U.S. EVANGELICAL GROUP PROMOTES ANTI-GAY AGENDA ACROSS AFRICA

By Lisa Vives Global Information Network

An American evangelical lobby group has been coaching high-ranking African politicians and religious and civic leaders to oppose comprehensive sex education (CSE) across the continent. According to openDemocracy, an independent news website, African ambassadors to the U.N. have gone to the Arizona home of Sharon Slater and her husband, Greg Slater, to learn how best to block LGBT rights and sex ed and how to negotiate at the U.N.

The Slaters are the heads of Family Watch International (FWI), a Christian conservative organization described by civil rights activists as a “hate group.”

Zambia’s ambassador to the African Union, Emmanuel Mwamba, confirmed to openDemocracy that he attended two diplomat training sessions hosted by FWI in the US and, earlier this year, he gave one of the program’s keynote speeches.

Zambia is among the African countries with the lowest levels of acceptance for LGBTQ people, alongside

Uganda, The Gambia and Senegal, according to one survey by Afrobarometer. Now, however, after negative publicity worldwide, FWI has been trying to convince President Yoweri Museveni to soften the new law he signed that imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and carries a 20 year sentence for “promoting homosexuality.”

“We are disappointed that the president signed the harsh bill into law,” said FWI director Lynn Allred. “We believe there are individuals who will not be able to obtain help to align their sexual behavior with their personal values.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury also took the Ugandan church to task for its support for the harsh law enacted last month. Justin Welby said there was no justification for supporting the legislation, in a move that highlights deep divisions within the global Anglican church on LGBTQ+ issues.

In a statement, Welby said: “I am deeply aware of the history of colonial rule in Uganda, so heroically resisted by its people. But this is not about imposing western values on our Ugandan Anglican sisters and brothers. It is about reminding them of the commitments we have made as Anglicans to treat every person with the care and respect they deserve as children of God. ticipation to build a just Equatorial Guinea, added: “The economic reform program signed with the IMF represents a great opportunity, but it is clear that without the active involvement and monitoring of civil society organizations, the path for establishing Equatorial Guinea’s lasting and verifiable commitment to good governance, human rights and the fight against corruption is destined to fail.”

Under Emefiele, Nigeria’s economy struggled with a weakened currency caused by the foreign exchange crisis as well as a surging inflation rate, which was at a neartwo-decade high of 22.2% in April. The bank’s move to replace the local naira currency with newly designed ones caused economic hardship for so many Nigerians that it affected the turnout in the February election while authorities were forced to reintroduce the old bank notes being replaced.

“The fact that he has been removed is a positive thing for the (financial) market and we can now expect to see something different,” Gbemisola said.

“Within the Anglican community we continue to disagree over matters of sexuality, but there is no justification for any province of the Anglican communion to support such laws… There is nothing un-African about being gay. Museveni’s bigotry will cost lives.”