gay rights raised in mozambican paper

Source: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)

July 10, 2006: For the first time, a mainstream Mozambican paper has published an article by a prominent Mozambican journalist arguing in favour of gay rights.

Previously the question of homosexuality has been largely ignored in the Mozambican media, with the exception of occasional outbursts of homophobic nonsense by christian or moslem clerics.

But one young gay man, interviewed in the new publication "Matinal", claimed that Mozambican gays intend to present a petition to the country's parliament seeking the approval of gay marriage.

Prominent Radio Mozambique journalist Emilio Manhique took the issue up on his phone-in programme "Cafe de Manha" last Thursday. Some of the listeners who rang in to the programme were shocked - how could Manhique even raise the subject ? For them, homosexuality was so taboo that it should not even be discussed in Mozambican society.

Manhique has returned to the question in his weekly column in the Beira daily paper "Diario de Mozambique", in which he argues strongly that gay people have "the right to be different".

"Homosexuality, contrary to what many people think, is not a disease", writes Manhique. "It's a question of sexual orientation. Nobody asked to be born homosexual, just as nobody asked to be born heterosexual, and nobody asked to be born black, white or Chinese".

"Less than 40 years ago in this country we were humiliated and despised because of the colour of our skins", recalls Manhique. "We were considered second class citizens".

"Today we point accusing fingers at people with a different sexual orientation", he adds. "And, if that weren't enough, we stigmatise them. Some, such as President Robert Mugabe, even call them dogs".

The real question, Manhique argues, does not concern gay marriage, but is simply "are we or are we not capable of accepting that homosexuals have a right to be different ?" "This is the great question that the world has been facing for centuries", he stressed. "When the colonialists arrived in Africa and America they slaughtered millions of people because they were different. They had a different skin colour. They had a different culture. They had a different way of life. Right from the start, human beings have had difficulty living with those who are different".