congress from the US, the despicable Richard Cohen, the one who wanted to heal me on the BBC. Correction. He wanted to me to buy into the nivarna of healing for my homosexuality.
The man is a quack. A true quack. What matters to him is self promotion. The making of money. Forget the misery that he leaves at his back. He is a true Ugandan witchdoctor, a self promoting quack who will use each and every opportunity to try and paint himself in a good light! He opposes the bill. And then gives his option of getting the Uganda government to give him a contract for healing of Uganda's homosexuals. Hey, I am not English, nor is it my first language. A quack indeed.

More of Scott Lively's background is examined. And I ask myself, is this the guy who came and set off the 'gay nuclear bomb', the guy who spoke to the parliament of Uganda? A man as vile as this? Check out this guy from Oregon's account of Scott Lively's doing. Few people really like what he did. And, now that a video of the same is out, why, the self confessed world authority is receiving some world adulation.

I will end with this, from Truth Wins Out. Steps to a Genocide. It is blood chilling. I dont invite you to believe it. I just remind you that, just over the border in Rwanda, this thing happened, not so many years ago. This is real living history. Steps to a Genocide. It is sober reading. Of course it is slanted. I dont think there is any writing that is not. But, it is sober reading.

The world said, 'Never Again'? Well, the world needs to listen.

Have a good day.

gug