Will Rallies and Vigils Honoring David Kato Reveal the Whole Context Surrounding His Death?

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In the wake of last week’s brutal slaying of Ugandan “gay” rights activist David Kato, it will be interesting to observe if the resulting rallies and vigils will specifically acknowledge all factors leading to his tragic death. Will these rallies and vigils address that Kato’s life took place and was taken in a climate that has been struggling against colonial rule or influences for over 200 years? Will they illuminate that some among Ugandans, desperate to retain some semblance of independence and “manhood” – despite perpetual struggles against historical and modern versions of colonial exploitation and disruption, likely viewed Kato as an enemy of the State? Because, he attempted to import to Uganda a chiefly White male political platform and movement called “gay.” Will rallyers explore the ironic reality of a primarily American, White and right-wing Christian movement being a direct instigator and financier of the climate in which Kato was killed (and that others will be killed, and have been)? And, in which deadly, anti-homosexual legislation was realized?

This phenomenon is not new to “Uganda.” In the 1800s, Kabaka Mwanga (Kabaka means King or ruler), one of Uganda’s (then called Buganda, before “Christian” colonizers changed the name) last pre-colonial leader, also fought against this same group. Kabaka Mwanga was bisexual. When European Christians came to his kingdom to speak against homosexuality, and to take over, Kabaka had them and any Ugandan followers executed. Even then, the Christian right was disrupting the Bugandan community.

Will these rallies and vigils acknowledge the debilitating and crazy-making impact of colonial forces in Uganda and elsewhere in the Diaspora; including from racist homosexually and economically exploitative Europeans and Americans throughout the continent (and the Caribbean), which contribute to Black anti-homosexual reactions there? Will this lethal mixture of forces, especially the White, Christian and Europeans ones, be identified at David Kato vigils?

Christian, European-American Scott Lively, and his colleagues; and emotionally disturbed, reactionary, Euro-Christianized Ugandan puppets like Pastor Martin Ssempa – who do their work on the ground, in the local language – need to be exposed. But, this needs to be done in context. (Paradoxically, Ssempa’s ego and self-importance is similar to many African Americans, who like him, could never admit to being brain-washed. )

Referring to David Kato’s murder as simply a “homophobic” crime is a dangerously under-developed perspective of the facts. Indeed, Pastor Scott Lively and Pastor Martin Ssempa are the enforcers of Euro-religicized, colonial ideas and cultural destabilization, and genocidal and/or social control agendas. Kato rallyers need to demand the arrest or at least the exposure of Lively, and of Ssempa, and expose how the climate leading to Kato’s death actually came to be. Otherwise, these rallies will just be another opportunistic [White] gay movement reinforcement opportunity; with a peppering of Blacks to give it “Black” faced legitimacy. Without proper focus and education, these rallies will be poignant yet inept of human rights transformational outcome. This won’t diminish destructive activity and thinking in Uganda.

This video tells some of the real story:

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