|
Rome did not
fall in a day; neither did its greatness start with a homosexual
convention
E. Ablorh-Odjidja
Come to think of it, how did some Ghanaians get to patronize
Colombian drug barons in an age when powerful countries are
fighting hard to keep them out and to steer away the disruptive
effects of illicit drugs? For some in Ghana, once an idea exits
somewhere, never mind how troublesome it is, they will want to
bring it home. Recently you heard some were demanding to hold a
homosexual convention in Ghana.
These were folks who might not necessarily be homosexuals. They
would allow the convention because of the need to be seen as
tolerant and progressive. Unfortunately, they never stopped to
consider that it paid to put things in the development context
first. That tolerance of certain acts at this stage of our
development might be costly in the long run.
Still, what was the purpose of a gay convention in Ghana? Why
could it not be held somewhere in Europe where homosexuality was
tolerated? An honest answer would show that those gay advocates
who were pushing for the convention in Ghana targeted this
country because of a reason or two.
These advocates, having been roused by the recent negative
reaction by African pastors, especially Anglicans in Nigeria, to
homosexuality in the priesthood, have for now focused their
sights for recruitments in Africa.
Should one dismiss the above reasoning, there is also the other
fact which cannot be easily denied; that, historically, Africa
has been a soft target for all sorts of frivolous ideas.
Homosexuality is the latest.
Ghana, presently on the cusp of new found democratic
dispensations, has become a point of attraction for homosexual
politics. It has become a new ground to advance the cause in
Africa. Fortunately, the Ghanaian government refused to grant
permission for the convention. But the decision will not deter
the overall efforts of these advocates.
Given the conditions of poverty and the extreme lack of
opportunities for gainful employment on the continent, Africa
will remain a fertile target. Virile and impressionable youth
will be recruited at the drop of the dollar. And soon, we shall
have a class of gay practitioners who are not homosexuals by
nature, or because of some enabling cultural factor, but folks
who have stifled or compromised their natural sexual bent for
economic reasons.
For the gay tourist the destination of choice would soon be
Africa, if it is not already. African society can then wait to
count the social cost. One ought to be able to admit this
without fear of being branded a homophobic.
Being gay is an existential fact. And it is so because there are
gays in our midst. It also means that essentially those who are
truly gay cannot mate with the opposite sex. Some would say that
this deficit in itself poses no problem since there are others
who are more than willing and capable to fill the void.
Procreation can continue and gays can enjoy their fancy for
shooting blanks and mating for pleasure.
But the above happy compromise can only be maintained for as
long as straights outnumber gays. This is true for Africa as it
is elsewhere. The danger is that the gay population in Africa
stands to grow faster than elsewhere given the prevailing
condition of poverty in many places on the continent. And that
is why some see the wish by gay advocates to hold open
conventions as a threat, not only on cultural and religious
grounds but one also at the existential level.
The problem for the gay advocate who wishes to hold a convention
in Ghana, or for that matter anywhere else in Africa, is to
convince the real African, who operates on common sense cultural
level, that his drive for recruitment is not disguised as a
mission for human rights.
Are there gays in Africa? Sure there are, but they are lodged
within an infinitesimal group in a culture that abhors the
practice.
Time was when homosexuality was considered a taboo in Africa.
The fact that a place like Ghana was selected for the
convention, and not some other hostile place, underlines the
benign nature of the Ghana scene. Still, it is only because of
modern times that one can parade homosexuality in broad day
light in this country without risking persecution or outright
execution for an act that is still deemed a taboo by many
tribes.
Every society in existence has stated its taboo preferences. As
these preferences are made, the discipline required to sustain
them are enforced. The story of Rome is still a fascinating
subject. As a highly disciplined society it grew and conquered
territories. Then decadence set in and it fell. With decadence
everything falls.
Ghana is struggling to wean itself out of underdevelopment. It
is by no means near where Rome was before her decadence. Nor can
it be claimed that Ghana has the same elasticity today to
contain the problems permissive societies like the rich nations
of America and Europe face. Accepting every whim and fancy of
its citizens for practice, when it burdens or pushes the society
close to decadence, will be a foolish policy.
Ghana’s growth as a nation is still precarious, which means it
will need discipline to prevent itself from falling prey to open
demands for things like illegal drugs, sex trade and
homosexuality.
Whereas “discipline” has been a subject in Ghana of late, the
favorite national word is “indiscipline.” The word harbors
behavior types that are generally recognized as acts detrimental
to the society. Unfortunately, frequent pronouncements have made
it anthropomorphic. “Indiscipline” has become sufficient in
itself for blame for all things; meaning it has assumed the body
of a third person on whom the nation can point blame in exchange
for absolution for not doing what it ought to do to repair
whatever is the cause for the indiscipline.
In the face of the growing spate of serious crimes and other
frivolous types of behavior in Ghanaian society today, it is
refreshing to see the government take a firm stand against this
homosexual convention.
Notice that I will not ask for the eradication of homosexuality.
The behavior type that qualifies for that description is going
to be with us forever. But like prostitution, it can also be
contained within the bounds of the irritable. Pissing in a dark
alley behind someone’s wall is an example. But that does not
mean the government should allow alley pissers to hold a pissing
parade on a main street in Accra.
E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Washington, DC, September 4, 2006
|
