By Austin Ogwuda
Literary giant, Chinua Achebe, before passing to the great beyond, deemed it fit to write this iconic book, titled – ‘THERE WAS A COUNTRY’.
When I watched the parade of 67 homosexuals comprising of young boys and girls by the Police in Delta for attending a wedding ceremony of gays (two men) getting married as husband and wife, my mind flashed back to this very book as if Achebe saw today.
This 333-page book is a classical example of the damage the western civilization has done to the African culture.
Hear what Achebe said, page 54 ….”When the first Europeans came to Africa they knew very little of the history of and complexity of the people and the continent.
“Some of that group persuaded themselves that Africa had no culture, no religion, and no history”.
But is it true that Africans didn’t have culture before the colonization.
Certainly, No!
Culture, which identifies a people with their dress attires, dance, food including marriage is unique to different ethnic groups especially in Nigeria.
When you hear that a marriage ceremony is coming up, either in the Northern part of the country or be it from the East or West, it has been a soleminization of a couple comprising man and the opposite sex – a woman.
As I said it is unique.
That is why till today the Scottish traditional dress stands out. For ages it has been like that.
That is a cultural identity. And they are proud of it.
If culture is clearly defined as – a way of life of a group of people – their behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.
Why then, we in Africa drop our own cultural heritage and adopt the ‘oyibo’ man’s own blindly and in turn, desecrate the land.
Take note I am carefully choosing my words before I am condemned.
Although they are some harmful traditional and cultural practices which some people like my very self oppose to, with the advent of our new faith – Christianity, that doesn’t mean the ancient landmark should be removed.
Like the issue of marriage, there are strict boundaries to adhere to and not copying the white man’s own culture.
Aside morality, preservation of African’s cherished rich cultural heritage is key and quite essential.
We must draw a line here – those clamouring or flaunting human rights protection should remember that should the gay marriage that was taking place in Delta before it was disrupted by the Police had happened in the Northern part of the country, your guess is as good as mine.
Well, it can be allowed in some climes, Nigeria is a no-go area for such because it insults our psyche and indignity to our cherished way the Almighty God instituted marriage, man to woman as well as what we uphold as our culture values from time immemorial. It doesn’t fall under any harmful practice that should be dropped or adjusted.
Again, there is an existing legislation prohibiting same sex marriage.
There is no controversial about that.
Even the popular axiom, “when you are in Rome behave like the Romans”.
Homosexuality is generally viewed as unacceptable in Nigeria irrespective of social, ethnic, religious leanings. The ‘Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act signed by former President Good luck Jonathan during his tenure outlawed homosexuality in its entirety, punishable up to 14 years imprisonment if convicted.
…Warri gay marriage ceremony
A bizarre incident occurred few days ago in Delta State, South South region of Nigeria.
A story of how Police stormed a wedding engagement between gay couple.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, Bright Edafe, a deputy Superintendent of Police DSP gives a graphic account about the incident in a press statement.
According to him “on the 27th of August, 2023 at about 2100hrs, operatives of the divisional patrol team attached to Ekpan Division intercepted a male cross-dresser who claimed to be an actor.
“Upon interrogation, he confessed that he is a member of a certain gay club and that he was on his way to join his fellow members for a gay marriage ceremony.
“Acting on intelligence gathered, the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Aliyu Shaba, raided Teebolus Hotel off Refinery Road Ekpan Warri where some suspected gay members were reportedly holding a gay marriage ceremony. As the operatives arrived at the said hotel, the gay members immediately took to flight, scampering in different directions.
“The policemen chased and arrested a total number of sixty-seven ( 67) suspects both male and female for allegedly conducting and attending a same-sex wedding ceremony between Daniel Pius ‘m’(the groom) aged 22yrs old and Maxwel Ohwonohwo ‘m’ (bride) aged 20yrs.
“The venue of the illicit event”, the statement went on, “was searched, and the following items were recovered at the scene: one codeine bottle, three cups of refined Canadian loud, five sachets of SK, one sachet of tramadol, four tablets of molly drug, one crusher, gay marriage ceremonial dresses.
“The suspects and exhibits are in custody and efforts are intensified to ensure the arrest of the fleeing members for possible prosecution”.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, states unequivocally that Delta state is no place for any sort of same-sex relationship; that marriage is valid only when it is contracted between a man and a woman.
“He further warns that explicit or implicit public show of amorous relationships between people of the same sex is prohibited in the state; that any act of defiance is detrimental and deviants would benefit from brought to book in accordance with Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2013″.
…. Amnesty International reacts
The Town Hall Media gathered that the Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the disrupted gay marriage ceremony and the arrest of 67 suspects with several others on the run, describing it as “a witch-hunt”.
It called on Delta state police command to release the detained people, who were “arrested and paraded to the media” and to “put an immediate end to this witch hunt”.
The group in a Twitter handle said “in a society where corruption is rampant, the law banning same sex relationships is increasingly being used for harassment, extortion and blackmail of people by law enforcement officers and other members of the public. This is unacceptable”, it added.
The Town Hall Media, as explained earlier, since it is established as their release pointed out, that there is existing law prohibiting same sex marriage why blame the law enforcement agency – Police, for doing their job.
However my own worry is that after parading them, gather credible evidence and arraign them in the law court for prosecution.
Another worry is the seemingly lack of trust in giving useful information to the Police as tip off, otherwise how can it be explained that there was a gathering of such nature and the Police were not tipped off even from the neighborhood close to the hotel.
The police image maker, Edafe, was silent about the fate of the hotel owner if he or she wouldn’t be interrogated too, as accomplice.
This case no matter the condemnation from Amnesty International and many homosexuals out there and their sympathizers, go to another land if you don’t want to repent and practice this beastly action but stop this desecration of the African soil.
Before the white man came Africans have their culture especially as it concerns marriage from generation to generation. It has been man to woman and nothing else.
Period!