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Part IV Unveiled: The cultural conflict between the West and Africa
by Joseph Earnest January 6, 2014
Newscast Media HOUSTON, Texas—On January 25, 1971, a coup happened in the East African nation of Uganda, where Milton Obote was overthrown by Idi Amin Dada. The coup was music to the ears of the British and America because it was believed Obote, upon his return from Singapore, was going to declare Uganda a socialist state. Something had to be done very quickly. A telegram in the US accused the Obote government of being under the influence of the "Soviets" and "Chicoms", meaning the Chinese. America and Britain did not want to see Uganda become an African Cuba.
Amin who had been trained by the British was the right man for the job, and after he accomplished his mission, a telegram was sent out confirming the British could not stand Obote, and that America would rather deal with a weak incoming government of Idi Amin than Obote since Obote was a liberal (on the left) and Amin was more Conservative (on the right).
The telegram in part read: "Investment climate cannot help but improve with Obote out of the picture. Unlike recent coups, this coup is from the "Right" not the progressive left. Finally I believe that our major friend, UK interest is better served by any GOU (Government Of Uganda) in which Obote has no part."
—(Telegram from US embassy in London to Washington DC. January 28, 1971)
Click here to read or download entire Idi Amin telegram (pop-up)
There has been a lot of speculation about how and why Amin came into power, and who was behind the coup, but this settles it once and for all.
Nixon practiced a hands-off policy on Uganda when it came to the country's internal affairs. On one occasion, Amin demanded the Asians make a pledge of allegiance to his country because they were profiting from it, but were not reinvesting the money into the economy but sending it overseas. The Indians would not pledge their loyalty to Uganda. Amin had given them a choice to either be loyal to Uganda or Britain. They had 90 days to make up their minds. They chose to leave and go to Britain, and those who lost properties were actually compensated before they left. The number was placed at 50,000. America took in only 1,000 Indians as several moved to Nairobi, Kenya. Some went back to India while the rest moved to London rather than pledge an allegiance to the African nation from which they were profiting.
Even under such extenuating circumstances that caused an uproar in the international community, the United States did not interfere in the affairs of another sovereign nation. A copy of a telegram that was sent in August 1972 read in part:
"We recommend that the USG (United States Government) maintain a strict policy of no public comment in regard to the Asian expulsion by General Amin...Condemning these actions will be misinterpreted as an act of interference in the internal affairs of Uganda." —(Telegram dated August 25, 1972 from to Washington D.C.)
Click here to read or download telegram on Amin's Indian expulsion (pop-up)
The purpose of these documents is to demonstrate that one may disagree with the way a country runs its government, however, sometimes it is best to take a wait-and-see approach when there is a culture clash between the Western world and the African way of life. In this case the cultural clash pertains to social issues, particularly a lifestyle that the West is attempting to impose upon African nations.
It is not in order for any outside entity to politicize or prejudge an impending legislation or try to influence its outcome using threats and coercion. The West did not think the Indian expulsion was a big deal and did not act, nor did it think the Rwanda or Congo genocides were a big deal, and did not intervene. Why all of a sudden is homosexuality a big deal in Africa yet when it comes to Arabs, the West considers the same discussion to be off-limits?
Some gay rights activists have argued that if "anti-gay" laws are passed, homosexuals will be persecuted. There is no evidence that this has happened or will happen if both straight and gay people do not violate other people's rights. That is the logical fallacy of "Non-cause for cause" or Non causa pro causa. It is whereby someone mistakes correlation for causation. The person assumes that one action is responsible for triggering another action.
It is just like saying, "The rooster crows in the morning, therefore the rooster causes the sun to rise." Likewise, gay activists argue that if such laws are passed, there will be a witch hunt against gays in Africa. What they are doing is jumping to erroneous conclusions with the absence of any evidence to support such claims.
As for the nations that find themselves in a situation that warrants protecting the African cultural traditions, there is a way to create a win-win situation where the constituents will be happy and the international community will be happy. If for example a bill is referred to as an "Anti-homosexuality bill", it is going to cause a stir among those who believe they are being singled out because of their sexual orientation, once such a bill is passed. On the other hand if such a bill is not signed into law, it will generate discontent among the constituents who voted for it, because they will feel like their government has betrayed them and bowed to outside pressure. This will result in discontent that will manifest itself as internal strife.
As such, the way to satisfy both sides is to rename such a bill and refer to it with a name such as, "The Sex Offenders Bill." This way, legislators can prohibit a wider array of sex offenses like human trafficking, solicitation of underage sex, Internet sex crimes, bestiality and other unacceptable offenses and violations that the lawmakers see fit. Once such a bill reaches the desk of the president he can say, "This bill does not single out anybody, it applies to all, whether gay or straight."
This will ease the tensions as both sides realize that the bill is meant to be used as a deterrent against sex offenses and violations, and not to single out just one group.
*Click here to download the entire four-part series in PDF format (.pdf)
Click here to download entire three-part EPUB series eBook format (.epub)
Related stories:
Part I Unveiled: Common misconceptions-Facts, Fiction and Fallacies
Part II Unveiled: Is homosexuality an unAfrican Western behavior?>>
Part III Unveiled: Africa pushes back against the hedonism of our day
Part IV Unveiled: The cultural conflict between the West and Africa>>
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