This link takes you to a page on the Integrity USA website where you can watch a video they have produced called Voices of Witness: Africa.
http://walkingwithintegrity.blogspot.com/2008/07/voices-of-witness-africa.html
Integrity, of course, is an organization which supported the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons in the life of the Church. They are not, by any means, neutral observers.
Voices of Witness: Africa allows a number of GLBT Africans to tell their stories. The run time is 18 minutes and change. (I can't figure out how one might embed the video - which may be due to operating from my brother-in-law's ancient eMac.)
Ruth Gledhill of the Times of London (no liberal activist she) has described the film as "an incredibly powerful and moving film." She also notes that "these people must be applauded for their bravery" given the legal consequences of being openly gay in many parts of Africa. Those penalties include up to 14 years in prison in Nigeria, and life imprisonment in Uganda. The Primate of Nigeria, the Most Rev'd Peter Akinola, has even been supporting legislation which would make it a criminal offence - punishible by five years in prison - to advocate on behalf of the rights of homosexuals. In other words, if the Primate of Nigeria were to get his way, I could be imprisoned for posting this.
Ruth has also done a video interview with film editor Katie Sherrod of Texas (whose blog, Desert's Child, can be foundd in my list of links), which concludes with short excerpt from the film.
(Normally I know how to embed a YouTube video. But like I say, unfamiliar technology. Let's see how it goes.)
Ruth's blog post can be found at: http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2008/07/lambeth-diary-g.html#more
Voices of Witness: Africa has, predictably, elicited a torrent of enraged comment from many "conservative" commentators. So angry are they that the voices of GBLT African Christians might be heardd that they have claimed that it is exploitive to let people tell their own stories. The illogic of hate is on full display in the comments section following Ruth's post. That stuff is mild compared to the toxic vitriol at some of the "conservative" Anglican sites - the ones I refuse to link to.
Malcolm+
1 comment:
My question is - why the degree of hostility? I can read their reasons why but their reaction is so over the top that it appears the film hits some major nerves - for more than the reasons stated. As in, it challenged part of the core of what they believe.
I went back and read Katie Sherrod's original post on the film. It certainly did not reflect what some of the commenters were saying. At least things are a little more balanced on Ruth's blog after those first posts.
Love and Prayers,
Ann Marie
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