Speaker Kadaga promises to revive shelved gay Bill

By Isaac Imaka IN SUMMARY The Speaker’s promise follows her experience in Canada, where foreign officials asked her to block the bill. Entebbe Days after her defence against a Canadian minister’s attacks on Uganda over homosexuality, Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has promised to expedite the debate on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Ms Kadaga made the assurance while addressing religious leaders and journalists at Entebbe International Airport on Monday. “They said I should stop the debate on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill but I assured them there is no way I can block a private members Bill,” she said. At the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Quebec, Canada, Ms Kadaga was involved in an altercation with that country’s Foreign Affairs minister, Mr John Baird, after the latter accused Uganda of trampling on human rights. The accusation saw Ms Kadaga tell the minister to stick to the day’s theme and respect Uganda’s sovereignty. “I will not accept to be intimidated or directed by any government in the world on matters of homosexuality,” she said, adding that she was not aware she was speaking for many people in the world, some of whom were in the conference. “I was surprised when colleagues came and thanked me saying that’s what they have always wanted to say but they had never gotten the courage to. That when it came to me that I had spoken for the whole of Africa, for the Arab world and Asians,” she said. The welcome ceremony and press briefing was organised by religious leaders, former Ethics and Integrity Minister Nsaba Buturo and the mover of the Bill, Mr David Bahati, all of whom are pushing for the enactment of the anti-homosexuality Bill. A large procession comprising members of different Pentecostal churches, Makerere University students and boda boda cyclists camped at the airport from 10am to after midnight when Ms Kadaga emerged to greet them as they ululated and waved placards appreciating her boldness in Canada. “You are our saviour, we want the bill now,” one of the placards read. Pastor Michael Were, who spoke on behalf of the religious leaders, called on other national leaders to follow Ms Kadaga’s footsteps for the sake of the country’s culture and traditions. Asked whether she was not mindful of Uganda being denied aid and her being denied entry visas to pro-gay countries, Ms Kadaga said such countries were welcome to keep their aid and visas. iimaka@ug.nationmedia.com

UGANDAN UNIVERSITY INVITED EDITOR OF HANG THE GAYS ARTICLE NOW ISSUES STATEMENT OF REGRET

Despite the first public retraction by Giles Muhame of his hang the gays campaign: “Had the Vice-Chancellor’s office known about this invitation and the background of the individual the invitation would have been withdrawn.” By Private Courts, San Francisco- October 20, 2012-Deputy Vice-chancellor Dr. David Young, of the University of Victoria, Kampala, Uganda, issued an apology this week, indicating the University’s regret at hosting Giles Muhame, the managing editor of the “Hang-the Gays” Tabloid, Rolling Stone. Muhame delivered a speech earlier this month to students at the University’s new Department of Journalism, after receiving an invitation by journalism Professor Alan Geere. Muhame contacted Melanie Nathan and provided her with a transcript while boasting about his speech at the University earlier this month. Nathan, an advocate for LGBTI human rights, who has written extensively about Uganda’s LGBTI community’s struggle, immediately issued a complaint about the invitation to the University, through the advocacy firm Private Courts, Inc. Muhame commenced his speech to the students with his first ever public expression of regret since Rolling Stone’s notorious article in 2010,“ 100 Pictures of Uganda’s Top Homos Leak” with a picture of a noose and the further caption – “HANG THEM!.” The Article used pictures including a hangman’s noose to out gays and lesbians in Uganda, causing untold harm resulting in the ostracizing, beatings and arrests of some Ugandans, while others fled the country. In his speech Muhame makes a first ever admission that he waged a campaign to hang the gays and that he had caused harm: “The Rolling Stone made mistakes, which I regret and think, should have been avoided. It was the youthful adrenaline that overrode our reason. It was not necessary to wage a campaign for the hanging of gays. I think we could have prepared a better story without jeopardizing the safety of a minority group. The story under the headline “Hang Them” cost the newspaper its future. It’s not a good thing to be known for doing the wrong thing. (Applause).” “Even though he has made this admission, it was inadequate and self serving,” noted Nathan. “Under the circumstances this invitation was highly offensive to all journalists and also the LGBT communities around the world. The Ugandan leaks went viral and Muhame’s actions were deadly,” said Nathan. Furthermore, “Giles Muhame has yet to apologize or make amends to the LGBTI community and the specific people he harmed.” Muhame lost a lawsuit brought against him and the tabloid by Ugandan gay activists including since murdered David Kato. Muhame was ordered to retract the publication and pay shs 4.5million to the gay activists who sued him. However he vowed to ignore the judgment through a Press Release referring to his victims as “shamed homos” and stated further:- “We would have paid them but doing so is as good as paying a tribute to those who promote sexual identity confusion and related madness. We remain strong and indeed in times of war, losses are expected.” Melanie Nathan noted in her letter to the Vice-Chancellor’s office:- “Your Journalism Department at Victoria University invited one of the world’s most unethical and disrespected ‘journalists’ to speak to its students.” Nathan went on to note: “What the world thinks of Muhame is summed up by U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, in her letter to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton asking for the denial of a U.S. Visa to Muhame, as follows: “Under Mr. Muhame’s editorship, Rolling Stone incited violence and murder against non-heterosexuals…. This hate filled man has fanned the flames with violence and intolerance, and is both a danger and a disgrace.” (See the letter: http://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2012/07/11/congresswoman-requests-secretary-clinton-to-deny-us-entry-to-giles-muhame/ ) The Private Court’s complaint expressed: “Nothing Muhame says or does can restore him to journalistic integrity until such time as he apologizes publicly to the 100 gays he outed, the entire community and makes some form of reparation to David Kato’s mother and Ugandans who had to flee Uganda as a result of the publication.” Nathan says that the Acting Vice-Chancellor Young was very responsive to the complaint. She was very pleased with the University’s response, which is published here in the following statement in its entirety: “STATEMENT ISSUED IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINT FROM MELANIE NATHAN, PRIVATE COURTS. INC: Universities should strive to achieve a balance between protecting and promoting free speech and critical thinking on the one hand and, on the other, preventing the use of their facilities as platforms for those who are intent upon inciting hatred of groups or individuals or of inciting violence or disruption. In the case of the presenter you are complaining about some the views he promoted previously in his journal Rolling Stone fell in the category of inciting hatred of groups and/or individuals and would, in many countries, have incurred the wrath of the criminal law. He has since expressed a degree of regret for the expression of these views – as indeed he did during his talk at Victoria University. Furthermore, he made no attempt during his visit to promote the unacceptable views previously published. The visit was part of a series of presentations from representatives of both the mainstream and alternative media to our students on the Media, Communication and Journalism course in order to expose them to different models of journalism and how these publications are formulated in terms of editorial stance and business model. However, expressions of regret for having caused extreme harm are only convincing if complete and unreserved. Unreserved and unqualified regret and apology should certainly be a minimum condition for re-acceptance in the worldwide academic community. Had the Vice-Chancellor’s office known about this invitation and the background of the individual the invitation would have been withdrawn. Victoria University abhors and condemns unequivocally the statements made in Rolling Stone and elsewhere which incited hatred of, or violence against, individuals or groups of people. We apologize for having provided a platform which was likely to cause offense to those people affected by these unacceptable statements. This case has acted as a prompt for us to formulate our policy on guest speakers and our new policy document will be presented to the next meeting of our Senate. We will also be requiring with immediate effect that all proposals for guest speakers must be subject to the approval of the Vice-Chancellor’s office. These measures are designed to ensure compliance from now on with the principles expressed in paragraph one of this statement. Dr David Young Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor Victoria University 17 October 2012” O-BLOG-DEE-O-BLOG-DA – Private Courts, Inc. © 2012, All rights Reserved. Permission to Republish Statement with article only and as long as it is published without any edit and in full or link to this page as source. ————————————————————————————————————- Melanie Nathan, Executive Director, Private Courts Inc. MELANIE NATHAN is the founding director of Private Courts Inc. an international and U.S. mediation, equality and human rights advocacy firm based in Marin County, California. Nathan’s CV can be found at www.visualcv.com/melnathanShe can be contacted at nathan@privatecourts.com

Uganda National Anthem

1. Oh Uganda! may God uphold thee, We lay our future in thy hand. United, free, For liberty Together we'll always stand. 2. Oh Uganda! the land of freedom. Our love and labour we give, And with neighbours all At our country's call In peace and friendship we'll live. 3. Oh Uganda! the land that feeds us By sun and fertile soil grown. For our own dear land, We'll always stand: The Pearl of Africa's Crown.

Statement by Gen. Tinyefunza

Fellow Ugandans The country is witnessing a lot of violence, disruption of social life and general apprehension of the people of Uganda. The population is beginning to feel unsure about the future and generally insecure. This is a complete reversal of the feeling and belief which our people had when they defeated dictatorship. Therefore, this is a call to all those involved in the management of public affairs to reflect and pull back a little to make sure they fully understand where the country is going, current forces at play and the challenges that face us. Let us not destroy all that has been achieved over years. This is therefore, a statement against the creeping lawlessness, impunity, primitive arrogance and insensitive behaviour, which are increasingly being exhibited by some actors who manage the affairs of the state. The violence against the population by those permitted by the law to protect the people must stop. Politicians using the coercive organs of the state to enrich themselves must stop. Those unguided and also misguided actions are resulting in so much anarchy and indiscipline in the country, murders, mob justice, land grabbing by the rich, sickening robberies of government money and assets sugar-coated as “corruption” and other social ills. Politicians can fight their political wars but should leave the people of Uganda in peace. The poor people who are being beaten and flogged, women undressed in front of their children and cameras, are the ones whose poor parents fought the war of liberation. They are the people who housed us, gave us food, provided us with intelligence and offered their all to create a better future. Nobody has a right to abuse them. Our women must not be stripped and beaten and whoever does it will become the new enemy. The poor people of Uganda should be treated humanely and should not be flogged on the streets. While the rich are cleaning streets so that their big cars don’t step on the rubbish, our poor masses are sleeping on empty stomachs, sleeping in open spaces without houses, sleeping in and actually eating the rubbish being swept off the streets. Yes, development is good but development must be planned, it must not be anti-people and fascist methods must never be used against our people and in any case, that situation is not sustainable and it never has been. These actions can lead to very serious insecurity and destabilization of the whole country. Therefore, those involved should watch out. They must remember that Uganda has passed through a lot, achieved a lot and can still take care of its own should need arise. Let us all work together to reverse this trend. Uganda belongs to all of us and let us own it and be happy in it. Restraint please. Gen. David Sejusa (aka Tinyefuza) MP, Coordinator Security Services.

Minister Lokodo appears in court for closing gay meeting

By Anthony Wesaka Ethics Minister Fr Simon Lokodo on Monday appeared before the High Court in Kampala over the closure of a gay meeting in Entebbe, but was not cross examined as earlier expected. This followed an agreement by lawyers of the two camps who said court, presided over by Justice Eldad Mwangushya, should rely on sworn affidavits made by witnesses to resolve the matter. Fr Lokodo, along with the Attorney General, is being sued by four gay activists – Jacqueline Kasha Nabagesera, Julian Pepe Onziema, Frank Mugisha and Geoffrey Ogwaro – who accuse him of infringing on their rights when he closed their ongoing two –week meeting in February. The workshop in question was secretly organized by Freedom and Roam Uganda, an association that lobbies for the recognition of same sex relationships in Uganda, at Imperial Resort Beach Entebbe in February. “ The matter was coming up for cross examination today but after perusal of the proceedings, counsel for both sides agreed that there is no need for cross examination as they will rely on filed affidavits before the court,” Francis Onyango, a lawyer for the gay activists, told court. Senior Principal State Attorney Patricia Muteesi, who is representing minister Lokodo and the Attorney General, was in agreement with the suggestion. Justice Mwangushya welcomed the move saying it is “the best option.” The two camps agreed to file written submissions to assist court resolve the issues. The court gave the gay activists up to September 26 to file in their submissions, while Fr Lokodo and the Attorney General have up to October 19. The two sides will return to court on November 5 to highlight on the written submissions before a judgment date can be set. Fr Lokodo told this newspaper after the trial that he maintains his stand of closing any gay meeting, saying the practice is unnatural. “I still commit myself of dispersing any gathering organised by the gays. Homosexuality is unnatural: the Constitution and the Penal Code spell that out clearly.” Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, punishable under section 145 of the Penal Code Act as a crime against morality. awesaka@ug.nationmedia.com 24 comments delimoo • 20 hours ago the gay activists are trying to publicise themselves so that the u.s embassy can give them visas to go to america for kyeyo, it is not that they believe in this abominable and obnoxious gayism 7 3 •Reply•Share › Frankie Gold • 16 hours ago • parent Its not about Kyeyo, its about freedom. 2 1 •Reply•Share › Aisha • 18 hours ago • parent True Delimo! Believe me if these gays in uganda think these western countries love them..let them gather themselves and go to American, British and Germany embassies and apply for visas to the mentioned countires.. and see if they will be granted visas. These idiots have no inkling that western countries love us when we are in our countries..not when we are in their countires. 0 •Reply•Share › Onaba A • 20 hours ago Fr Lokodo, Continue the fight' we are behind you. The children of the Serpent are out again like it was in the days of Noah. Their wicked ancestor Cain who himself was an express image of Satan.. left untold appearance that up-to this date dents human genuine character as aught to be by Gods creation standard... (They are an icon of disgrace to life) they are worthy of hell, where they come from... 6 2 •Reply•Share › delimo • 20 hours ago i left a message and it was rejected. i was saying the so called gay are tricksters trying to publicise themselves so that the american embassy can give them visas to go yto america and do kyeyo, they are not really gays 4 2 •Reply•Share › tumweboneire Jackson • 20 hours ago Let the gays come to cross examine the minister, be arrested and charged for the offences they think are allowed in our society!!! 2 •Reply•Share › RUWENZORI • 18 hours ago • parent Economic opportunist calling themselves gay rights, some of them are just surviving on those games to get rich we know so well. Fr. Lokodo go go go disperse more meetings and workshops. 0 •Reply•Share › Concerned • 19 hours ago Fr Lokodo, Continue the fight' we are behind you.Yes, homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, punishable under section 145 of the Penal Code Act as a crime against morality. 2 1 •Reply•Share › Steve • 3 hours ago Why are the gays even allowed to take a minister to court? This is not right. These gays should not be allowed to hold any meetings again. Let them go out but here, wano ewaffe nedda. Tetujja kukiliza. 0 •Reply•Share › SmoothTouch • 3 hours ago To preserve morality of our society, continue the fight Fr. 0 •Reply•Share › Boston USA • 4 hours ago Those who think there's kyeyo in America are westing their time. Let them come and see how they will be frustrated and especially being G makes it more hard than expected. 0 •Reply•Share › sammy g • 4 hours ago lousy ugandans...no wonder the govt continues to trample on your rights....even the NRM sees opposition as unnatural so with the same argument it can continue to trample on their rights....Nobody forces anyone to like gays...if that meeting was never stopped most of us would never have heard of it but when we get zealots like lokodo and backed by many intolerant ugandans then it gets all the publicity 0 •Reply•Share › Ben • 5 hours ago Those gays are sick. Even mad men never accepst they are mad. The way forward is to find medical remedies instead of wasting useful time discussing this hell-bound vice. 0 •Reply•Share › ugandalife • 14 hours ago I feel like I'm in a time warp, transported back to the 1950's. The comments posted remind me of my youth when we went around gay-bashing in North America. It took time for people to realize that being gay was not a choice but truly medical. As sport celebrities came out of the closet, more people began to understand that their sports heroes were just human beings. They were not evil or sick, just people who were attracted to same sex partners. Eventually, Ugandans will evolve from their narrow-mindedness and learn to accept people for who they are and not what they are. No, I'm not gay but I've been fortunate enough to meet people who are. They come in various professions and chances are, you have probably met and talked to one (or more) and never knew it. 0 •Reply•Share › Moses Okello • 14 hours ago Bravo Jacqueline Kasha Nabagesera, Julian Pepe Onziema, Frank Mugisha and Geoffrey Ogwaro. Why a country that claims to be governed on the foundation of the Rule Of Law like Uganda continues to embrace a culture of intolerance? It’s good that Ms Nabagesera, Onziema, Mugisha and Ogwaro, you have boldly come out to show that guy and the Government of Uganda, does not and cannot work in isolation. Since Uganda is a signatory to International Conventions against discrimination, they should comply to those International Standards. First of all they violate the Human Rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Uganda. Considering the fact that Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees Equality and discourage discrimination of individuals because of their Sexual Orientation, you find that, the government is destined to pay heavy fines in compensations to a few individuals. Because of the ignorance of some individuals in government, he didn’t know that he was touching untouchable area. Even when he knew that; Article 21 [Equality and Freedom from Discrimination] of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda state: “ (1) All persons are equal before and under the law in all spheres of political; economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect and shall enjoy equal protection of the Law.” He did not care before taking such stupid action. LGBTs, have never been a problem to Uganda, we have more pressing problem such as: Bad Governance; Massive Corruption and High Mortality Rate, and Ignorance at the forefront. Possibly, this Minister, Fr. Simon Lokodo, didn’t know that, he was infringing Commonwealth Values. He [as Minister] should have been in the know that, Uganda is a member of Commonwealth, and the values of that CLUB to which Uganda is a signatory. The State is bound to be defeated because rights values, which were endorsed by the Commonwealth in its 1979 Lusaka Declaration. The 1991 Harare Declaration and the Port of Spain Affirmative of Commonwealth Value Article 5 of this affirmation commits a member country to protect and promote of quality and human rights without discrimination on any ground, including: sexual orientation and gender identity. The Minister also violated the African Charter, because it is presumed that, he knew that, he was working or doing all he did well knowing that, the Anti-Homosexuality [David Bahati’s unguided Bill], violates the equality and anti-discrimination provisions of the African Charter on Human Rights and People’s Rights, to which Uganda is a signatory and pledge to uphold. Ms Nabagesera, Onziema, Mugisha and Ogwaro, please, don't untie the noose. Keep on, others like Pastor Martin Sempa and company will learn a bitter lesson from this landmark suit. 0 •Reply•Share › klugasc • 15 hours ago This Lokodo guy is clearly an ignorant homophobe. God created gays that way, the same way he created blacks, whites. There's nothing wrong with being gay. He needs to stop the harrassment of gays because every Ugandan has equal freedom of speech under the constitution. 0 •Reply•Share › Jimmy • 16 hours ago enough of this ... some sanity. i doubt that there are gay Ugandans. 0 •Reply•Share › Gerald Kamya Kimpi Kiwuka • 17 hours ago This is fire that started burning internally long ago and it might have also been quietly even within some churches which do not allow their priests to make marriages. It may be difficult to stop such acts which people engage in indirectly within their rooms. 0 •Reply•Share › PStwagira • 17 hours ago Fr. Lokodo told this newspaper after the trial that he maintains his stand of closing any gay meeting, saying the practice is unnatural. The man of God please keep your opinion to yourself that it is not natural, what will happen if you are proved otherwise This priest turned politician seems to be living in a closed box Your opinion shouldn't be asserted on other people's freedom the guys who were interrupted by your ignorance have the right to enjoy the natural free oxygen which was taken away by honourable minister taking law in his hands being a judge and jury MAN SHALL NEVER PASS JUDGEMENT ON FELLOW MAN 0 •Reply•Share › Jibril Nturi • 18 hours ago These cats and dogs who are being sponsored by some thugs in Westren Europe to promote homosexuality in Uganda must be fought from all angles.The dangers of the vice in a country like Uganda are very clear and pose a serious threat to our society,especially the urban careless youth and the rural ignorant poor.Already the country is struggling to put the HIV threat at bay;and the mad people are seeking to open up a new battle front.Even the intergrity of the lawyers employed to defend these thugs must be questioned. 0 •Reply•Share › Fz Wagaba • 18 hours ago Live and Let Live!!! 0 •Reply•Share › nkoye • 18 hours ago my comments never come through. 0 •Reply•Share › mesemese • 18 hours ago You mean people are ignorant enough to do this for a visa. Then when they get to "the promised land" what next? 0 •Reply•Share › kibanzanga43 • 16 hours ago Do not even waste your precious time Fr. Mokodo, cut things short; have that thing called jacqueline or whatever the hell itself, get it linched and that will the end of the case.

Some unsolicited advice to Hon. Oromait, our youngest-ever MP

By Daniel K. Kalinaki Dear Proscovia Alengot Oromait, congratulations on your election as Member of Parliament for Usuk County. Many people have taken issue with the small matter of your age. They say that at 19 you are barely out of your nappies and are therefore untested in the important issues of national politics. They wonder how you will be able to make informed contributions during debate on the national budget when you can’t score a credit in economics to save your life. They wonder how you will go from skipping a rope with your friends to skipping committee meetings in a space of two months. I say ignore the lot of them! The people of Usuk must know something the rest of us don’t know. In electing you they have not only helped reduce the average age of the Parliament; they might have recognised that these days one needs neither experience nor brains to become an MP. In fact, as you will soon notice from your other honourable colleagues, you do not even really have to attend parliamentary sessions if they clash with your classes, should you find a university willing to take your grades (many will be willing to take your money, thank-you-very-much). All you have to do is turn up in the morning, sign in, and then saunter off to the hair saloon or to the lecture room. In the afternoon, there is something called a plenary where MPs assemble in the parliamentary chamber to take a collective nap. Every so often, one or two take to the microphones and go on about this and that. If the topic they choose to speak about is controversial, there might be many more who want to weigh in (which means to join in, not jump onto a weighing scale). This might cause some noise in the chamber and disrupt your nap. Don’t worry about Hon. Henry Kajura – NOTHING can disrupt his nap! The plenary session is recorded and broadcast live on TV. It is a good opportunity to show all those ‘haters’ that you can also debate and speak English. Seize the opportunity and show them that you are not “a joking subject”. Resist the temptation to send greetings to your family members though! Every so often, a matter comes up in the plenary on which you are required to vote. This is the only time you really need to be in Parliament and awake at the same time, according to your party chairman. And if you intend to catch a nap, do remind someone to wake you up to vote. You should be able to find a fellow MP who is awake to do this for you, unless you are appointed minister and have to sit on the front bench; in which case you will need to set an alarm for yourself and the rest of the bench. You will all need it. Once in a while, you will need to make a contribution to the debate. The matter under discussion might be beyond your comprehension or you might have nothing useful to say or add. That is fine; that puts you in the majority in the House. Remain calm and stand tall. Remember all those debates you had in primary school on ‘Mother is better than Father’; ‘Fire is better than Water’, etc? The debate here is whether the NRM is better than the Opposition. That’s what it’s mostly about. The rest is detail. When you speak, use phrases like “the people of Usuk” or “ordinary Ugandans”. If that doesn’t help, play the age card; point out that there are more 19-year-olds than 39- and 49-year-olds and that the youth of this country deserve to be heard. This will probably get you the attention you want, so you had better have something smart to say when the room falls quiet. Avoid putting yourself in this situation, unless you revised the night before and wrote down your main points. Do not let your age intimidate you; you might be the youngest in the House but you are not the only MP with the mental age of a 19-year-old. And always remember; your election shows either your party is now radical enough to bring youthful change through the ranks, or has lost its anchor and is now drifting out to sea, a rudderless vessel chockfull with buccaneering ‘patriots’. You do not have to be 19 to answer that question. dkalinaki@ug.nationmedia.com

‘British artiste promoting homosexuality in Uganda’

The homosexual community in Uganda is crying foul over David Cecil’s arrest, saying it is part of the government’s blatant violation of the rights of homosexuals in Uganda. But members of the public The Observer sampled say the British producer and proprietor of Tilapia Cultural Centre is one of the many foreigners bent on promoting homosexuality in Uganda. “He deserves whatever punishment he gets,” said one man after hearing the David Cecil story. Cecil was released on bail on Monday. Last week, police arrested and charged him with disobeying lawful orders after he staged his play, The River and the Mountain in theatres in Kampala without clearance from the Media Council. The play is critical of the Uganda government and how it has handled homosexuality. Its main character is a young Ugandan businessman who loses his friends and is eventually murdered after revealing he is gay. According to information website Wikipedia, the dramatic comedy was to be staged at the National Theatre but had to relocate after the Media Council, on August 16, provisorily banned its performance in public. Officials accuse Cecil of disobeying the Media Council’s orders by staging performances in Kampala theatres last month. The chief magistrate’s court in Makindye granted him a cash bail of Shs 500,000 and Shs 1m non-cash for each of his three sureties. Cecil will appear again in court on October 8. Giles Muhame, former editor and founder of the defunct Rolling Stone newspaper, which, in 2010, lost a court battle to gay rights activists, said: “The law should take its course. Uganda has its own laws, which must be adhered to. Cecil is not above the law.” With the anti-homosexuality bill tabled by Ndora West MP, David Bahati, in 2009, Uganda has roundly been declared by the international community as homophobic — a label that has not prevented security agencies from barring gatherings of members of the homosexual community, or religious and political leaders from criticising the ‘homosexual agenda’ and its alleged promoters (the West and some NGOs). But critics of the bill say the charges against Cecil are a repression of freedom of expression reminiscent of the colonial era. “This is just a continuation of the intimidation that the government is determined to place on our work . . . It does not matter whether it is in the NGO world or the liberal arts,” said Clare Byarugaba, coordinator of the Uganda Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law, an organisation whose members were threatened with a ban for promoting gay rights. While the Media Council insists that the play was obnoxious and painted Ugandan people as violent, Byarugaba says they are optimistic that Cecil will not be found guilty and will not have to face the two-year imprisonment that awaits him if court decides otherwise. “Before he staged the play, we (the coalition) advised him to get lawyers, because we knew the government’s reaction on anything to do with homosexuality,” Byarugaba said. “He sent the script to the Media Council and there was nothing in it to stop it from running. It was not pornographic or anything.” Wikipedia quotes the minister of Ethics, Rev Simon Lokodo, as saying the play “justified the promotion of homosexuality in Uganda.” He added: “We will put pressure on anyone who says this abomination is acceptable.” According to Wikipedia, Cecil is a Ugandan-British theatre producer and the controversial play was written by Beau Hopkins, a British writer in Kampala, directed by Angela Emurwon, and the cast is all-Ugandan. pakumu@observer.ug