Dear Editor,

There are countless individuals of African descent who proudly assert that homosexuality is alien to the continent of Africa. They further assert that it was brought to the continent by European colonisers. This argument is not only fallacious but is also mere myth as throughout the African continent attitudes towards sexual orientation and gender identity have been much more relaxed.

Archaeological excavations have shown that as far back as around 2400 BC tombs have been excavated in Egypt with two men’s bodies embracing as lovers. This was not unique to Egypt as in precolonial Northern Congo the Azande warriors would routinely marry boys who acted as temporary boy-wives. This practice was institutionalised to the point that warriors paid bride wealth to the parents of these boys. When these boys became warrior-men, they too married boy-wives. The Imbangala in present-day Angola were recorded by early explorers as having men in women’s apparel who were kept as wives. These irrefutable pieces of archaeological and anthropological evidence are valid and can prove that the practice of homosexuality was in Africa prior to the coming of the Europeans.

The current widespread consensus towards gender fluidity is a direct contrast to what existed in precolonial Africa. The Igbo and Yoruba tribes, found mostly in present-day Nigeria, did not have a binary of genders and typically did not assign gender to babies at birth and instead waited until later life. Additionally, the Dagaaba people of modern-day Ghana did not assign gender based on one’s anatomy but rather to the energy an individual presents.

The influence of various religious teachings, inclusive of Christianity and Islam, have resulted in laws being enacted which have outlawed in many cases acts of homosexuality. Additionally, many politicians, in an attempt to mask failures in other areas of government, have played on these religious sentiments in order to get re-elected or elected in many cases.

Many of these laws were formulated during the period of colonialism and have been adopted by various constitutions across Africa after gaining independence. The case of Uganda comes to mind, in which there have been several laws passed recently which imposes lengthy prison sentences if convicted in the courts for acts of homosexuality.

I implore readers not to take my word for it or assume there is an agenda here. The information is available and we all should take time to read and analyse for ourselves, then we can have an incontestable answer regarding the issue of whether it was homosexuality or homophobia that was imported to Africa.

Mikhail A Graham

mikhailgraham@yahoo.com