Re: Fw: [BRC-NEWS] Homophobia Contributes to Persecution (fwd)

[" George Snedeker" <snedeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

thanks for this message. I think Vanessa's problem was quality, not
quantity. your message makes some good points. do you know anyone who has
written on this topic?

George
----- Original Message -----
From: jenyan1 <jenyan1@xxxxxxx>
To: <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2001 1:24 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: [BRC-NEWS] Homophobia Contributes to Persecution (fwd)


>
>
> >does anyone on the list know anything about homosexuality in precolonial
> >Africa? Who is the "Johnson" the following article makes reference to?
> >
> >George
>
> George,
> I'm replying to your personal email address as I have already posted a lot
> this week (and I do recall the unfortunate example of Vannessa).
>
> Based on what I know, I think that the article you forwarded hits the nail
> on the head. For example, I don't think that there is any real historical
> evidence that gays were systematically or widely persecuted throughout
> precolonial Africa. In fact in my language there is a word "abwoc" which
> refered to cohabiting men.
>
> Much of the trouble lies with the christian missionaries were literally
> the ideological and cultural arm of colonialism. They established the
> schools and generally did their best to impose Victorian morality (sic) on
> the societies. The missionaries also were the first people to give a
> written record of the oral traditions (or Africans who first recorded
these
> traditions were usually missionary educated). In this way much of the oral
> tradition has been passed through a missionary filter. Dare I say, this
> reconstruction of history has had a profound influence on the way we see
> ourselves and our past.
>
> So much for precolonial history. The article is also correct to describe
> recent upsurge in state sponsorship of homophobia as symptomatic of the
> ideological and political bankruptcy of the pseudo republics and the
> elites who run them.
>
> Patriarchy and the oppression and exploitation of African women is another
> urgent issue which is usually passed over in silence.
>
> Regards,
>
> J.Enyang
>
>
>