Africa’s culture wars have been in the spotlight for many years, especially in recent times as countries across the continent battle against external cultural influences in the face of globalisation.
The latest dispute to gain attention is the one in Uganda, which has enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023. This bill has come under intense scrutiny from human rights organisations and the United States, with President Joe Biden threatening sanctions against Uganda if it is not repealed.
This culture war marks one of the most significant colliding points between Western and African values. Many African governments have argued for a ‘cultural defence’ against what they perceive as colonial values imposed upon them. This has led to the passage of what many see as oppressive laws, both against minority communities and against political dissent. This type of culture war is something that many African countries have been grappling with for decades, and it remains a contentious and sensitive issue.
To understand the geopolitical implications of these culture wars, we must consider the core issues that lie at the heart of them. For many African governments, it is a matter of sovereignty and protecting the rights of their citizens. Countries such as Uganda have argued that homosexuality is not a fundamental right, and that the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is necessary to protect the traditional values of their society. This has been met with strong opposing views, which have come both from international and domestic critics.
At the same time, there are those who argue that such laws are oppressive and even discriminatory. They cite the fact that much of the LGBT community is already discriminated against in Uganda, and that the new bill would only serve to worsen the situation for these individuals. This has led to a great deal of tension between proponents of human rights groups and those who back Uganda’s government on this matter.
Ultimately, while the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is only the latest example of a culture war in Uganda, it is part of a much larger and more complex geopolitical situation. It is part of a wider global power struggle where African governments are attempting to defend their values and cultural identity, while those in the West push for the adoption of more progressive ideas.
The geopolitics of Africa’s culture wars are ever-shifting and complex. In today’s global political climate, powers from the East and the West are vying for influence over the continent and are competing for the approval of African nations.
The Russia-Ukraine War is an ongoing conflict that has drawn global attention since it began in 2014. Both countries have sought and gained support from African nations, in an attempt to further their own agenda. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited Ethiopia, Morocco and Rwanda to call for some African nations to end their neutral stance on the conflict. On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov unexpectedly flew into Nairobi, Kenya, ostensibly to shore up support from African nations for Russia’s position in the conflict.
At the same time, a diplomatic row between Uganda and the West over the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2023 intensified. According to the law, homosexual acts carry a jail sentence of up to 14 years and homosexual people are denied the right to even move around in public. This understandably created outrage in the Western world and created a split in international opinion.
With so many different players and powers converging on the continent, the geopolitics of Africa’s culture wars are intricate and ever-evolving. Political, economic, and social power of the West is being weighed against the influence held by Russia and its allies, namely China and India. Corruption, tribalism, nepotism, and sectarianism also serve to complicate and mess further with regional dynamics.
When it comes to internal disputes such as the anti-homosexuality bill, there is a palpable tension between African nations and the West over the implementation of human rights policies. Many African countries want to balance their need for foreign aid with a need to preserve their own culture. This is particularly noticeable in a case such as the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality bill, in which many African nations feel that a Western-imposed moral code regarding LGBT rights is inappropriate.
The escalating culture wars between the West and Africa, which are fueled by nationalist sentiment and a quest for spheres of influence, are increasingly being exploited by foreign powers. China, Russia, Turkey, Iran and the Gulf powers have all lined up in the battle to project their power abroad, taking on cultural overtones in the process.
For leaders in Africa, this newfound clash of the superpowers has opened up a rare opportunity to publicly stand up for “African values” and to poke the West in the process.
On one side, there is the West’s liberal view on topics such as human rights and homosexuality. On the other, democracies, dictatorships, and theocratic states have worked together in a newfound anti-gay axis. Russia, in particular, has been keen to promote traditional family values – a position that is popular with right-wing and populist leaders from around the world.
China has traditionally been more tolerant of such ideologies, but the country is now increasingly hardening its own position on homosexuality and cleaving to the global conservative movement. Meanwhile, Turkey, Iran, and the Gulf powers are all standing together in the fight against the Western influence in Africa and beyond.
This global culture war has given leaders of more hostile states an opening, particularly those that have long been antagonistic towards the West. Vladimir Putin, who is himself happily exploiting this cultural divide for his own gain, exemplifies the resonance of this approach.
Ultimately, the culture wars are just a microcosm of the wider geopolitical tussle for power in a world where traditional pathways to success are being challenged. But African leaders can take heart from the fact that they have newfound leverage in their dealings with expanding great powers; a powerful bargaining chip they can use to their advantage.
