ODI Global 107d ago

Copy and paste anti-LGBTQI+ legislation is spreading across the African continent, but what if these laws are in fact renewing an old western colonial project? Our expert Aatif Somji points out a striking contradiction in the latest episode of Think Change. In many parts of Africa, political debates around anti-homosexuality are often rooted in anti-Western rhetoric and framed as a way to reclaim ‘African values.’ But this ignores the fact that the criminalisation of homosexuality can be traced back to an imposition of British colonial penal codes. While anti-rights actors with money from the US stir up anti-LGBTQI+ politics in Africa, who really is protecting African values? It’s time to expose who is driving this agenda and for a global reckoning on the backlash to rights. The episode examines how gender equality has become a political battleground around the world, and what this could mean for all of us. #Democracy #LGBTQI #GenderEquality #HumanRights #SRHR #ThinkChangePodcast