People & Lifestyle
Ghana’s LGBT Fight; the backstory
When my university sent out a notice to all Bachelor of Laws students to begin submission of their final year dissertation topics for approval, I had to contemplate for a long time on what subject of law I should write on. With over five years of experience working on the Justice For All Programme for remand prisoners, I was tempted to explore the many challenges facing Ghana’s criminal justice delivery system.
But over the years I had already written many articles and research papers on that subject, so I thought of something else that had prospect for real impact and at the same time was different from what everyone else was probably writing about. And so I decided to write on the subject of Ghana’s international human rights law obligations and how they intersected with the country’s national laws, morals and customs.
This decision was also influenced by the heated debate going on at the time on the controversial Proper Sexual Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill (2021) which had just been presented before Ghana’s parliament. And so I decided to center this intersection of law on assessing the case of sex workers and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ+) persons.
My findings during the course of my research were beyond eye opening, they present a side of the debate no one looks at, a testimony of the many people whose realities are daily impacted by the conversations that have gone on since the resurgence of the topic on LGBT rights and the ensuing Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill (2021) before parliament seeking to criminalize their very existence.
Read Also: Ohemartin claims there’s an NGO enriching themselves with funds donated to help LGBTQ+ members
During my data collection phase I reached out to a number of activists who were willing to share their stories and also connect me with victims who had suffered abuse as a result of their sexual orientations or gender identities. One of the very first videos I came across was of a young Nigerian man called Uche (not real name). In that video, the young man can be seen lying naked on his stomach as a group of men flogged him with sticks and wires as they questioned him using derogatory words and threatened to kill him for being gay. I recognized the victim in that video from a body building competition I had attended months earlier. He had accompanied his friend who was one of the participants. After running an Instagram search I was able to find his account, but the last post on his timeline was in February of 2021. The events of that video happened in January 2021. Till date Uche’s account has not been updated, I have tried reaching out to people who may know him but no one seems to figure out what happened to him or his whereabouts.
Uche’s story is similar to Kwamena, another victim who volunteered to speak with me. His ordeal in the hands of ‘set up boys’ as he called them was one that forever changed his life.
“I met this guy online, we vibed very well and he seemed genuine. We met a few times at public places and continued to talk for months. After that we agreed to meet so he told me he was at a mechanic’s workshop so I should meet him there. He sent me a location pin but when I got there it was an isolated uncompleted building. I got out of the car and 4 guys came out and ordered me into the building, they stripped me naked, beat me and asked me to unlock my phone which they used to make a video of me as they forced me to confess that I was gay. Then they emptied my wallet of all of cash and forced me to give them the pin to my ATM card and threatened me that they’d kill me if I lied to them. One of them drove to an ATM and withdrew all the money I had in my account. When he came back they beat me till I could barely see. I drove home that day without my clothes on. By the time I got to the gate, my dad was standing outside on the porch looking worried.”
Uche would soon find out they had sent the videos they made to every contact on his whatsapp including his church and whatsapp groups.
“I could not face my family, I could read the embarrassment and disappointment in their faces. I contemplated suicide, I couldn’t imagine life after that incident. Thankfully, my family has been very supportive but I have lost so much; friends, my job and most of all, faith in humanity.”
Kwamena may have picked the pieces of his life and moved on, but that was not the case for 23-year-old Francis (again not real name) who committed suicide in 2021. News of his death was widely carried around by both traditional and social media with many attributing his demise to mental health issues. But one of my interviewees who happened to be close friends with Francis told me that he had received a message from Francis saying he was scared and confused, his elder brother had seen messages between him and another guy and had forwarded them to their father. Unfortunately, unlike Kwamena, Francis could not face his family so he took his own life.
“These kind of attacks are very common on LGBT persons, these people (referring to persons who target gay people) know that because the society is against us no one will do anything to them” says Dan, an activist with one of the vocal advocacy groups in the capital Accra.
After several calls and messages, another victim of homophobic attack finally agreed to a face-to-face meeting with me.
A cluster of wooden shacks at a slum in Alajo, a suburb of Accra.
It was a wet Saturday morning when I set off to meet Kamal (not real name) at a slum in Alajo. When I arrived at the street pub where he had asked me to wait at, it took about 10 minutes before he finally showed up, he told me he wanted to be sure he was safe before coming to me. I understood his fear. After winding through narrow roads and shallow gutters, we arrived at the wooden shack which had become Kamal’s home.
Several months earlier, Kamal was in his room at his family home in Nima, a mostly Muslim dominated suburb in the capital, when he heard loud noises outside his door shouting his name and demanding he came out.
“when I went outside I saw a group of men outside with one guy who also lives in the area. I immediately became scared because I used to chat with him on WhatsApp and I had told him that I liked him. I didn’t know he was going to tell his friends” Kamal narrated with his head bowed as if to express regret.
“they asked me if what the boy said was true, I tried to deny but they started slapping me and asked me to unlock my phone for them. They saw some pictures and gay porn on my phone and they started beating me more. I managed to run inside my room and lock the door and later escaped through my back window.”
Kamal could not face his Muslim parents, so he left home and has since not returned.
When a local group opened a community center at the Tesano suburb of Accra in late January last year, the prospects were high. The center was to among other things provide shelter for people like Kamal who were displaced as a result of their families rejecting them due to their sexual orientation and also serve as a support and information center where LGBT persons could access essential services including health information and access to health facilities in a safe space.
Diplomats and activists cut sod for the opening of an LGBT center in Accra. Credit: Twitter/LGBT Rights Ghana.
But those prospects never saw the light of day as a few weeks after its opening, some members of parliament, government ministers and religious groups had demanded the closure of the center.
“The whole issue was misrepresented by the media, the center is supposed to provide a safe space for LGBT persons and not for recruiting young people into ‘gayism’ as is being propagated by the media” says Alex, who is the executive director at LGBT Rights Ghana, the local group which operated the center.
The so-called Promotion of Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill has come under heavy criticism by the academic community in Ghana, civil society and the international community, with many describing it as a gross violation of the rights of LGBT persons and a total disregard for Ghana’s obligations under international law to protect the right of every citizen regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
For many conservative Ghanaians, this Bill is a bold statement. A perfect representation of the Ghanaian agenda. To them, LGBT rights are a foreign construct, contrary to Ghanaian culture and an affront to their religious faiths.
But even as these political debates linger, the reality is the many lives torn apart by the resolve of a country for a group of people that seems to be stronger than its love for humanity. One wonders what kind of family values the bill promotes, if its main aim is to divide families.
A group of people accused of unlawful assembly arrive at a court for a bail hearing in Ho, Volta Region, June 4, 2021. Credit: REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko
The damage is already visible. In May this year, an Intersex woman was among 20 participants at a paralegal training workshop who were arrested for unlawful assembly by police in the Volta Region.
She recalls being sent to a male cell. “the officers told the men in the cell to rape me since I was insisting that I am a woman.”
Statements like these are not uncommon apparently. “Since I decided to live openly as a lesbian woman in Ghana, I get a lot of threats from men. They threaten to rape the spirit of lesbianism out of me. Even though I always try to put up a confident front, I am still scared because I have heard stories of such happening to other women” says Rashida, a 34-year-old lesbian who agreed to speak with me over the telephone.
While gay men are mostly targets of homophobic attacks, the plight of lesbian, intersex or transgender women cannot be overlooked.
But the danger of this path chosen by the Ghanaian society is beyond the law. The passage of this new law may drastically affect Ghana’s human rights records and its status as a beacon of democracy in Sub-Sahara Africa. But above all, it puts the lives of LGBTQ+ persons at grave risk of homophobic attacks.
And so we wait, in anticipation of what becomes of the “Anti-Gay” Bill as it is now popularly called, when Parliament resumes in October to vote on its passage.
As I wrap up my conversation with Kamal, he wipes his eyes with the back of his palms and tells me, “I have really missed my parents, but I don’t know how to face them or how they will react if I go and visit them.”
About the writer
Solomon Terkimbi Akumun known professionally as Solomon Ter, is a Radio presenter and Producer for Asaase Radio in Accra. He is also a writer, researcher and Law scholar with over 7 years of experience in communications, justice advocacy, media and PR, academic research and brand consultancy. He’s currently the host of Accra-Lagos-Joburg on Asaase Radio 99.5mhz, a Pan-African radio show that connects Africa through music, people and culture. Twitter: @LordTer995 Instagram: @solomonter_
People & Lifestyle
Telecel Ghana Employee Volunteers Plants Over 5000 Trees in Massive Reforestation Effort
Over 60 employee volunteers from telecommunications giant, Telecel Ghana in partnership with Forestry Commission joined forces with young students from Luom Basic Schools and Ghana International School (GIS) to plant thousands of seedlings to replace lost forest cover at the Chipa Tributary Forest Reserve in Agomeda.
As a way of furthering Telecel Ghana’s commitment to environmental sustainability and in line with the Green Ghana agenda, senior management, and employee volunteers dedicated their day to reforestation for a greener future.
Chief Executive Officer of Telecel Ghana, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai emphasised the importance of collective action to increase green cover and protect the environment. She said, “As a telco that operates with a purpose, this annual initiative is our contribution to sustaining the environment,” she added, “As part of our ESG strategy, we continue to partner with various stakeholders such as the Forestry Commission to create a sustainable environment for people and animals. This year, our employees, together with the school children are planting over 5000 seedlings to preserve the Chipa Tributary Forest Reserve.”
Gazetted as a reserve in 1968, the Chipa Tributary Forest Reserve in Agomeda in the Greater Accra Region serves as a habitat for animals and conserves the tributary that flows into the Dawhenya Dam. However, forestry officials reported that bushfires and firewood harvesting have destroyed around 50 hectares out of the reserve’s total 2,410 hectares.
Mrs. Winifred Ohene-Wiafe, Manager for the Tema-Ada Forest District said, “We need more trees to offset the effect of urbanisation which has led to more buildings being put up and the depletion of trees in our cities. Tree planting is a worthy course so I will encourage every individual and institution to partake in reforestation to improve our environment.”
For Michela, a third-year secondary student of GIS, this is her first planting experience, and it has sparked an interest in reforestation. “Tree planting is important as it helps to restore areas that are depleted. It’s been a fun experience planting together with employees of Telecel Ghana and other students to improve air and environment quality. I’m excited that I am being part of making an impact.”
Ernest, a basic nine pupil and member of the Wildlife Club at the Luom Presbyterian School, located in one of the reserves host communities, believes the tree planting exercise will help address climate change. “There’s a saying that when the last tree dies, the last man dies. Joining to plant trees today will help purify the air we breathe and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I advise other young people to plant trees to reduce global warming and the impact of climate change.”
People & Lifestyle
I took GHc7k loan from UT Bank to help my company – Bills Founder thanks Kofi Amoabeng
Board Chairman of Bills Micro-credit Limited, Richard Nii-Armah Quaye, has acknowledged founder of the defunct UT Bank, Captain Prince Kofi Amoabeng.
According to the prolific businessman, Prince Kofi Amoabeng and his UT Financial Services provided him with a loan of GHc7k in the early stages of his establishment.
Delivering his address at the 15th anniversary celebration of Bills Micro-credit, formerly Quick Credit, Richard Nii-Armah Quaye thanked his fellow businessman for lending his company the money.
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“Captain, thank you so much. I want everyone to know that the first loan our company took was GHc7,000 and it was from UT Financial Services”, he said, attracting applause from the audience.
Bills Micro-credit celebrated its 15th Anniversary on Thursday, May 20, with a plush dinner at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.
Overall best staff, Charles Sampson, was presented with a brand new Hyundai Tucson vehicle and a cash prize of GHc200k by Bills Board Chairman, Richard Nii-Armah Quaye, for his long service and commitment.
Fourteen other workers of Bills Micro-credit formerly, Quick Credit, were each gifted a brand new Toyota Vitz vehicle while 5 selected workers were specially rewarded with GHc200k cash prize each.
Fifteen dedicated customers of Bills received 55-inch TV set each plus interest-free loans of up to GHc100k for every customer.
People & Lifestyle
Bills customers, staff, receive 15 cars, TV sets & cash prizes at 15th Anniversary
Bills Micro-credit has celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a plush dinner at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel on Thursday, May 20.
The excitement at the well-organized dinner heightened when loyal customers and long-serving staff were rewarded with brand new cars, cash prizes and TV sets.
Overall best staff, Charles Sampson, was presented with a brand new Hyundai Tucson vehicle and a cash prize of GHc200k by Bills Board Chairman, Richard Nii-Armah Quaye, for his long service and commitment.
Fourteen other workers of Bills Micro-credit formerly, Quick Credit, were each gifted a brand new Toyota Vitz vehicle while 5 selected workers were specially rewarded with GHc200k cash prize each.
Read Also: Bills Micro-Credit Limited officially launched
Fifteen dedicated customers of Bills received 55-inch TV set each plus interest-free loans of up to GHc100k for every customer.
The night also saw a great array of distinguished personalities in attendance including the Special Guest of Honour; HRM King Tackie Teiko Tsuru ll and National Chief Imam; Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu.
Also present at the dinner were Fidelity Bank MD; Julian Opuni, Businessman Prince Kofi Amoabeng, Special Advisor to President of Rwanda; Andrew Mwenda, Minister of State from Liberia; Hon. Reginald Nagbe, Vice Chancellor of UPSA; Prof. Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, GBC Director-General; Professor Amin Alhassan and a host of other guests.
The night was climaxed with thrilling performances by Amakye Dede, KiDi, Joyce Blessing, Nana Asaase, Bernard The Magician and Bethel Revival Choir with words of exaltation from Dr. Lawrence Tetteh.
Elijah FC from Hlevi-Sogakope in the Volta Region is set to light up the Middle league come this July hosted at WAFA. (more…)
People & Lifestyle
Bolt Food Couriers Take Pledge to Uphold Highest Standards of Safety, Hygiene, and Food Handling
In a move to enhance food delivery standards, Bolt Food couriers across Ghana have collectively taken a pledge to uphold the highest standards of safety, hygiene, and food handling. This follows an intensive training in partnership with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to reinforce the importance of these practices in ensuring the delivery of safe and hygienic food to customers.
The pledge taken by the couriers underscores Bolt Food’s unwavering commitment to customer safety and satisfaction. With a focus on maintaining the integrity of food from preparation to delivery, couriers have vowed to adhere to strict protocols designed to protect both themselves and their customers.
The Acting Regulatory and Policy Head for Africa at Bolt, Weyinmi Aghadiuno, said: “Bolt Food as market leaders committed to best practices and standards in food delivery, launched this initiative to equip couriers on the platform with essential knowledge and tools for excellence in food delivery. It is our collective responsibility as stakeholders in the food service ecosystem to ensure food reaches customers safely and in an hygienic manner. By adhering to these best practices of food delivery, we are not only protecting the public health of Ghanaians but also contributing to the overall well-being of our communities.”
Through this specialized training, couriers gained invaluable insights into food hygiene, safety practices, and proper handling techniques, reinforcing our dedication to the health and safety of the communities we serve.” She added.
The workshop addressed a pressing need in the rapidly expanding online food delivery sector, where maintaining food safety and quality is crucial. Recognizing the rise in online food businesses, the FDA partnered with Bolt Food to enhance food safety measures across the industry.
Chief Regulatory Officer at the FDA, Dr. Edward Archer emphasized the importance for courier operators to understand the impact of food safety measures on their operations.
“The FDA is collaborating with various stakeholders, including courier services, to ensure they receive training in food safety. This training equips them to integrate food safety principles into their work, thereby reducing food safety-related complaints and illnesses,” Dr. Archer stated.
During the workshop, couriers were educated on several key aspects of food safety. The training covered personal hygiene practices, the importance of maintaining appropriate food temperatures during delivery, and protocols for handling food to prevent contamination. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that hot food stays hot and cold food stays cold, with timely delivery being a critical component of the process.
We all know Maserati cars demand special attention to keep them running smoothly and looking their best. Whether it is regular maintenance or timely check-ups, taking care & visiting a trusted car service Dubai for your Maserati is crucial to ensure its long life and performance.
In this post, we’ll explore some essential tips for Maserati repair and maintenance in Dubai.
Regular Maintenance
Central to maintaining your Maserati’s best state is regular servicing at a trusted Maserati service center. Among the factors that might be responsible for preventing potential problems and lengthening the duration of parts in a car include normal oil change activities, examination of fluids, and tire rotation processes.
In addition, this makes it possible to discover if there are any chances for further development on issues by sticking to instructions concerning service schedules as directed by makers.
Finding the Right Maserati Repair Shop
Picking the appropriate service center for your vehicle is important when it needs Maserati repair. You should find a reputable car service center focusing on Maserati cars that have mechanics who are Maserati experienced technicians, who know how to handle these expensive vehicles well.
A well-established Maserati repair shop is equipped with the right tools, diagnostic machines, and original Maserati parts to give your car the best care it deserves.
Common Maserati Repair Issues
Even with proper maintenance, Maserati may encounter certain repair issues over time. Some common problems include:
1. Electrical System Glitches: Maserati automobiles are famed for having top-of-the-line electrical systems, some of which can sometimes stutter or fail in their operations. To avoid more trouble, it is important to tackle such problems promptly.
2. Transmission Problems: Your Maserati’s performance will be considerably affected by things like rough shifting or leakages associated with the transmission, hence the need for a Maserati service professional to handle this car transmission repair.
3. Brake System Repairs: Brakes are a critical safety feature, and any issues with brake pads, rotors, or calipers should be repaired immediately by a professional Maserati repair shop.
Preventive Maintenance
There are several preventive measures you can take to maximize the lifespan of your Maserati:
1. Driving Habits: Smooth acceleration, gentle braking, and avoiding excessive idling can reduce wear and tear on your Maserati’s components.
2. Protecting the Exterior: Regularly washing your Maserati can help protect the paint and prevent premature fading or oxidation. Take your car for regular car washes and park it in a shade in Dubai’s heat.
Choose Munich Motor Works for a Comprehensive Car Check
Maserati repair and maintenance is something that Munich Motor Works has a good reputation for in Dubai. Munich Motor Works makes sure that your car is taken care of in the right way through their experienced team of professionals and modern technology garage coupled with the use of authentic Maserati parts.
If you want any type of service such as routine service, complex replacements, or a complete vehicle check-up then consider bringing it here because they will offer you all these services without any disappointments in the end.
To maintain the value of your Maserati for years to come while driving it on the roads in Dubai, proper maintenance coupled with timely repairs is imperative. Doing the following shall ensure that you enjoy driving a Maserati car and get the best service at Munich Motor Works.
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