Cultural Imperialism

The West's Singular LBGTQ Focus on African Christian Nations

In July 2015, then-U.S. President Barack Obama made a historic visit to Kenya as the first African American President. Of course, Barack Obama is also of Kenyan descent. As was nervously anticipated by some, Obama took the occasion to, according to CNN, lecture Kenyan President (Uhuru Kenyatta) on gay rights. July 2015 was also one month after the United States Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. Shortly Before Obama’s visit to Kenya, Western reporters repeatedly questioned African heads of state about LBGTQ rights. Under the Biden administration, those questions and denunciations — from the media as well as administration officials — have only increased and intensified.

In December 2022 during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, State Department officials “challenged President Yoweri Museveni on Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ laws and policies.” In March 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Ghana and, in a similar fashion to Barack Obama, publicly chided President Akufo-Addo on his nation’s anti-LBGTQ position. Uganda and other African nations have only doubled down on their stance and, last week, a BBC headline read World Bank halts new Uganda loans over anti-LGBTQ+ law.

According to Pew Research, Africa is home to the world’s most committed and devout Christians, (and by 2050, will have the largest population of Christians in the world). This means that generally speaking, African Christians have a very fundamentalist view of scripture which would naturally include biblical marriage and sexual relations. In Western speak, they are social conservatives. But this is not unlike most nations in the region, be they majority Muslim or Christian.

So, why is the Biden administration, as was the Obama administration, so focused on waging a culture war exclusively against African Christian nations? While China, Russia, and Iran (with its terrorist cells) deepen their economic and political ties on the continent, why are the White House and Western financial institutions choosing to make LBGTQ rights the price of doing business only for African Christians? According to France24News:

South Africa is the sole nation on the African continent to allow gay marriage, which it legalised in 2006. Around 30 African countries ban homosexuality, with Mauritania, Somalia, and Sudan (all Muslim majority nations) having the death penalty for same-sex relations.

Neither the Obama nor Biden White Houses publically called out Mauritania, Somalia, or Sudan for killing gay men. Homosexuality is also punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. has had full diplomatic relations with the Saudi royal family since 1931 and, according to IBSI’s research has never once called out Saudi Arabia for homophobia.

In The Guardian’s 2016 article entitled Everything you need to know about being gay in Muslim countries, it states:

Among other Arab countries, the penalty in Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar…Tunisia and Syria is imprisonment – up to 10 years in the case of Bahrain. In those that have no specific law against homosexuality, gay people may still be prosecuted under other laws. In Egypt, for example, an old law against “debauchery” is often used.

Vice President Kamala Harris has not been dispatched to Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, or Tunisia to defend the LBGTQ community. Gay marriage is illegal in Ukraine, yet that has not stopped the Biden administration from sending over $100 billion to aid Ukraine’s fight against Russia to defend the “liberal world order.” As I have heard from many African colleagues and friends, Africa is taking notice of these glaring hypocrisies. It is clear to them that they are being held to a double standard and a general distrust of the U.S. is growing as a result.

Recently, I was in Israel as the only American delegate of the 2023 Africa Leadership Summit led by Nigerian Pastor Olusegun Olanipekun, founder of the Africa-Israel Chamber of Commerce. Other delegates were Africans from South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, England, and Wales. On the second day of the Summit, the attendees met with business leaders and NGO heads at Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv. One of the Israeli NGOs gave a 20-minute presentation that included a video in which Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden were prominently featured. When the presentation was over and the NGO leader began Q&A, there was a slight but noticeable pause among the delegates. Finally, one of the pastors spoke politely but firmly, “We are not in agreement with the LBGTQ agenda. You should know this when you show your video to other Africans.”

Somewhat startled, the Israeli NGO leader replied, “The most draconian laws against the LBGTQ community (in Christian Africa) are in Uganda and we still work with Uganda. We work everywhere in Africa.”

That was the end of the exchange. The rest of the Q&A flowed freely. Both men were firm in their stance yet respectful in their demeanor and resolved in their goal of working together for the common good of the African people and a strong Africa-Israel alliance.

I tell that story for two reasons: 1) While Israel’s laws regarding gay marriage and LBGTQ rights are very different than those of African and Arab states in the region, Israel respects the rights of those nations to determine their own course on the matter. 2) The White House’s attempts to force African Christian nations to conform to its laws on sex and sexuality had a direct and inappropriate bearing on the conversation between African and Israeli leaders.

Irit Tratt, Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) recently wrote a piece for JNS.org entitled Israel’s autonomous Africa policy. In the piece, Irit makes a concise yet strong argument for Israel charting its own course with its African neighbors despite some disagreements with the U.S. After describing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s and Biden’s divergence on Israel’s policy toward Russia and Ukraine, Irit noted:

Israel’s unwillingness to compromise its security needs to placate White House demands was quietly accepted by the U.S.

Israel should take a similar position in regard to Africa. An autonomous Israeli policy of cementing African alliances will foil Iran’s attempts to enter Africa and help reverse anti-Western sentiments rising on the continent. The White House may object, but such a policy is clearly in Israel’s best interests.

While America’s positive influence in Africa and the Middle East is waning, the Biden White House is further exacerbating the issue by inexplicably antagonizing African Christians — this, as we have demonstrated, under the guise of human rights concerns. With Africa’s limitless potential for growth and prosperity, this approach is extremely unwise, shortsighted, and ill-advised. In this scenario, Africa is the Black child on the playground being discriminated against while the other children are allowed to do as they please. This is a new day. With its abundant resources and fast-growing, business-minded populace, Africa is not a child, and the West seems determined to learn this the hard way.