homosexuality taboo in africa

By Katie Beers (The Daily Targum online)

November 7, 2005: A single, three-letter word has been causing quite the unmentionable stir in African nations for decades: sex.

A taboo subject by nature, sex isn't something people are willing to address openly, especially when in conjunction to homosexuality. This strained silence is, as of late, particularly prevalent in South African nations.

"The fact that there are same gender-loving people in Africa is an important topic that doesn't get nearly enough attention," said Cary Alan Johnson, an Africa specialist for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

But this is precisely the problem Marc Epprecht attempts to rectify in his latest book, "Hungochani: The History of a Dissident Sexuality in Southern Africa."

The book represents Epprecht's lifelong dedication to a cause with no voice, a people with no means of dialogue, Epprecht said.

"This isn't a subject I specifically went to Africa to research. I came upon it serendipitously," said Epprecht in a discussion held on Thursday, Nov. 3, in the Ruth Dill Johnson Crockett lecture hall on Douglass campus.

His interest in cases of African homosexuality was first sparked during an expedition to Zimbabwe.

"I was shocked to hear the Zimbabwe president of the time presenting homophobic rhetoric denouncing gays and lesbians," Epprecht said.

He soon found, however, that this was not an isolated incident.

"Political figures made repeated speeches claiming homosexuality wasn't naturally African," Epprecht said. "They were claiming it was a new invention brought to Zimbabwe by white settlers."

Disturbed by these statements, Epprecht began tracing the historical roots of homosexuality in South Africa. He soon found the heart of the problem could be traced to what he referred to as a "constructed silence."

"The idea that people can't talk about African homosexuality has been constructed slowly overtime," Epprecht said. "White settlers were claiming it did not exist and Africans were claiming it was a product of white intervention."

These findings are included in Hungochani, along with detailed memoirs, criminal records and first person accounts illustrating the ways in which gender identity and homophobia have evolved in relation to Western influence.

Review from epinion.com: http://www.epinions.com/content_239451475588