Faced with increased cases of homosexuality, Malawi has come out of her cocoon to face the issues head on, this time by holding a national religious conference on gays and lesbians.
The conference started Monday this week. Among other things, the country’s largest body representing all denominations, The Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), has invited various religious leaders and groups, as well as international gay rights activists.
MCC Chairperson, Bishop Joseph Bvumbwe, said it was time Malawi faced up to the challenge of homosexuality hence the reason for holding the conference.
Bvumbwe said, by holding the conference, it did not mean that church leaders were subscribing to the idea of legalizing homosexuality relationship in the Southern African Development Community member state.
“Neither are we against. At the moment, we are open-minded and want to hear from both sides of the coin and make an informed decision about homosexuality later. As it is, religious leaders don’t rush to hasty conclusions,” said Bvumbwe.
MCC’s stand has attracted applause from the Malawi Gay Rights Movement (Magrim), a development the movement’s Spokesperson, James Wongani Phiri, described as the “beginning of the best things to come for Malawian gays and lesbians”.
“It is a very good development because people often hide behind religion to violate the rights of minority groups including homosexuals. This is unacceptable,” said Wongani-Phiri.
Wongani-Phiri also hailed Malawi’s donors for giving pressure to the country to respect gay and lesbian rights, saying Malawian homosexuals were living under perpetual fear as the country seemed to have gang up against their cause.
“We thank the governments of Norway, Germany, as well as the European Union for telling Malawi that her human rights record risks being tarnished by minority rights violation. We agree with them,” said Wongani-Phiri.
He said Malawian homosexuals had stepped up their cause, and had now launched a website www.magrim.org where all information pertaining to the plight of Malawian gays and lesbians will be found.
“This is a milestone. By the end of this week, we shall have started posting materials about the gay rights situation in Malawi. People , the media and civil society organization wishing to get more information about our condition, and what we are doing to fight for our rights can also contact us by e-mailing us at infor@magrim.org. We are leaving no stone unturned in the quest for our rights,” said Wongani-Phiri.
The government of Malawi has come under a spate of criticism, this time from the country’s largest grouping of donors, to tread more carefully on gay and lesbian rights, as well as other minority rights.
The group includes the governments of Norway, Germany and other European countries.
The issue of homosexuality came into the limelight in December last year, when Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza organized the first ever public gay engagement on December 26, 2009. They were arrested two days later, on December 28, and have since been held in continued custody.
The Blantyre Magistrates Court will make its ruling on March 22 next week, some three months after the two got arrested.