Homosexuality, the holy family and a failed mass wedding in Catholic Northern Uganda

Abstract

Christian churches have played crucial but diverse roles in public debates over homosexuality in Africa. In contrast to the vocal and explicit homophobia witnessed in many Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches (PCCs), homosexuality has until recently been an overwhelmingly silenced issue in the Acholi region of Northern Uganda, and an almost complete non-issue in the local Catholic Church. This article suggests that while this silence in part relates to the temporal proximity of the Northern Ugandan war, the absence of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) activism in the region, and the hesitance of mainline churches to talk about sex, it is also embedded in what are considered to be customary Acholi understandings of sexuality. Offering an analysis of Acholi Catholic teaching on peace and the family, the article suggests that Catholicism has entrenched heteronormative patriarchy in Acholi society. However, as illustrated by the unpopularity of church weddings, the norms that govern sexuality are negotiated in the dynamic space between religion and what are contemporarily understood as 'modern' and 'customary' Acholi moral sensibilities. The article emphasizes the need for scholarship on religion and homosexuality to extend beyond PCCs and capital cities, and beyond the most explicit forms of public homophobia in Africa.Les églises chrétiennes ont joué des rôles cruciaux mais variés dans les débats publics sur l'homosexualité en Afrique. Contrairement à l'homophobie virulente et explicite constatée dans plusieurs Églises Pentecôtistes-Charismatiques (EPC), l'homosexualité a été jusqu'à récemment un problème tout à fait étouffé dans la région d'Acholi du nord de l'Ouganda, et un quasi non-problème au sein de l'Eglise catholique locale. Bien que ce silence se rapporte en partie à la proximité temporelle de la guerre en Ouganda du Nord, l'absence de militantisme LGBTI (lesbiennes, gays, bisexuels, transgenres et intersexués) dans la région, ainsi qu'à l'hésitation des principales églises à parler de sexe, cet article suggère que ce silence est également incorporé au sein de ce qui est considéré comme des conceptions Acholi coutumières de la sexualité. Doté d'une analyse des enseignements Acholi catholiques sur la paix et la famille, l'article suggère que le catholicisme a ancré le patriarcat hétéronormatif dans la société Acholi. Cependant, comme l'illustre l'impopularité des mariages religieux, les normes qui régissent la sexualité sont négociées dans l'espace dynamique entre la religion et ce qui est contemporairement compris comme des valeurs morales Acholi « modernes » et « coutumières ». L'article met l'accent sur la nécessité pour les travaux académiques sur la religion et l'homosexualité d'aller au-delà des EPCs et des capitales, et au-delà des formes les plus explicites de l'homophobie publique en Afrique.

Male Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence

“…As argued by Dolan, "The Ugandan state severely aggravated the collapse of potential multiple masculinities through its simultaneous practices of militarization and forcible internal displacement" (2009: 128). Christian churches, and in particular the Catholic Church, further cemented this hegemonic ideal of manhood by holding it static and enforcing associated stereotypical assumptions about gender roles and relations in Uganda (see Alava 2016).…”

“…While working in northern Uganda between 2011 and 2012, I attended four weddings. During my research in 2016, I attended three, was invited to several more, and heard of countless more weddings taking place across the subregion, including both traditional and religious ceremonies (see Alava 2016).…”

“…15. As described more fully in the following chapter, homosexuality is legally and politically outlawed and criminalized in Uganda (Alava 2016) punishable by life in prison.…”

Practices of Citizenship in East Africa

“…Many of the Acholi lost practically everything they owned due to the war. Most notable among their losses, both economically and psychologically, was the loss of their cattle, which were of crucial importance to them: as capital, for tilling the soil, for manure and for forging social cohesion and security through bride price (Alava 2017a). Alongside the loss of cattle, people in the region have undergone years of physical and psychological torment in a war in which Museveni was far from innocent (Branch 2011;Dolan 2009).…”

“Acholi Youth Are Lost”: Young, Christian and (A)political in Uganda

“…For many mainline Christian youth, the solution for 'lostness' was thus not seen in moments of spiritual rapture, but in church communities, and those parts of Acholi tradition that were compatible with Christianity. Furthermore, the location where youth would be inculcated into the church and into tradition was the God-fearing and tradition-embracing family (Alava 2017a). Through resources transmitted by the church, tradition and "holy families" (ibid.…”