Activists, including gays celebrate at the gender festival in Dar es Salaam recently
'The sight of homosexuals stir a debate in Tanzania'
By Nasser Kigwangallah
THE presence of homosexuals famous known as gays or 'kaka poa' in Swahili acronym at the recently held gender festival 2011 which was organised by Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) shocked many people including right groups activists in the country.
The action drew a mixed sexuality and gender identity debate in Tanzania.
This was a new phenomena in the history of Tanzania and angered both religious and human rights groups across Tanzania who witnessed a group of about fifty young men, strong and energetic calling themselves as gays practitioners.
When asked as why they have invited gays people at the gender festival, Eluka Kibona, the GF coordinator simply said that they want to share with other people the latest developments in TGNP’s efforts to ‘break the silence’ around issues pertaining to sexuality and gender identity.
She adds that the question of sexuality has provoked major debate during and after this year’s gender festival, and attracted a lot more media coverage than the issue of land grabbing by global agribusiness, for example, or the growing movement for a new Constitution, or the demand for sustainable livelihoods and employment for all.
“During this year’s gender festival-2011 that focused on ‘land, labour and livelihoods’ which was held from 13th September to 16th September, 2011 respectively, there was a separate workshop on ‘sex, sexuality, bodily integrity, politics of choice and struggles against GBV and HIV/AIDS in the workplace: public and private.”
The topic of sexuality and gender identity also came up in workshops on health and on the new Constitution.
This followed gender festival-2009’s ground-breaking keynote paper on sexuality.
The plenary and workshop presentations was done by young gay men.
Many more LGBTs participated in this year’s festival, and several chose to flaunt their gay identity openly by style of dress, walk, talk, etc.
Lesbians have been present throughout but not as visible nor audible as gays demonstrated this year at the festival, which of course drew mixed reactions from many people who witnessed the event.
In fact, the subject of sexuality and gender identity has now become the major focus of several of Tanzanian email lists and blogs.
The ideas circulating thus far, a sizable number of people assumed that heterosexuality is the norm in Africa, and have expressed alarm at the breakdown of traditional African values, the importation of Western ideas and behaviour, and moral decadence.
Several people argue that NGOs like TGNP proper, are following the money of donors by opening up to LGBT people; that the very idea of homosexuality in whatever form is a Western imposition funded by donors corrupt people from the West.
Other people have argued that this is a question of human rights and democracy; that activists are expected to welcome diversity in all aspects of our lives.
Some have asked why there is so much concern about who people choose to sleep with at this moment of high level state corruption and land-grabbing?
Another line of argument is to say that people should condemn the practice of same sex, but not those who practice it; they are victims of childhood abuse.
Many of the LGBT voices who chose to speak aloud during this and 2009’s Festivals emphasized their personal experience of childhood abuse, and/or of being punished and eventually expelled from their families and communities because of their identity.
Others, albeit few in number thus far, have argued that human beings have the ‘natural’ potential to act in a variety of ways, sexually, but have been shaped by the dominant patriarchal heterosexual ideology to silence and repress alternative ways of being.
That there are many men and women with same sex identities who have chosen to hide their preferences; they marry, bear children and often lead very unhappy lives because they are not free to be themselves openly.
That it is necessary to unlearn, as Sylvia Tamale explained back in 2009, the enormous baggage of patriarchal and bourgeois thought and ideology about sexuality, including imperial and racist views about the sexuality of African women.
Bernard Msonge, a human rights activist in Mbezi Beach says there was nothing which irritated me most than TGNP invited a group of homosexuals were invited to attend the gender festival.
“I think where we are heading to is very bad indeed and God's curse will definitely befall on Tanzanians if concrete steps are not taken to rectify the situation,” he warns.
He adds to say that this practice was instigated from the West who gave many to tarnish the image of Tanzania as a peaceful country and worth of traditional values.
He says this is a money mongering attitude on part of the female activists who have been identified as supporters of gender equality and traditional values of the country.
According to him, Tanzanians are facing a lot of problems an d it was the duty of TGNP and its allies to concentrate in eradicating them instead of raising the issue of homosexuality.
Tanzanians do not want homosexuality to be practiced in Tanzania, and the act should be condemned by every sane mind.
On her part, Leila Sheikh, one of the TGNP staunch members says she is the one who helped in the mapping the HIV intervention among men who have Sex with men (gays) for the Center for Human Rights Promotion (CHRP), TACAIDS and UNAIDS.
She says it was important in doing so so that as a nation, we have an obligation in reaching out to the people of gays group (Kaka Poa) 'mashoga' 'wasenge' 'kuchu' or 'samaki' etc.as famously known in Kiswahili acronym.
“These people are living with us and their presence should be felt in all government policies in the efforts to eradicate HIV/AIDS in the country among its citizens,” she says.
According to her, gays are one of the vulnerable groups in the country and need attention in all aspects of treatment, care and VCT.
She says and if we discard them, the war on HIV/AIDS won't be won because they won't feature anywhere in getting ARVs services just like anyone else living with HIV/AIDS in the country.
Leila says: “I worked at three different regions making research and prepared a map that led the national strategic plan on most at risk populations (MARPs).”
She says gays are one of the MARPs and need special attention, instead of ignoring them.
The national HIV/AIDS policy has a component on the most vulnerable groups, including sexual workers, lesbians and gays.
“During my research, I came to realize that homosexuals are existing and are in great numbers than we can possibly imagine,” Leila expounds.
Although there is no fixed statistics available on gays in the country, many gays are facing stigma and discrimination in accessing to vital services such ARVS, VCT AND other services like other people living with HIV/AIDS.
Gays have all the rights to access basic services such as education, health and protection like any other citizen of this country.
Juma Mussa, a Muslim believer living in Buguruni, in Dar es Salaam's surburb says that gays or 'Usenge' is indeed very complicated, fluid and delicate.
“Is it true that gays or wasenge are not present in our midst?” he queries.
He says that we may as it appears all hate it, and stigmatize it, yet there are a number of gays existing in Tanzania.
He wants to know how has homosexuality so far been promoted to this end?
“By attending the gender festival organised by TGNP and her partners, how do we denounce TGNP, is it that we are addressing the issue or even diverting from it completely?” he argues.
He continues by saying that certainly we are all in a fix, and there is no easy solution to this problem.
He says: “We need to understand it better and understand the best strategies to address it.”
He says to discriminate them and disassociate them at this stage may not help either.
Many African societies practiced seclusion, and failed in addressing the problem all together.
Mariamu Mrisho who attended the gender festival says: “I totally agree that every individual has the right of opinion regarding this issue, and that is the meaning of a debate and being an activist, people are are not homogeneous but diverse, and no one has to subscribe to another person's views.”
However, she argues the danger is when we begin to bring in our value judgment on the central issue, like what others say the 'colour bar' then we are likely to undermine the whole debate.
She says there is nothing wrong in giving your opinions. We can differ and remain part of the society.
However she says; but as far as I'm concerned, I do not agree or support what is called 'kaka poa' or gays.
I think, to begin with, poa is a wrong word to be used ere.
According to her poa is a nice Kiswahili word that should not be used to refer to 'WASENGE' or homosexuals.
And, any attempt to justify this thing is but invalid. I do not support it, she says.
Sheikh Alli Bassaleh, a Muslim leader at Kariakoo in Dar es Salaam says: “Take note that we as religious leaders though we may share some identities like what others have said we are not homogeneous, but we differ in the way we perceive things and one's behaviour is mediated by many factors such as cultural, racial and religious values.”
He says that the extreme case is racial lenses of looking at things, which should not feature among the leaders of religious nature.
“I am very cautious, but my position is that being a typical religious leader one should be to evaluate and present a balanced and fair argument without any value judgment, or personalization of the debate,” he says.
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