Ugandan Newspapers Guilty of Reinforcing Homophobia
In his 1998 book about the Rwandan genocide, We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families, Philip Gourevitch wrote eloquently about the power of the media to incite hatred and violence. He made the case that popular radio fuelled tensions between Hutus and Tutsis to contribute to the outbreak of genocide. History is filled with lessons of the power of popular media to reflect a society’s prejudice and magnify it.
Chandre Gould, Senior researcher, Crime and Justice Programme
In his 1998 book about the Rwandan genocide, We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families, Philip Gourevitch wrote eloquently about the power of the media to incite hatred and violence. He made the case that popular radio fuelled tensions between Hutus and Tutsis to contribute to the outbreak of genocide. History is filled with lessons of the power of popular media to reflect a society’s prejudice and magnify it. Giving a voice to prejudice and hatred provides a subtle but clear legitimacy to the hatred. It tells those who harbour prejudice that they are not alone and that others share their views. This allows for a public conversation to develop and grow that can easily turn to physical action.
This is not a call to gag the press. Nor is my intent to provide grist for the anti-press mill that seems to have particular traction in South Africa right now. Rather my intent is to discuss the prejudice that lies at the heart of reports carried in Ugandan tabloid newspaper that ‘outed’ gay Ugandans. The tabloid provided a voice for a deeply engrained hatred and prejudice that has since forced ‘the top 100 homosexuals’ (sic) in Uganda to remain prisoners in their own homes for fear of violent attacks.
The report, carried in the Uganda newspaper ‘Rolling Stone’ was a clear incitement to act against the individuals who were named. It carried photographs and the addresses of those named with a call to ‘hang them’. A clearer example of hate speech would be hard to find. The authors of the report hide behind the worn, thin mantle of tradition and culture to justify their hatred of difference. They claim that homosexuality is ‘unAfrican’ and goes against African tradition. This claim is nonsensical not only because homosexuality is the subject of just as much vitriol and hatred in the Western world as it is in Africa; but also because sexual orientation is not culturally determined.
Ironically, the justification for spreading hate and prejudice in the name of ‘African culture’ occurred shortly after a visit to Uganda by right-wing religious fundamentalist Americans. These ‘non-Africans’ visited Uganda to condescendingly warn about the, “threat homosexuals posed to the traditional African family.” Their nefarious objectives seem to have been achieved when a Ugandan Member of Parliament introduced a Bill to condemn gay Ugandans to death.
There are clear parallels to be drawn between this case and the involvement of right wing Americans and other religious and conservative groups in the movement to abolish sex work. It is no coincidence that earlier this year a sex worker in Kampala was brutally murdered, her throat slit ‘like a chicken’ after having been raped. The graphic photograph of her slit throat was paraded on the font page of a Ugandan daily newspaper under the headline “Sex worker bonked, sliced at Mbikko Lodge”.
The disrespect and disdain paid to the slain sex worker stems from the same kind of thinking as homophobia. It is the kind of thinking that says anyone who disobeys this patriarchal ‘cultural’ imperative, by having sexual relationships that don’t conform to the heterosexist norm, threatens the existing and dysfunctional power relations in society and will be subject to a backlash of hatred and violence.
This kind of thinking is by no means restricted to Uganda. It is just as prevalent in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, North America, and many other countries around the world. And everyone who respects human rights and dignity for all should reject it with passion. We should learn from history that using the media to promote hatred leads to bloodshed and human rights abuses. This should not be acceptable anywhere, least of all on our continent that promotes the values of ubuntu. It is a citizen’s duty to reject those that seek to spread hate and prejudice, just as it is the duty of state representatives to add their voices to those who challenge patriarchy.
