Being Gay and African: A View from an African Philosopher

Authors

  • Bernard Matolino School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, UKZA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/2056

Keywords:

Same-sex orientation, gay, homosexual, Africa, discrimination, communitarianism

Abstract

In recent times there has been an upsurge in the rejection of gay orientation. A number of African countries have openly legislated against homosexual acts to undergird the belief that such orientation is alien to being African. The vitriol directed at gay people does not make much sense apart from displaying either a deep-seated resentment for the persons or their orientation. What seems valuable and worth of engagement is the claim that being gay or upholding same-sex orientation, is essentially un-African. By setting up a charitable interpretation of what opponents of same-sex relations could possibly take African reality to be, I chart a way that seeks to establish whether their interpretation of that reality is philosophically sound. What could be the basis of objections to homosexuality? What values do they articulate? Crucial to this consideration is the idea of harm. While societies are entitled to protecting themselves (through legislation and other actions if need be) from threats both from within and without, are there good grounds to think that same-sex practices pose an authentic form of harm to warrant taking the steps that some African nations have taken against their gay citizens?

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Appiah, K. A. 1992. In my Father’s House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture. New York: Oxford University Press

Appiah, K. A. 2005. The Ethics of Identity. New Jersey: Princeton University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400826193

Asante, M. K. 2009. “Ancestors.†In Encycloepedia of African Religion, edited by M.K. Asante and A. Mazama. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964623

Bell, R.A. 2002. Understanding African Philosophy: A Cross-Cultural Approach to Classical and Contemporary Issues. New York: Routledge

Boesak, A.A. 2011. “Founded on the Holy Bible … A Bible-believing Judge and the ‘Sin’ of Same-Sex Relationships.†Journal of Gender and Religion in Africa 17 (2): 5–23.

Carew, G. 2004. “Economic Globalism, Deliberative Democracy and the State in Africa.†In A Companion to African Philosophy, edited by K. Wiredu. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.

Epprecht, M. 2001. “‘What an Abomination, a Rottenness of Culture’: Reflections upon the Gay Rights Movement in Southern Africa.†Canadian Journal of Development 22 (4): 1089–1107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2001.9669955

Eze, E. C. (ed.). 1997. Postcolonial African Philosophy: A Critical Reader. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers.

Eze, E. C. (ed.). 1998. African Philosophy: An Anthology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Eze, E. C. 2001. Achieving our Humanity: The Idea of the Postracial Future. New York: Routledge.

Finnis, J. 1995. “Law, Morality, and Sexual Orientation.†Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy (9) 1: 11–39.

Gyekye, K. 1995. An Essay on African Philosophical Thought: The Akan Conceptual Scheme. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gyekye, K. 1997. Tradition and Modernity: Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience. New York: Oxford University Press.

Hallen, B. 2006. African Philosophy: The Analytic Approach. Trenton: Africa World Press.

Hountondji, P. J. 1996. African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Johnson, P. 2013. “Homosexuality and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: What Can Be Learned from the History of the European Convention on Human Rights?†Journal of Law and Society (40) 2: 249–79. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6478.2013.00622.x

Kahn-Fogel, N. A. 2014. “Western universalism and African Homosexualities.†Available from: http//dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2315312 (accessed 3 March 2014). DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2315312

Magorokosho, R. 2011. “Barrenness and Sexuality in the Ndau Community.†In African Sexualities: A Reader, edited by S. Tamale. Cape Town: Pambazuka Press.

Mazama, A. 2009. “Fertility.†In Encycloepedia of African Religion, edited by M. K. Asante and A. Mazama. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Mbiti, J. S. 1970. African Religions and Philosophy. New York: Anchor Books.

Menkiti, I. A. 1984. “Person and Community in African Traditional Thought.†In African Philosophy: An Introduction, edited by R. A. Wright. Lanham: University Press of America.

Murove, M. F. (ed.). 2009. African Ethics: An Anthology of Comparative and Applied Ethics. Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press.

Mutua, M. 2011. “Sexual Orientation and Human Rights: Putting Homophobia on Trial.†In AfricanSexualities: A Reader, edited by S. Tamale. Cape Town: Pambazuka Press.

Ramose, M. B. 2005. African Philosophy Through Ubuntu. Harare: Mond Books Publishers.

Reddy, V. 2001. “Homophobia, Human Rights and Gay and Lesbian Equality in Africa.†Agenda (50): 83–87.

Senghor, L. S. 1964. On African Socialism. New York: Prager.

Serequeberhan, T. 1994. The Hermeneutics of African Philosophy: Horizon and Discourse. London: Routledge.

Shutte, A. 2001. Ubuntu: An Ethic for a New South Africa. Pietermaritzburg: Cluster Publications.

Tamale, S. 2013. “Confronting the Politics of Nonconforming Sexualities in Africa.†African Studies Review (56) 2: 31–45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/asr.2013.40

Togarasei, L. and Chitando, E. 2011. “Beyond the Bible: Critical Reflections on the Contributions of Cultural and Postcolonial Studies on Same-sex Relationships in Africa.†Journal of Gender and Religion in Africa (17) 2: 109–125.

Undie, C. and Benaya, K. 2008. “The State of Knowledge on Sexuality in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Synthesis of Literature†Quest: An African Journal of Philosophy (XX): 119–154.

Van Klinken, A. S., and Masiiwa, M. R. 2012. “Taking up the Cudgels against Gay Rights? Trends and Trajectories in African Christian Theologies on Homosexuality.†Journal of Homosexuality (59) 1: 114–138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2012.638549

Vincent, L. 2009. “Moral Panic and the Politics of Populism.†Representation (45) 2: 213–221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00344890902945871

Wiredu, K. 1996. Cultural Universals and Particulars: An African Perspective. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Wiredu, K. 2006. (ed.). A Companion to African Philosophy. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/b.9781405145671.2005.00001.x

Wiredu, K. 2009. Philosophy and an African Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Downloads

Published

2017-10-04

How to Cite

Matolino, Bernard. 2017. “Being Gay and African: A View from an African Philosopher”. Phronimon 18:59-78. https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/2056.

Issue

Section

Research Articles
Received 2017-01-11
Accepted 2017-04-10
Published 2017-10-04