Behind the Mask

BEHIND THE MASK a website on gay and lesbian affairs in Africa

ghana
about ghana
official name: Republic of Ghana
capital: Accra
head of state: President John Agyekum Kufuor
state: constitutional democracy
population: 20 million
independence: from Britain in 1957
languages: English (official), Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, Ga
religion: Traditional African 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%
currency: Cedi (GHC)
media: Accra Mail online http://www.accra-mail.com/
legal wise
status of homosexuality: NA
age of consent: NA
laws covering homosexual activity: According to ILGA, The Pink Book stated that "Homosexual behaviour is illegal. Homosexual acts between men can be punished under provisions concerning assault and rape. This will only happen when one of those involved makes a formal complaint or when it concerns an act with a minor." This account does not seem entirely consistent, however and some doubt hangs over the question of whether male same-sex activity is actually illegal, pending better information.
background information and government attitudes: In 1994 London's Capital Gay reported that a gay man from Ghana was granted interim asylum in South Africa based on his claim that gays are persecuted in Ghana. There have also been reports of imprisonment and torture of several gay men in 1992. In 1993, a gay activist fled the country after problems with the authorities.
communication
mainline telephones: 200, 000 (1998)
cellular telephones: 30, 000 (1998)
internet country code: .gh
internet service providers: 1 (2000)
internet users: 20, 000 (2000)

lesbian on c10m bail
August 2005: An Accra Circuit Court has granted a 24-year-old woman a c10 million bail with two sureties to be justified for luring an 18-year old girl into lesbianism at Teshie, near Accra. More...

adolescent sex on the increase in ghana
July 18, 2005: Rights advocate calls for help as the current punitive measures in place which criminalizes incidents of sexual activity between minors are not addressing the problem. More...

giving ghanaian lesbian women a voice
July 13, 2005: For the first time in Ghana's gay and lesbian community, the experiences of lesbian women were shared in public between lesbians. More...

gay, lesbian health initiative launches in Ghana
July 10, 2005: HEP staffers recently returned from Ghana where they found a large and well-organized GLBT population, albeit operating almost exclusively underground. They recount numerous stories of gays, lesbians, and sex workers who were refused treatment by healthcare providers if their illness or other factors lead to suspicion of their sexual orientation or line of work. More...

our culture will not be sold out for gay lifestyles
June 28, 2005: Our correspondents in Ghana insisted we not pay attention to the diatribe flowing in unperturbed quantities from the country's homophobes. We said we would risk it. More...

social justice - same sex, different rights
June 22, 2005: One of Ghana's mainstream newspaper profiles one of the country's foremost gay and lesbian human rights activist and the uphill battle he faces in his homecountry. More...

aids commission boss comments on gays
June 22, 2005: Prof. Sakyi Awuku-Amoah has dismissed suggestions that homosexuals are unable to access health services. More...

hiv/aids and human rights boogie night in koforidua
May 19, 2005: A party aims to provide a targeted intervention by gathering around gay people in eastern Ghana to teach them about safe sex as reports showed that they are in trouble. More...

a ghanian attorney-general and minister of justice-elect delves into the "taboo" question of homosexuality during a parliamentary hearing
April 12, 2005: Questioned on what he is likely to do if confronted by gay and lesbian organisations in his Ghana, an Attorney General-designate provides a lukewarm answer. More...

university students suspended for attack
March 2005: For Anthony (real names withheld) of the Valco hall of the university of Cape Coast, everything has been going on well on campus until four of his colleagues assaulted him. Their reason is that they suspect him of being homosexual. More...

ghana's gays organise to fight british criminal law
March 5, 2005: Gays and lesbians in Ghana are taking new steps to be decriminalised. In an appeal to government, their association threatened to boycott the December polls if no party supported their quest. It's not known if they implemented the threat wrote Ghanaweb. Currently, colonial British criminal law criminalizes same-sex relations and regulations also make treatment of sexually transmitted diseases impossible. More...

lesbians on show
February 3, 2005: Human sexuality has been an issue that is not accepted in most parts of Africa, and Ghana is no exception. Some reasons for not accepting diverse sexual orientations is the idea that homosexuality is a foreign disease for the white "man", and cannot be found in Africa. Others believe that foreign tourists who visit Ghana import it. Homosexuals are perceived as ill or sick people who do not know what they are doing. Others believe that gay and lesbian people do not exist in Ghana. More...

big party lgbt community
November 2004: The LGBT community gather for some fun, some education and some inspiration - and Centre for Popular Education and Human Rights Ghana made it happen. More…

"the louder we will sing" extraordinary get together
October 12, 2004:"The louder we will sing" has been chosen as the theme for this October's LGBTI get together party in Ghana. The planning all started with discussions among the gay and lesbian community about the need for to get organized and to find a common voice and be heard. More...

lgbt people in ghana are to boycott the polls in december
September 14, 2004: For the very first time the LGBT people of Ghana are standing up against discrimination, and ill treatment they get from their community because of their sexual orientation. More...

homosexuality in ghana - the statistics
June 26, 2004: One aspect of our society that has either not been recognised, or is being denied, but which could reverse any gain made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, is ‘same-sex sex’ particularly ‘men that have sex with men’ (MSM) since sex is the commonest mode of transmission of HIV. More...

ahmadis warn against gay marriages
July 22, 2004: An appeal has gone to elders of religions in Ghana to see the solemnization of homosexual marriages in America as a challenge, to preach against this phenomenon from taking root in the country. More...

gay life and death in prisons
June 9, 2004: For the first time in Ghana's prison service, clinical psychologists have been employed to counsel prisoners on life in the prisons and matters relating to their health. The move is intended to stem the spread of HIV among prison populations but prejudice, intolerance, violence and corruption still run high. More…

interactive theatre exposes attitudes
June 7, 2004: An interactive theatre performance at The National Theatre in Ghana on May 28, 2004 illustrates how young people are still prejudice against gay images. More…

crowd attacks man in woman's dress
May 17, 2004: Luck eluded 18 years - old Francis Osei when he dressed like a woman and attempted to lure a man to have sex with him. More…

gay life in ghana
May 2004: Gay life in Ghana is as it is in most African countries but has some differences too as to; the way gay men behave and societal reaction to people perceived to be gays. Gays in Ghana face many problems. More…

Ghana Remembers Brenda Fassie
May 17, 2004: Once again a hero has fallen, an African has fallen with her great gifts and talents. African with African culture, love African and love people both male and female. More...

ready for gay rights?
May 6, 2004: Accra is asleep at 10 pm on a Saturday night, but in and around the suburb of Adabraka, men are gathering at Strawberry, a well-known gay (homosexual) friendly nightspot. The men mingle discreetly, aware that if they are discovered they could face discrimination, blackmail, imprisonment and torture. More...

fighting hiv in ghana requires addressing homosexuality
March 2004: Since the onset of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, tremendous shifts have been recorded in health management due to the growing understanding of it as a social issue that requires broad approaches going beyond the remit of the health sector. More...

chraj won't push gay rights
December 17, 2003: George Kyei Frimpong writing for the Ghanaian reports that The Chairman of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr. Emile Short has ruled out any idea of CHRAJ advocating for gay rights. More...

concern over arrests
August 22, 2003: Activists in Ghana have expressed concern over a recent newspaper article, which reported the arrests of 4 gay men for "indecent inscription" and "unnatural carnal knowledge" after they posted pictures of themselves to a penpal in Norway. More...

a peek into the closet
July 20, 2003: Even though it is illegal, gay life in Ghana exists, but even the most openly gay men still marry under pressure from their families, BTM correspondent, Cam reveals. More...

sodomist jailed for 15 years
February 25, 2003: The Ghanaian Chronicle reports that a 21-year old labourer, Kwamena Edwo, of Cape Coast, charged with having 'unnatural knowledge' of a 17-year old boy, was last Monday sentenced to 15 years imprisonment to serve as a deterrent to others like him by a Cape Coast circuit court, presided over by Mr. Justice Kwame Ohene-Essel. More…

accra mail online submit confusing report
July 15, 2002: The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) [Ghana] yesterday began investigations into a syndicate of "social clubs" in schools that invite suspected paedophiles from Britain into the country and lure unsuspecting male students to have sex with them. More…

rebuilding my gay identity in ghana
February 1998: 'I am slowly rebuilding my gay identity here in Ghana - one based on activism rather than a relationship. Again from my experience, adults rarely if ever change their minds. Change comes with the (often dis-empowered) youth, as an American Peace Corps volunteer writes in 'a letter from Ghana.' More…