Is Homosexuality “Un-African?”
The European’s “civilized” mission in Africa led Africans to become colonial victims, slaves, and culturally loyal to the European products and ideas. Due to this, Africans have lost control over their resources and most of their culture.
The illusion is that Africa’s destiny is to become more “European,” and so the African culture and philosophy are considered “backward.”
In digging up facts, I found that while many Africans say that homosexuality is un-African, African culture is no stranger to homosexual behaviors and acts. For example, in the local Nigerian language (Yoruba), the word for “homosexual” is “adofuro,” a colloquialism for someone who has anal sex. This is not a new word; it is as old as the Yoruba culture itself. During modern-day Uganda, King Mwanga II was openly gay and faced no hate from his subjects until white men brought the Christian church and its condemnation. Though King Mwanga is the most prominent African recorded as being openly gay, he was not alone.
In a book called “Boy-Wives and Female-Husbands”, which spoke on homosexuality and feminism in Africa, researchers found “explicit” ancient artworks that depict men engaging in same-sex sexual activity. There have been other indicators that the transition from boyhood to adulthood within many African ethnic groups involved homosexual activities. So what accounts for the current dismissal of homosexuality on the continent? One factor is the increased popularity of fundamental Christianity, by way of American televangelists, since the 1980s. Against the odds, however, in South Africa same-sex marriage has been legal for seven years now. This is the first country in Africa to legalize same-sex marriage. Which is surprising, since that kind of lifestyle is not supported by many Africans and has resulted in heinous crimes against homosexuals.
South Africa is one of the few African countries that has paved the way on gay rights, with its first traditional gay wedding. Anyone who bet against the same old comments about how homosexuality is “un-African” being wheeled out again surely lost their money with the very first report, however.
Black Africans are the origin and prototype of the human race. Those from other races originated from Africans but then they bred with Neanderthals (who had both human and animal features) and as a result those that are not typical sub-Saharan Africans have been estimated to have 1-4% animal genes. A lot of the abnormal behavior, such as homosexuality, among non-Africans, is an outcome of that genetic mixture. Incest and inbreeding also produces offspring that are without distinct female or male genes and hormones. In the biological confusion, men are attracted to men, while women to woman attraction is also prevalent. In black Africa, it is mainly courtesy of the internet that many Africans came to learn about homosexuality. Male-female attraction and fertility is strongest in sub-saharan Africa. Writers have difficulty bringing up examples of homosexuality in black Africa. In the books written in the 19th Century, when Mwanga lived, the missionaries fought hard to dissuade Africans from having many wives, that is they were ant-heterosexuality. They looked at Africans as too promiscuous and too lustful, just because they had many women. Mwanga too was accused of such “vices” and others that included smoking bhang, drinking, using charms, ancestor worship, etc. But no one, so far, has quoted even one sentence written during his time that convincingly declares that he was a homosexual. Mwanga did have many wives, he also was surrounded by young men who were his supporters and foot soldiers at the time of the Scramble for Africa. If homosexuality “was” prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, what eventually made it statistically insignificant and dreaded? On the other hand, homosexuality has existed in many non-African parts of the world for centuries. Many in South Africa are of Caucasian and mixed race extract. It then would not be surprising that here homosexuality is much more tolerated than in the real black African countries.