The West Sneezes, LGBTQ+ People in Africa Get a Cold

Problematizing the increasing crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Africa.

Jun 9, 2024

Soweto Pride 2023. AYANDA MZIZA / FLICKR. Collage by THE REPUBLIC.

The increasing passage of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and sentiment in Africa is typically viewed through two lenses: the persistence of colonial laws and the influence of patriarchal nationalists who lay claim to cultural sovereignty by reinforcing patriarchal structures. However, there’s a more intricate dynamic at play between these two. The colonial laws are not new, and the homophobia of African states has been established since the colonial project. So why are we witnessing a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Africa, especially amid global progress for LGBTQ+ rights?

An overlooked aspect is the intersection between the continuous Western imperialism and the agendas of patriarchal nationalists, and how these two inform each other. Recent examples from Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda illustrate a pattern: the enactment of laws criminalizing homosexuality under the guise of preserving ‘family values’ and resisting perceived Western influence.

In Uganda, the passage of the harsh Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2023 worsened the situation for LGBTQ+ people. Kenya’s proposed 2023 Family Protection Bill infringes on fundamental rights such as assembly, privacy, and access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. The bill aims to outlaw consensual same-sex activity and marriage. In Ghana, the 2024 Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act was passed in February 2024, which prohibits LGBTQ+ advocacy, among other impediments to LGBTQ+ rights.

However, a noteworthy question is: are these countries rejecting LGBTQ+ people or what they perceive to be Western values? There is an occurrence that places the answer between these two.

While this essay primarily focuses on Nigeria, as nuances of other African countries differ, the trends are similar. It is important to zoom in on a specific state to show the complexity of this problem and how it manifests in various African countries.

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About the Author

Adebayo Quadry-Adekanbi

is a Sociology PhD candidate at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on the intersectional politics of queer activism and feminism in Nigeria, along with principles of postcolonial and Black queer feminist theory.

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The West Sneezes, LGBTQ+ People in Africa Get a Cold