Africa Update | Ghana’s Religious Groups Intensify Anti-LGBTQ Campaign

In our April round-up of LGBTQ+ news, Fatteh also spotlights sexual health in Senegal, Nigerian feminism, Tunisian cinema and must-read stories from Uganda, Botswana and Cameroon.

በቤዛ ለዓለም

When religious leaders put aside their differences to rally against a common foe, they can exert immense political pressure. Such was the case last month in Ghana, where a chorus of churches, mosques and clerics spoke out against the LGBTQ community, urging President John Mahama to sign sweeping legislation that would expand persecution of LGBTQ people and criminalise anyone who supports them.

Singing from the same hymn sheet were Christian leaders from Alabaster International Ministries, Living Yahweh 7th Day Sabbath Assemblies and the Christian Council of Ghana. Once they had criticised the president for failing to expedite the bill, other faith leaders joined the campaign, including Ghana’s chief Islamic cleric — who had previously called gay people “demonic” — and members of the Anbariya Sunni Muslim Community. The offensive has not yet succeeded, but it highlights how anti-LGBTQ lobbyists across the continent can draw powerful backing from a wide range of religious groups.

And the sermon against LGBTQ people did not end in Ghana. Leaders of Jamra, an Islamic organisation in Senegal that previously handed over a list of suspected LGBTQ people to the police, resurfaced in April after deciding to investigate a pop music concert for traces of “LGBTQ rainbow colours” in a singer’s stage outfit. The surreal episode reflects how anti-gay religious mobilisation now extends beyond politics into the arts, entertainment and wider culture.

Amid all the hostility during the month, there were also signs of visibility and progress. Organisers of eThekwini Pride unveiled their theme ahead of the forthcoming march in Durban. It was a welcome reminder that Pride celebrations are now held in around a dozen cities and towns across South Africa. Not long after, a North African filmmaker released a lesbian-themed film set in Tunisia, bringing LGBTQ stories from the Maghreb into global cinemas. Another bright spot came from Botswana, where a legal milestone brings us neatly to the second edition of our new series…

Fatteh’s Defender of the Month

Each month, Fatteh celebrates the bold, brave and admirable people who stand up for LGBTQ communities across the African continent, from tireless activists dedicated to the cause to ordinary people who make the difficult decision to put their necks on the line for others. Our latest honouree is someone whose bravery helped make history in Botswana.

Letsweletse Motshidiemang is Fatteh’s Defender of the Month for bringing about one of Africa’s most important LGBTQ legal breakthroughs. As a gay man in Botswana, he challenged provisions criminalising same-sex intimacy back in 2016 — a case that led the high court to strike the law down in 2019 and an appeals court to uphold that victory in 2021. But it wasn’t until last month that Botswana finally completed the legal process by formally removing the ban from its statute books.

Although it was a collective effort involving his legal team, advocates and supporters, this important achievement would not have been possible if one ordinary person hadn’t done something extraordinary. A 21-year-old student with no real desire to be an activist put his name, dignity and personal safety at the centre of a case that helped show African courts can defend LGBTQ human rights even when politicians will not. “I’m just someone who takes pride in who he is,” said Letsweletse at the time of his first legal win. “I did this so people like me don’t need to feel like who we are is a crime.”

Explore our complete round-up of April headlines.

Senegal police arrest more than 100 people after harsher anti-gay law enacted