Gay rights, the devil and the end times: public religion and the enchantment of the homosexuality debate in Zambia

Klinken, Adriaan van

doi:10.1080/0048721x.2013.765631

Cited by 43 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…In contrast to women and youth, MSM have little to gain from and often suffer greatly due to traditional religious and cultural norms. In Zambian society they are outcasts in a way that women and youth are not [ 23 ]. They are therefore the most positive about the rights-based approach as it has the most to offer them, given the context of extreme discrimination in which they live.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The MSM population has been greatly overlooked in the country’s HIV prevention efforts, with policy-makers and even some of those working in the HIV prevention field sometimes denying that male-to-male sex occurs in Zambia [ 22 ]. MSM face intense social and religious discrimination, and politicians and activists working to advance gay rights encounter vitriolic accusations of being anti-Christian and un-Zambian [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“You cannot eat rights”: a qualitative study of views by Zambian HIV-vulnerable women, youth and MSM on human rights as public health tools

Muzyamba

Broaddus

Campbell

2015

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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BackgroundHuman rights approaches now dominate the HIV prevention landscape across sub-Saharan Africa, yet little is known about how they are viewed by the populations they are designed to serve. Health interventions are most effective when they resonate with the worldviews and interests of target groups. This study examined local Zambian understandings of human rights approaches to HIV-prevention among three highly HIV-vulnerable groups: women, youth, and men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM).MethodsFocus groups included 23 women, youth, and MSM who had participated in activities organized by local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) using rights-based approaches, and interviews included 10 Zambian employees of these NGOs. Topics included participants’ experiences and views of the utility of these activities. Thematic analysis mapped out diverse ways participants viewed the concept of human rights in relation to HIV-prevention.ResultsWhilst NGO workers noted the need for human rights programs to address the complex drivers of the HIV epidemic, they struggled to tailor them to the Zambian context due to donor stipulations. Women program beneficiaries noted that the concept of human rights helped challenge harmful sexual practices and domestic abuse, and youth described rights-based approaches as more participatory than previous HIV-prevention efforts. However, they criticized the approach for conflicting with traditional values such as respect for elders and ‘harmonious’ marital relationships. They also critiqued it for threatening the social structures and relationships that they relied on for material survival, and for failing to address issues like poverty and unemployment. In contrast, MSM embraced the rights approach, despite being critical of its overly confrontational implementation. ConclusionsA rights-based approach seeks to tackle the symbolic drivers of HIV—its undeniable roots in cultural and religious systems of discrimination. Yet, it fails to resonate with youth and women’s own understandings of their needs and priorities due to its neglect of material drivers of HIV such as poverty and unemployment. MSM, who suffer extreme stigma and discrimination, have less to lose and much to gain from an approach that challenges inequitable social systems. Developing effective HIV-prevention strategies requires careful dialogue with vulnerable groups and greater flexibility for context-specific implementation rather than a one-size-fits-all conceptualization of human rights.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“You cannot eat rights”: a qualitative study of views by Zambian HIV-vulnerable women, youth and MSM on human rights as public health tools

Muzyamba

Broaddus

Campbell

2015

BMC Int Health Hum Rights

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“…While other countries were well-represented in the sample, only Zambian participants were significantly more negative in their views. Van Klinken (2013) points to the need to critically analyse and understand the role of religion in many African societies, especially Zambia. Further, Van Klinken warns of the need to carefully interpret the politics of human rights (especially related to homosexuality) in Africa, especially in an attempt to help change attitudes toward same-sex relationships.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social work students' attitudes towards gay men and lesbians in Namibia: Results from an exploratory study

Matthews

Clemons

Avery

2017

SAJHE

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This manuscript explores the attitudes towards gay men and lesbians of social work students in Namibia. While previous published research has explored social work students' attitudes towards this population in numerous international contexts, no published research presents the perspectives of students within Southern Africa. Results presented are based on a sample of 193 undergraduate social work students in an accredited social work degree programme at a Namibian public university. Results indicate an overall low level of open and accepting attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Using both bivariate and multivariate analyses, the findings indicate that females, students from Namibia, students who know someone identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) and those who attend religious affiliations less often are more accepting of gay men and lesbians. Suggestions for addressing high levels of negative attitudes towards gay men and lesbians are addressed in terms of curricular integration and increasing opportunities for student exposure to LGBT populations.

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“…This conclusion is not quite as damning as it sounds, although it is nevertheless a strong indictment. In the dualistic framework that characterizes Pentecostal theology, especially in Africa (van Klinken , 526–528; see also Haustein ), almost everything that is not obviously embedded in Pentecostal practice is described in terms of the occult. For example, some believers on the Copperbelt told me that Hindus are Satanists.…”

Section: A Pastor's Bid For Presidentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Can't a Pastor Be President of a “Christian Nation”? Pentecostal Politics as Religious Mediation

Haynes

2018

PoLAR

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Why has Nevers Mumba, one of Zambia's most famous Pentecostal leaders, been so unsuccessful in his two presidential bids? Previous analyses have blamed Mumba's political woes on a presumed Pentecostal belief that politics is a lesser vocation than the pastorate. In contrast to these interpretations, I argue that Pentecostals in Zambia are very committed to the notion that, at least ideally, their leaders should be pastors, and more specifically that they should be effective mediators of the divine covenant established when Zambia was declared a “Christian nation.” The problem with Mumba is, therefore, not that pastors are not supposed to be politicians, but rather that he has failed to convince believers that he is a good mediator. This article opens up new horizons in the study of Pentecostal politics, suggesting that populism in countries with high Pentecostal populations is increasingly defined by the capacity for religious mediation.

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Gay rights, the devil and the end times: public religion and the enchantment of the homosexuality debate in Zambia

Cited by 43 publications

References 18 publications

“You cannot eat rights”: a qualitative study of views by Zambian HIV-vulnerable women, youth and MSM on human rights as public health tools

“You cannot eat rights”: a qualitative study of views by Zambian HIV-vulnerable women, youth and MSM on human rights as public health tools

Social work students' attitudes towards gay men and lesbians in Namibia: Results from an exploratory study

Why Can't a Pastor Be President of a “Christian Nation”? Pentecostal Politics as Religious Mediation

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