Malawi witness first gay wedding

  1. Posted on Monday 28 December 2009 - 18:00
    madalitso
    Image of madalitso
    Madalitso Kateta, Africanews reporter in Blantyre, Malawi
    Two gays in Malawi held the first ever public wedding on Saturday. The two - Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza - made history when they publicly announced that there were a couple at a reception held at Makhoma lodge in the outskirts of the city of Blantyre.
    malawi map
    The duo clad in traditional attire were the centre of attraction to hundreds of Malawians that wanted to witness the first couple to defy Malawian conservative laws that make homosexuality illegal.

    Tiwonge the bride who works at the lodge said she was very excited that she was getting into the matrimonial tie with Steven who she has been sharing a house with the past five months.

    The wedding then went emotional when some patrons started to ridicule the two people that they regarded as ‘abnormal’ in the Malawian conservative way of thinking.

    Tiwonge said in an interview that she had spent a lot of money for the engagement and was very worried that people were ridiculing them. Steven said he realized that he was gay when he had met Tiwonge at a church they congregate together some seven months ago.

    He said he previously never had interest in women.

    Homosexuality is frowned upon in the southern African country and carries a maximum of 14 years imprisonment.

    However, Principal Secretary for Nutrition HIV and AIDS in Malawi Dr Mary Shawa recently said there was need to include homosexuals in the national HIV and AIDS response programs just as they include prostitutes that are also not illegal in Malawi.

Reactions

  1. Posted on Monday 28 December 2009 22:41
    wschaaf
    Image of wschaaf


    1 berichten
    Lid sinds December 2009

    "The bride said SHE was very excited" , "Steven said HE realized"

    I thought a gay marriage was between two people of the same sex??
  2. Posted on Tuesday 29 December 2009 08:33
    Mtheto Lungu
    Image of Mtheto Lungu

    Mtheto Lungu
    449 berichten
    Lid sinds August 2009
    Lilongwe

    Wait a minute, this was not a wedding. This was an engagement ceremony and that the wedding was announced would take place next year in 2010.

    Hope this correction will be considered.
    Mtheto Lungu

Latest News

  1. Kenya launches universal HPV vaccine access t…17/05As the world celebrates the Cervical Cancer Week, Kenya has taken a leap of faith by launching universal distribution of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) v…
  2. Malawi Electoral body appeals for ethical…17/05The Malawi Electoral Commission has challenged the media to follow ethical standards in the coverage of the 2014 tripartite elections to avoid fueling…
  3. Amplats to cut 6,000 jobs in South Africa10/05Top global platinum producer Anglo American Platinum announced on Friday that it will cut 6,000 jobs at its South African operations, in a move that r…
  4. Kofi Annan: Africa plundered by secret mining…10/05Tax avoidance, secret mining deals and financial transfers are depriving Africa of the benefits of its resources boom, ex-UN chief Kofi Annan has…
  5. Bomb blasts rock Libyan city of Benghazi10/05A bomb has exploded outside the a police station in the Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, Reuters news agency reports.
  6. Kenya calls on UN to drop Kenyatta trials10/05Kenya has written to the UN Security Council seeking to scrap the international crimes against humanity trials for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Vi…
  7. Zanu PF Spruces up Voter Victimization…02/05Zanu PF has perfected its intimidation and coercive electoral machinery ahead of Zimbabwe’s next elections, an investigative visit to Mutoko…
  8. Africa Oil & Gas, Finance & Investment…02/05AME Trade Ltd are happy to announce the launch of the Africa Oil & Gas, Finance & Investment Forum (http://www.aogfi.com). This event is suppo…
  9. Cameroon: Anti-poaching Operations Intensified02/05Wildlife authorities in Cameroon arrested 20 suspects and confiscated 45 guns during a 10-day anti-poaching operation that targeted elephant poachers …
  10. Mugabe warns against foreign interference19/04Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has said he will not accept foreign interference during elections later this year.
  11. Cameroonian Scholar Wins 2013 'African He…19/04Internationally-recognised anthropologist, University of Cape Town's, UCT, Prof. Francis Beng Nyamnjoh was named African Hero of the Year for 201…
  12. SAA receives most on-time airline in the world…19/04South African Airways (SAA) has received two major endorsements from respected industry experts. In the first, SAA topped the list of the most on-time…
  13. Action Plan Launched to end preventable deaths…12/04UNICEF and the WHO have launched a new action plan tackling for the first time two of the three biggest killer diseases of children under five in Afri…
  14. Eurochannel picks EUTELSAT 16A to extend reach…12/04The range of channels broadcasting across sub-Saharan Africa via the EUTELSAT 16A satellite further increased today with the launch of Eurochannel, th…
  15. Madonna in bitter war of words with Malawi aft…12/04Pop star Madonna is causing a commotion in Malawi, days after her return from a goodwill trip to the nation. The singer is in a bitter feud with the …
News archive