Malawi government proceeds with prosecution of male couple for having gay marriage ceremony
”Our laws criminalise homosexuality and what the two did was clearly breaking the laws of Malawi…. As a government we cannot interfere in the court process…. We depend on our Western friends, yes, but we are a sovereign country with own laws.”
Leckford Mwanza Thoto, reported to be Malawi’s Information Minister, explaining that his government and the legal system will not be influenced by Western societies. He is defending the arrest of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a male couple who engaged in a public marriage ceremon, despite the fact that homosexuality remains illegal in that nation. As Thoto admits here, some 40% of the Malawi’s budget come from other countries — most of that coming from London, UK. According to this article a number of political leaders outside of Malawi have expressed their dismay over the couple’s arrest, and have demanded that they be released. (Afrique en linge)
”Tiwonge was born a man but he has always shocked us with his feminine behaviour. He walks, talks and dresses like a woman. This has always been embarrassing to us and people have been accusing us of having bewitched him.”
Tiwonge Chimbalanga‘s uncle, a “Village Headman,” who reportedly looks down on his nephew for being gay/transgender. Chimbalanga was arrested at the end of December after engaging in a marriage ceremony to Steven Monjeza. Chimbalanga has remained confident and defiant that no crime has been committed, while Monjeza has said he doesn’t think the publicity and jail time are worth the hassle, though he said he does love Chimbalanga. Their unexpected story made world headlines a month ago as the first same-sex couple to have a public wedding ceremony. Gay marriage and homosexuality in general are currently illegal in that African nation. The reference to witchcraft in his uncle’s statement is not surprising since many people in Africa have combined tribal beliefs with conservative Christian and Muslim beliefs. All too often people are labeled as witches (including children) and accused of Satanism; then they are sometimes driven out of their homes even murdered. In the African nation of Uganda, preachers and politicians have combined efforts to move toward passage of a bill that will either imprison gay people for life or result in hanging executions. The excuse being used is that homosexuals are child molesters. (IPS News)
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