Features
Ghana: Homosexuals becoming ‘endangered species’?
Just last Monday night, 18th October, 2021, two suspected Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) practitioners were reportedly beaten to death in Tamale when they were “caught red-handed in the act.”
Reportedly, the angry mob who allegedly lynched the two suspected LGBTQI+ practitioners also severely assaulted two other suspects who were later “carried” to the police station by sympathetic eye-witnesses.
The four suspected LGBTQI+ practitioners were allegedly “caught in the act” behind the offices of GBC-Radio Savannah in Tamale.
Kwasi Prempeh, CDD
(anti- ‘HOMO BILL’)
of the ‘HOMO BILL’)
Reportedly, the “acts” of the four suspects, all male, attracted some Volta River Authority (VRA) workers in the area, who raised an alarm, thus, attracting a huge crowd to the scene.
The four LGBTQI+ suspects were said to be stark-naked and ‘doing their own thing’ in an uncompleted building when they were stumbled upon by the VRA staff who were working behind the offices of GBC-Radio Savannah.
Reporting the incident on Rainbow FM (87.5) , Prince Kwame Tamakloe said that the Crime Officer at the police station, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Prosper Ananga, confirmed the story and advised residents in Tamale to desist from taking the law into their own hands.
He said, DSP Ananga, however, lamented that the activities of homosexuals had increased in the area.
Readers, taking a cue from what has just happened in Tamale and juxtaposing it with the raging national conversation on Ghana’s ‘Homosexual Bill’ currently before Parliament; can one comfortably predict that when the bill is passed into law, Ghana will be better-off?
The national debate on the ‘HOMO BILL’ is heating up . The Bill is yet to be passed. And already, two suspected homosexuals have been ‘sacrificed’ on the altar of ‘indecency’ and ‘tradition’. And the other two ‘lucky’ suspects are ‘licking their wounds in hell.’
The ‘HOMO BILL’ before Parliament is titled: Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghana’s Family Values Bill, 2021. And it prescribes stiffer punishment against homosexuality in the country.
The ‘HOMO BILL’ proscribes dissemination of ideas, images, and symbols of any kind that promotes homosexuality and prohibits support by an individual or organisation for a homosexual group in Ghana.
Eight Members of Parliament introduced the ‘HOMO BILL’ in Parliament in August 2021. The Bill imposes between five and 10 years imprisonment for violations.
Homosexual conduct is already criminalised by Ghana’s existing criminal laws.
Section 104 (1) (b) of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) abhors consensual same-sex intercourse and prohibits it.
Indeed, the only mode of sexual intercourse which does not offend Ghanaian law, is sexual intercourse through the vagina by penal penetration.
Really, currently, many Ghanaians strongly believe that the ‘HOMO BILL’ must be passed to strengthen the existing laws, so as to halt the emerging ‘modern colonisation’ of Africa via ‘rotten’ homosexual behaviours.
What then is homosexuality? It is a romantic attraction or sexual behaviour between members of same-sex or gender.
As a matter of fact, there exists a very strong opposition against the emerging LGBTQI+ community in Ghana. They include some religious institutions, traditional rulers and teacher unions. They strongly argue that homosexuality is not a RIGHTS issue and, therefore, support the ‘HOMO BILL’ in Parliament.
Just about 20 Ghanaian intellectuals and professionals are, however, vigorously expressing their disapproval of the Bill.
They contend that some of the provisions of the ‘HOMO BILL’ violate Ghana’s 1992 Constitution; particularly the chapter on Human Rights as spelt out in the Constitution.
An Afrobarometer survey conducted in 2014, however, indicated that over 90 per cent of Ghanaians are vehemently against homosexuality. And the outcome of the survey endorses the general belief of many Ghanaians about the nation’s family values.
“I dare say that in Ghana, any chief who gives shelter to any homosexual in any community, will be destooled without any notice,” a linquist who wants to remain anonymous, he said.
According to the linquist: “Ghanaian traditional gods strongly believe in ‘life’ and ‘procreation’, ” adding that “the gods vehemently abhor sexual activities of homosexuals; to the extent that it is a curse for homosexuals to be flaunting their activities on our sacred space.”
Joshua Ashun-Aikins, a political science student of the University of Cape Coast also says; “any political party in Ghana which will make a mistake by just promising to legalise the activities of LGBTQI+ in the country, will consign itself straight to the grave.
“Because Ghanaians will surely not vote for that political party to win power. Instead, the party will be mocked and tagged, ‘trumu-trumu’ party.”
Around the world, for instance, the legal status of polygamy, which is commonly practised in Africa, varies. Some countries outlaw, accept or encourage polygamy.
So, in the same way, homosexuality and same-sex behaviours may be outlawed, accepted or encouraged by certain countries across the globe.
From the foregoing, therefore, would the passage of the ‘HOMO BILL’ into law, strengthen the hands of its proponents to ‘terrorise’ homosexuals in the country? Or would such a law rather encourage homosexuals to tilt towards ‘ proper human and sexual rights’ and guide them to practise Ghana’s family values?
Readers, over to you now!!!
Contact email/ WhatsApp of author:
asmahfrankg@gmail.com (0505556179)
By G. Frank Asamah
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God”. The Holy Bible (Psalm 53:1)
The greatest gift I ever received was the Bible, given to me by Mr Anyetei Sowah of BIBLE HOUSE on April 4, 1991. It saved my life. He was my mate in sixth form, and while some of us were easy-going, perpetually looking for adventure in town, he was a bit different and we all respected and admired him for his Godly ways, his mild manners, his wise counsel.
When I became a journalist, he paid me a visit and asked me to attend one of his plays which was staged at the Arts Centre. He performed in this magnificent drama and I recall the role of one character, Reverend Sozo Macumbe. As a reward for being present, Anyetei presented me with a gift – The Holy Bible. It was more than One Million Dollars.
Earlier, I had always wanted to possess one but found it extremely difficult to purchase although it was very cheap, about the equivalent of two bottles lager beer. I could buy several lagers for myself and friends and yet couldn’t bring myself to spending on a Bible.
When Anyetei brought me the wonderful gift, I confessed almost on my knees that if he hadn’t presented me with the Bible, I couldn’t have bought one for myself no matter how hard I tried. I then blamed the devil for my inability to spend on a Bible rather than on beer. Of course, everybody blames the devil, so why not Kwame Alomele.
The Bible I got made me quite religious and as I read through and prayed, I was able to veer from dangerous paths of temptation and self-destruction. It was also an opportunity for me to reminisce my born-again days of old when I drew very close to Christ until Satan tore me away and re-baptised me fully into sin.
I really did not know what happened to me at the time. I was strongly in the faith but suddenly Satan came round and presented the whole world to me in exchange for my soul. On the whole, it was not a bad deal and I accepted Satan’s offer. Man mon enjoy life, abi!
When Anyetei’s Bible came, I told myself, “Kwame, you’ll fall a thousand times and take the mandatory count like a battered boxer. But you won’t remain sprawled, in the name of Jesus! You’ll crawl, you’ll stagger but eventually rise above beer bottles and continue from where you left off. Halleluyah!”
Yeah, you’ve got to give God his due. If you are a Christian, be strong in the faith and don’t be a mere church-goer; if a Moslem, don’t fail to pray and read the Koran daily; if you’re a Buddhist, chant ‘Myoho renge kyo nam’ till your jaw breaks; and if you’re a follower of Krishna, chant ‘Hare Krishna Hare’ till you collapse. And if you want to follow the devil too, please go ahead and wind up in hell. And in hell, you’ll find yourself in the form of ‘human khebab, precisely ‘human suya’. Hare.
In any case, research has shown that religious persons rarely become neurotic or psychotic. A person who is in a grave financial distress but is religious would hardly commit suicide.
Aside all the divine benefits, there is a psychological consolation that with God all things are possible. This is not only psychological, but real.
Those who are religious and get gilted by their boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands or wives just laugh it off. They never get broken-hearted to the point of mental derangement.
After lamenting a day or two over the loss of her lover, a gilted girl who is truly religious would declare that “Jesus is now my boyfriend”. She would never go mourning for days, weeks, months and end up at the Psychiatric Hospital. No, not when Jesus has taken over the show.
Of late, I’ve come a bit closer to Jesus not because I’ve been gilted by a ‘babe’ or in financial distress; far from these. I have realised that a youngman must organise his life and your life can hardly be organised if you are not religious. Jesus is like a pillar of your life, just as Buddha or Krishna might be.
The Lord says, “When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm”. (Psalm 75:3).
If you come to learn that people like mystic writer LOBSANG RAMPA have turned over a new page in life doubled-up. He was an occultist and one of his and is now a born-again Christian, then it is time man famous books which is now very infamous is ‘THE THIRD EYE’. I have read it three times over.
Before Mr Rampa came into the Christian fold, he apologised to the world for having deceived people with his writings and led them away from the path of righteousness.
I fellowship at the E. P. CHURCH OF GHANA at Tema. It is regarded as a renegade wing of the E.P.CHURCH. When they broke away, I was furious with them and called them good-for-nothing devil-inspired idiots.
Today, that is where I meet Jesus for a chat. And that is where my younger brother Edward Alomele, a latter-day convert, does business with Christ.
In fact, when churches split, it is only an opportunity for the word to spread further. So the two churches are now far apart and doing the work of God to spread the good news further and further. They need not be antagonistic to each other after all. Isn’t it?
And it came to pass that last Sunday when I walked into the synagogue I espied Diana Akiwumi sitting on the dais. Not sure if it was her, I looked out for her husband; they are almost always together.
And lo and behold, there was the Reverend Samuel Akiwumi perching beside his superstar wife. They were our guests. Today be today, I said.
As expected, Lady Diana led the praise and worship. It was an inspiring ecclesiastical blitz as the lady songbird with a musical call took the congregation through an explosive spiritual extravaganza. I was completely overwhelmed with joy and if it hadn’t been for my weight I would have executed the monkey-dance Kwame Korkorti taught me years ago.
When it came to delivering the word, it was no other than Evangelist Samuel Akiwumi. I never knew he was such a vibrant preacher man. He delivered the sermon with total conviction and power and the congregation nodded and nodded with satisfaction. Basing his sermon on Chronicles 2 Chapter 20, he urged us to rely exclusively on God in times of trouble.
After the service I cornered the Europe-bound duo and asked them about the AKIWUMI GOSPEL MINISTRIES.
This article was first published on Saturday, July 22, 1995
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
If God grants us the grace to live long like our parents, I am of the firm conviction that we shall hear a lot of interesting things. Discipline in schools, especially at the Senior High School level, has become a hot topic for discussion in the country in recent times.
I recall Achimota School, a few years ago, being in the news for insisting that a Rasta-haired student, who had just gained admission, must cut his hair before being admitted. This generated a heated national debate, and the parents of the student decided to go to court. The Ministry of Education eventually intervened for the student to be admitted, and the court later ruled that he could not be prevented based on religious grounds. Interestingly, the teenager recently completed the school with no disciplinary issues — and on top of that, had 8 As.
A few days ago, a Minister stirred up another debate in the education space by announcing that regulations governing short hair in schools must be strictly enforced to ensure discipline and character formation. But I fail to see how cutting one’s hair short ensures morality.
In the past, students in second-cycle institutions were required to keep their hair short. Many of these boys later became men, completed universities, entered politics, and ended up in Parliament as Members of Parliament (MPs) representing their respective constituencies. At that time, the fashion in vogue among men was short hair, and in many cases, completely shaved heads, popularly called “Sakora.” One would therefore assume that these men would be morally upright.
Surprise, surprise! During the previous government, it came out that some MPs had dishonestly received double salaries. One then begins to wonder — what correlation, therefore, exists between short hair and right conduct? If short hair has anything to do with character formation, then something went very, very wrong somewhere.
Frankly, I fail to see the correlation between short hair and moral uprightness. I once lived in an area notorious for wee (marijuana) smoking, yet I never smoked wee. Character formation, in my opinion, depends largely on the individual — not on whether they have long or short hair.
What happens when a child is forced to pretend to be obedient and morally upright in school, only to go to university after three years in SHS? Even those of us who went through Sixth Form before university had our challenges — how much more those who spend only three years in SHS?
Some argue that in the army, soldiers cut their hair short and that’s why they are disciplined. I find this reasoning absurd because in countries like the United States, Canada, and across Europe, students do not cut their hair short, yet their societies are disciplined. They do not litter their streets, corruption is frowned upon, and their MPs do not take double salaries. That’s not to say they are angels, but on the whole, they eschew anti-social behaviour and are patriotic citizens.
A look at the Public Accounts Committee sittings proves my point beyond reasonable doubt. Most of the people engaged in misconduct had their hair cut short in various Senior High Schools, yet they turned out to be unpatriotic citizens.
I am sure that the man who a court of competent jurisdiction ruled had unlawfully taken GH¢51 million from the state of Ghana also observed the short-hair rule while in secondary school — and yet, he swindled the nation.
Food for thought. God bless.
NB: Change Kotoka International Airport to Kofi Baako International Airport.
BY LAUD KISSI-MENSAH
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
