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Africa has no Affirmative Action, At All!
Culture clash: Obama, Senegalese host at odds on gay rights as US president
opens Africa trip
Article by: JULIE PACE , AP White House Correspondent Updated: June 27, 2013
- 2:35 PM
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DAKAR, Senegal — Laying bare a clash of cultures, President Barack Obama on
Thursday urged African leaders to extend equal rights to gays and lesbians
but was bluntly rebuked by Senegal's president, who said his country "still
isn't ready" to decriminalize homosexuality.
Obama opened his weeklong trip to Africa one day after the U.S. Supreme
Court expanded federal benefits for married gay couples. In his first in-
person comments on the ruling, Obama said the court's decision marked a "
proud day for America." He pressed for similar recognition for gays in
Africa, wading into a sensitive area in a region where dozens of countries
outlaw homosexuality and a few punish violations with death.
"When it comes to how the state treats people, how the law treats people, I
believe that everybody has to be treated equally," Obama said during a news
conference with Senegalese President Macky Sall at the grand presidential
palace in Dakar.
But Sall gave no ground. Senegal is "very tolerant," he assured Obama, but
is "still not ready to decriminalize homosexuality." Sall said countries
make decisions on complex issues in their own time, noting that Senegal has
outlawed capital punishment while other countries have not — a pointed jab
at the U.S., where the death penalty is legal in many states.
Obama's trip, which also includes stops in South Africa and Tanzania, marks
the most extensive visit to Africa by the first black U.S. president since
he took office. Many Africans have expressed disappointment over Obama's
lack of direct engagement with affairs on their continent — particularly
given that his father was Kenyan and he has many relatives living in Africa
— yet he was still enthusiastically welcomed.
Thousands of people gathered on the roadways near the presidential palace as
Obama's motorcade sped through the coastal city, many in the crowds wearing
white to symbolize peace. Some waved homemade signs welcoming Obama, while
those gathered near the palace entrance sang and played drums, the rhythmic
beats audible from inside the gates.
At Goree Island, the former slave trading post Obama visited later Thursday,
local residents waited under scorching sun for hours to catch a glimpse of
the president. They sang a song about his return to his ancestral homeland
and broke into jubilant cheers as Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walked
over to shake hands.
Looming over the festive atmosphere were concerns over former South African
leader Nelson Mandela. Obama is due to arrive in South Africa on Friday,
though Mandela's precarious condition adds some uncertainty to the agenda.
Obama spoke reverently about the impact that Mandela's struggle against
apartheid had on his own activism, as well as about the 94-year-old's
influence in Africa and around the world.
"If and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we'll all know is
that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages," said Obama,
who has sometimes been linked to Mandela given their shared status as their
nations' first black presidents.
Mandela's democratic influence in Africa is at the core of Obama's trip. The
three countries he will visit were selected as a signal of U.S. support for
African nations that have embraced democracy in a region where the legacy
of corruption and authoritarianism have been difficult to overcome.
Sall, for example, won the presidency in Senegal last year by ousting an
incumbent president who attempted to change the constitution to make it
easier for him to be re-elected and for his son to succeed him.
Africa's democratic movements have not been accompanied in most places by
equal rights for gays and lesbians. A report Monday by Amnesty International
said 38 African countries criminalize homosexuality. In four of those —
Mauritania, northern Nigeria, southern Somalia and Sudan — the punishment
is death.
Discrimination against gays is the norm. In Uganda, evictions of homosexuals
by landlords occur regularly, says the Amnesty report. Vigilante groups in
several countries have posted the names of homosexuals online or denounced
them on the radio, forcing them to go into hiding to avoid mob violence. In
Senegal, suspected homosexuals who were buried in Muslim cemeteries were
disinterred in several towns and villages, and their corpses were dragged
through the streets.
On another subject, Obama was pressed in his news conference about the
status of former government contractor Edward Snowden, who has acknowledged
leaking highly classified documents detailing sweeping U.S. government
surveillance programs. The Chinese government let Snowden leave Hong Kong,
where he had been hiding, to travel to Russia, where he is now believed to
be holed up in the transit zone at Moscow's airport.
Obama dismissed the notion of deploying U.S. military resources to detain
Snowden, saying "I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old
hacker."
On still another topic, the president had harsh words for the Supreme Court
on its ruling this week that overturned key elements of the Voting Rights
Act. Obama declared the decision "a mistake."
"I might not be here as president had it not been for those who courageously
helped to pass the Voting Rights Act," Obama said. | l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 2 非洲老黑受到艾滋病的困扰太久太多了,所以都知道同性恋的恶果. | m******5
发帖数: 222 | 3 非洲欢迎你
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: 非洲老黑受到艾滋病的困扰太久太多了,所以都知道同性恋的恶果.
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