god loves uganda
a wrap report of the sundance premiere of “god loves uganda” by roger ross williams .
god loves uganda + q & a friday 14th june 2013, 18. 00, odeon
elsewhere at sundance, the documentary god loves uganda inspired the kind of audience outrage the director actually intended .
in the documentary god loves uganda, director roger ross williams traces the bill' s origins to the american evangelical missions in uganda .
you' d never guess the subject matter of
god loves uganda
from its innocuous - sounding title .
the public square + god loves uganda + q & a saturday 15th june 2013, 17. 45, odeon
god loves uganda
approaches this intersection of faith and politics with some fairness and a good deal of outrage .
the ihopkc leadership team have put together a statement of answers and questions about our stance on the god loves uganda documentary .
all screenings will start at 5: 30pm (with the exception of god loves ugand a – see below) .
god loves uganda charts the rise in persecution and intolerance in the african nation as america' s christian right takes its anti - gay fight to new territory .
a street preacher in kampala, uganda, is captured during the documentary ,
god loves uganda
, which will screen during the american documentary film festival, march 27 - 31, in palm springs .
see conservative evangelical vice presidential candidate mike pence' s racist, ignorant colonialist comments about hiv / aids funding in africa from the critically acclaimed documentary
god loves uganda .
scott lively’s 2009 trip to uganda to advocate for a bill that would punish lgbt people with the death penalty featured heavily in god loves uganda. lively himself has said that his visit to uganda was “ like a nuclear bomb ” in terms of galvanizing the anti - gay movement there .
god loves uganda is scheduled to screen march 28 during the american documentary film festival at camelot theatres in palm springs. filmmaker roger ross williams will be present for a q & a after the screening .
those who demand pure objectivity from their documentaries may stumble on god loves uganda, which never pretends to be impartial, probably because it' s next to impossible to do so when tackling this topic .
masterfully crafted and astonishingly provocative,' god loves uganda' may be the most terrifying film of the year ,
david courier, senior programmer at the sundance film festival, commented about the film .
it' s an unsettling reality revealed in god loves uganda, a powerful and chilling documentary about american evangelicals who have latched onto uganda as fertile ground for spreading their gospel of intolerance to change african culture with values from the u. s. christian right .
god loves uganda ,
a controversial new documentary, premiered at the sundance film festival in utah last week, seeking to expose what the filmmakers say is the dark side of christian evangelism in african countries .
a searing look at the role of american evangelical missionaries in the persecution of gay africans, roger ross williams’s “god loves uganda” approaches this intersection of faith and politics with some fairness and a good deal of outrage .
these exporters of hate are working overtime to bring their intolerant views to countries around the world, but you can help fight back by supporting films like god loves uganda. visit urltoken to find a screening near you .
god loves uganda is a co - production of full credit productions, inc. , motto pictures, inc. , and the independent television service (itvs), with funding provided by the corporation for public broadcasting (cpb) .
it was kato who inspired williams to make god loves uganda. he told williams there are lots of films about uganda, but the untold story was the damage american fundamentalist evangelicals are doing in uganda, and the insidious nature of their aggressive effort to harvest young, unclaimed souls to preach a gospel of love intertwined with a gospel of intolerance .
lou engle, the head of the international house of prayer is another “star” of god loves uganda. in 2010, engle held a rally for over 1, 000 people in kampala where he praised the uganda’s “courage” and “righteousness” in proposing the anti - gay legislation. engle called uganda “ground zero” for his campaign to preach homophobia around the world .
q. the director of god loves uganda claims that evangelical missionary activity (including that of ihopkc) is a numbers game, a fight for souls, and that ihopkc does not care about social justice or humanitarian issues. is this true ?
god loves uganda premiered at the sundance film festival on friday, jan. 18. directed by academy award winner roger ross williams, the documentary examines the relationship between american evangelical churches, their missionaries and anti - gay laws in africa, like uganda' s so - called
kill the gays
bill .
filmmaker roger ross williams, who won an oscar for his short film music by prudence, returned to africa to tell another powerful story in god loves uganda. in this interview he talks about his own church - centric upbringing and how he ...
roger ross williams won the 2010 academy award for best documentary (short subject) with his film music by prudence and is the first african american to win an oscar for directing and producing a film. god loves uganda was produced by julie goldman and motto pictures .
a. the international house of prayer has developed a missions school over the past few years. we have sent missions teams and individual missionaries to many nations. the only missions team that has ever gone to uganda is the team that the god loves uganda film crew followed. we have not sent any other missionaries to uganda, and while we have friends in uganda (as we have in many nations), we have no organizational presence there .
today, the academy awards narrowed down the potential documentary film nominees to fifteen, which will be narrowed down to a final five in january 2014 when the full list of oscar nominations is announced. among those included is the lgbt - themed documentary, god loves uganda .
i believe this is the call, which god has called me to bring the good news to lgbtq people ,
he says .
that they also were created by god, made in the image of god, which a number of our churches don' t like to say .
god loves uganda explores the role of the american evangelical movement in uganda, the “pearl of africa, ” where american missionaries have been credited with creating schools and hospitals, but also blamed for promoting dangerous religious bigotry. for many american evangelicals, uganda is fertile territory to spread their interpretation of the bible. but their proselytizing may have more nefarious results than they realize, as the missionaries’ teachings about homosexuality becomes part of a culture of intolerance and hatred towards uganda’s lgbt community. more
' god loves uganda': how religion fueled an anti - gay movement in the documentary, director roger ross williams explores the role of american evangelicals in the anti - gay movement there. williams and christopher senyonjo, an excommunicated anglican bishop, discuss the collision of religion and politics .
williams, who received an academy award for best documentary (short subject) in 2010 for his film, music by prudence, recently spoke with palm springs life about the making of god loves uganda, gaining access with the missionaries, and his effort to raise awareness about abuse of religious power .
god loves uganda is a documentary film produced and directed by roger ross williams which premiered at the 2013 sundance film festival. the film explores the role of the american evangelical movement in uganda, where american missionaries have been credited with both creating schools and hospitals and promoting dangerous religious bigotry. we follow evangelical leaders in america and uganda along with politicians and missionaries as they attempt the task of eliminating “sexual sin” and converting ugandans to fundamentalist christianity .
roger ross williams’ deeply disturbing, eye - opening documentary, god loves uganda, explores the role white, evangelical americans played in spreading anti - gay sentiment across the african country, which led–frighteningly–to ugandan parliament proposing the anti - homosexuality bill, which criminalizes homosexual relations and actions and deems them punishable by death .
hrc congratulates the producers of god loves uganda for being named as a finalist for an academy award nomination for best documentary. this powerful film details how some american conservatives have worked to bring their anti - gay beliefs and the american culture wars to uganda. leaders like scott lively and lou engle have used their distorted view of the bible to incite a violent breed of homophobia overseas .
13 may. god loves uganda (2013) – roger ross williams (united states / uganda). * * special time and place: 4: 30 at max palevsky theater in ida noyes hall. screening to be followed by a discussion and reception with the filmmaker roger ross williams * * a documentary about the rise of evangelical homophobia in uganda, the film follows american and ugandan religious leaders as they “battle for the soul” of africa. more information here .
it was an effective strategy for williams. the missionaries not only stand up for their beliefs and mission in god loves uganda, they do so terrifyingly so, with smiles and hugs while spreading hateful anti - gay rhetoric. by letting the missionaries tell their own story, williams gained access and a tentative trust with them .
“the church’s vocation is to rule history with god…the same authority that has been given to christ jesus for overwhelming conquering and dominion has been given to the saints of the most high…. we’re god’s rulers upon the earth…we will govern over kings and judges will have to submit…we’re called to rule! to change history! to be co - regents with god! ”
“god loves uganda, ” a documentary about american evangelical involvement in inflaming anti - gay sentiment in that country, made its debut at last year’s sundance festival and reached a broader audience through this week’s broadcast on public television. the attention from this week’s broadcast has provoked a response from the international house of prayer (ihop) .
the world has never had an up - close look at how anti - gay animus is exported from the united states to places like uganda ,
said andre banks, executive director and co - founder of all out .
god loves uganda shows us how the u. s. culture war is being shipped wholesale to africa, sometimes unknowingly, but always with disastrous consequences. the film should be required viewing .
directed by roger ross williams, god loves uganda captures american and ugandan evangelicals attempting to bring america' s right - wing conservative beliefs to uganda. of particular interest to these evangelicals is fighting
sexual immorality
by using the bible to incite homophobia. the film originally premiered at the sundance film festival in 2013 where it received an audience award, and continues to screen in select theaters. check out the trailer below !
moreover, god loves uganda correctly shows that the antihomosexual agenda there has been driven, in part, by some american evangelicals, notably scott lively, a very minor figure at home in the united states, and lou engle, one of the founders of the international house of prayer (ihop) and known to many more as ...
you didn’t mention the us evangelical angle with the ugandan law. there is an upcoming documentary, “god loves uganda”, that portrays the role missionaries supposedly played in getting it started. here is a short preview video from the guardian website, that also shows some eerie footage from the parliament and the cheerful reception the proposed bill got there: urltoken
lou engle, an ihop co - founder, is a dominionist who believes the church’s role is to “rule history with god. ”
a growing majority of people of faith in the united states are supportive of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to live and love, but god loves uganda exposes the subversive segment of u. s. churches that export dangerous anti - gay belief systems, which have provided momentum for some of the worst anti - gay laws in the world .
in addition to the good news about god loves uganda, this year has seen several other lgbt - themed documentaries worth noting. the film bridegroom takes a compelling look at the issue of marriage equality after one of two men in a committed relationship tragically passes away. check out bridegroom' s trailer here, and watch it now on netflix, itunes, and amazon .
moving back and forth between scenes in kansas city and uganda, editors richard hankin and benjamin gray weave the divergent material together into a compelling portrait of a volatile situation that is, at heart, fueled and financed by american cultural wars. god loves uganda is not a subtle film and might have benefited from a bit more nuance in discussing the issues. surely not all christian efforts in uganda are reprehensible. but williams is to be commended not only for his filmmaking skill, but also for pulling back the curtain on a most disturbing situation .
' which means you who are refugees are specially loved by god, that jesus himself was a refugee and he loves you and he stands with you and the suffering that you have is the suffering that he knows. so i pray for you, i will advocate for you.'
the world has never had an up - close look at how anti - gay animus is exported from the united states to places like uganda ,
said andre banks, executive director and co - founder of all out, a gay rights advocacy group .
' god loves uganda' shows us how the u. s. culture war is being shipped wholesale to africa, sometimes unknowingly, but always with disastrous consequences. the film should be required viewing .
an account of the american evangelicals' attempts to indoctrinate their christian right beliefs in uganda .
and the situation' s only been exacerbated by american evangelicals preaching anti - gay dogma in uganda - - rushing into the vacuum left by the collapse of idi amin' s regime in 1979. roger ross williams' new documentary ,
god loves uganda ,
depicts the process by which american proselytizers have taught anti - gay hatred to the people of uganda. characters in the film include scott lively, the author of anti - gay screed
the pink swastika
; jono hall, a media trainer teaching students at the international house of prayer how to make multimedia production; and jo anna watson, a mentor to young prospective missionaries to uganda .
a. ihopkc is committed to giving to the poor and to efforts that forward the great commission of jesus throughout the earth. we do this primarily in our own city (kansas city) through efforts that feed the poor, support widows and orphans, and help local schools and evangelism projects. we also support missionaries in other nations; however, we have never supported any of the individuals shown in the god loves uganda documentary .
a. in spring 2013 a documentary was released at the sundance film festival, entitled god loves uganda. the documentary explores the rationale behind a controversial piece of legislation proposed in uganda that called for draconian, punitive measures against acts of homosexuality. the main rationale that the documentary explores is the influence of evangelicalism in north america, and in particular it follows a group of students from the international house of prayer. the inference of the film is that such “foot soldiers” are fomenting anti - gay rhetoric and fervor, which has led to persecution of those in uganda who identify themselves as lgbt (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) .
roger ross williams’ eye - opening documentary follows evangelicals who travel to uganda to convert souls and demonize gays .
bishop christopher senyonjo was for many years a respected religious leader in uganda and rose to become a bishop. however, in the early ’90s his commission was revoked because of his support and compassion for gays. he continues his own “mission” in uganda and was awarded the clinton global citizen award in 2012 for his work and unwavering belief that “we are all god' s children. ”
' the bible tells us that the refugee is specially loved by god,' welby said as he joined in prayers in a camp in the northern district of moyo .
documentary looks into uganda' s activist gay community
. voice of america, march 3, 2012 .
for awhile, i was having a hard time tracking this film down because i had convinced myself that it was called god hates uganda. here we have the story of local and foreign evangelists competing for the hearts and minds of ugandan citizens with little regard for the hatred that they brew .
gospel of intolerance: u. s. evangelicals fund uganda antigay movement | op - docs | the new york times
roger ross williams directed and produced god loves uganda and music by prudence, winner of the 2010 academy award for documentary short subject. he is the first african american to win an oscar for directing and producing a film. he has produced and directed dozens of hours of non - fiction programming for major television networks and cable channels. williams has won numerous awards for his work. currently williams has several projects in development, including a feature narrative film about the african american baptist church titled black sheep .
williams noted in the q & a that the american evangelicals (mostly from an organisation called ihop, or international house of prayer) happily participated in the film - - knowing that he didn' t share their views - - because they wanted the world to behold their work. those less inclined to swallow what ihop is serving up will find god loves uganda chilling and disturbing, but they' ll also be inspired to find out what they can do to curb that country' s human rights violations .
in the well - known trope about africa, a white man journeys into the heart of darkness and finds the mystery of africa and its unknowable otherness. i, a black man, made that journey and found... america ,
roger ross williams said .
i hope god loves uganda helps accelerate the good work of organizations like all out by helping american evangelicals understand the negative consequences of some of the deadly lessons imported to africa by some people of faith. we should be terrified by the results of these actions .
evangelicals take american cultural wars to uganda as they convert souls and demonize gays in this unsettling and well - crafted film. twitter
using vérité - style camerawork, interviews, and hidden camera footage, god loves uganda allows american religious leaders and their young missionaries that make up the “front lines in a battle for billions of souls” to explain their positions in their own words. this includes lou engle, creator of the call, which brings tens of thousands of believers together in “solemn assemblies. ” it also offers a rare view of the most powerful evangelical minister in uganda, and of a ugandan church where a preacher whips a congregation into mass hysteria with anti - gay rhetoric. it also features the story of bishop christopher senyonjo, a minister excommunicated, ostracized, and literally spat on for being tolerant, who campaigns for peace and healing in uganda, as well as an interview with gay activist david kato shortly before he was murdered .
for me, i’m a filmmaker, i’ll always be making films. when
god loves uganda
gets recognized, with the incredible team i' ve had this time, it’s been a dream. and to have success and be at sundance and all the attention around the film, with a team i adore that’s very professional - - it' s been amazing and transformative. i got very emotional talking to a reporter who asked me what it would mean if i won a second oscar. it would mean vindication. vindication! that’s the honest truth .
while religious leaders within and outside uganda have seemingly benefited from american largesse, a few lone voices have emerged to speak out, and they give the film its moral backbone. the rev. kapya kaoma was formerly an anglican priest in uganda but was forced to flee the country and now, based in boston, conducts research on the christian right’s colonization of african values and the violent intolerance of lgbt people in uganda .
god loves uganda, which premiered on friday at sundance, is more disturbing: it documents the efforts of evangelicals to export america’s culture war to africa. missionaries, of course, have been going to africa for centuries now. what’s different is an effort not just to bring jesus to africa, but the entire political agenda of the american conservative movement. they’re not just bringing the message that “jesus saves, ” but a raft of positions about which christians may disagree: abstinence over birth control, adoption over abortion, and, most disturbingly, the complete eradication of any trace of homosexuality from society .
boyd, lydia. 2015. preaching prevention: born - again christianity and the moral politics of aids in uganda. athens: ohio university press .
the film traces the missionary efforts of the international house of prayer (ihop) and follows a group of young people on a trip to uganda .
in fact, engle is a remarkably polarizing figure who has frequently describes those who disagree with him on abortion and marriage as being in league with satan in a confrontation between good an evil. “god loves uganda” includes footage of engle’s pro - prop. 8 rally in california at which he warned that allowing same - sex couples to get married would unleash “sexual insanity” and a spirit “more demonic than islam. ” in 2011, he organized an event in detroit that was pitched to local pastors as a unity event for people of faith to pray for detroit’s economy when its actual purpose was to “invade dearborn” and convert followers of “demonic” islam to christianity .
supporters of the lgbt community in uganda, like bishop christopher senyonjo (one of the subjects of the film), are few and far between. as visiting missionaries from american organizations like the international house of prayer continue to propagate their anti - gay ideals, uganda grows more and more desperate for a radical change in national morality. williams’ terrific documentary will hopefully be a catalyst for discussion on the issue and lead to a brighter future for uganda’s lgbt community .
park city —the list of travesties committed by religion in the name of god is lengthy. now you can add uganda to the list. in roger ross williams ’ eye - opening documentary, the kansas city - based evangelical group international house of prayer (ihop) is seen not only spreading the gospel to desperate people in uganda, but also demonizing homosexuality and banning the use of condoms among a population heavily hit by hiv. this is clearly a film with an agenda and will be well - received by like - minded viewers on a socially conscious cable outlet .
you struck a goldmine there, didn’t you? ! i struck a goldmine! i’m going to send a crew to uganda to film a video spot of him .
most have fled south to uganda, whose open - door refugee policy is now creaking under the sheer weight of numbers in sprawling camps carved out of the bush .
the story god loves uganda tells is damning. director william, who grew up in a religious household, said he is “fascinated by both religion and its power to do evil. ” it is, nonetheless, worth asking whether the anti - gay views of the american church can be so clearly blamed for what is happening in a society where homophobia was already prevalent. and the documentary vacillates between a heavy - handed depiction of crazed, hateful cultists, and a more earnest effort to chronicle the lives of well - meaning american missionaries. but somewhere in there is a sharp message, delivered best in the film by bishop christopher senyonjo, who asks which part of the christian gospels calls for evangelizing hatred ?
there are few places on earth as inhospitable to gays as uganda. the nation is weighing the anti - homosexuality bill, which would punish homosexual acts with draconian punishments .
these adults are putting into practice across uganda an aggressive campaign, bolstered by tried - and - true evangelical techniques that have come to be less effective in the u. s .
but i felt god wanted me to go back ,
senyonjo says .
i' ve been harassed, but people are coming to know that what i' m trying to do is not really something which should make someone regarded as an enemy of our nation .
recently, i was on al jazeera with the former vice president of uganda, dr. gilbert bukenya who is currently a member of parliament and is running for president of uganda. he could likely be the next president of uganda. we had this incredible dialogue. i traveled to washingto d. c. , and we screened the film. his daughter and assistant came to the screening, and afterwards said, “wow, this film totally opened our eyes. this is exactly what’s going on in our country. ” she later told me her father wanted to meet with me. dr. bukenya had been in support of the anti - homosexuality bill. i ended up in this hotel room with the possible future president of uganda !
williams, who says grew up in the black church but was later rejected when he came out as gay, focuses on a group of evangelical christians in uganda and their evangelism efforts .
a woman wraps archbishop of canterbury justin welby in a piece of cloth upon arrival at mirieyi settlement camp in adjumani district during his visit to south sudanese refugees, uganda august 2, 2017 .
a. evangelicalism has become a byword among many, and perhaps, at times, for good reason. however, the history of evangelicalism sees a people convinced by the claims of christ as shown in the bible, which, as a result of a spiritual transformation in their own lives, has led to great social reforms in human history: the abolition of the slave trade, the feeding of the poor, the establishment of labor laws, education as a right for all. we identify and seek to emulate this evangelical tradition, seeking justice for the whole person. we, along with the body of christ, seek to serve both the spiritual and physical needs of people: spiritual needs through prayer, bible translation, teaching, and evangelism, and physical needs through feeding programs, training programs, clothing those in need, combating the orphan crisis, and seeking to end sex - trafficking. the students that the god loves uganda film crew followed were involved in prayer, evangelism, and humanitarian activities. at no point were they preaching sexual morality or fomenting anti - gay rhetoric in uganda .
outside his home, david kato (1964 - 2011) recounts how he found out about
gay life
when he was living in south africa ten years earlier. he picked up a gay escort and had sex for the first time, at the age of twenty - eight. he then decided to return to his home country of uganda and spread gay rights there. at the headquarters of sexual minorities uganda, the lgbt non - profit organization he runs, he explains he is the first openly gay man in uganda. he adds his job is to track all instances of homophobia in uganda. we then see a man from mbale explaining he was arrested and humiliated by police officers... we are then introduced to naome ruzindana, a lesbian activist with two children. in 2004, she founded the coalition of african lesbians .
thousands of refugees from south sudan arrive at the most recently established imvepi reception centre in arua district, uganda. children, women and men are fleeing the country with their belongings, livestock and sometimes with nothing .
the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, prayed yesterday with south sudanese refugees in northern uganda, which is home to a nearly million fugitives from a four - year civil war in the world' s youngest nation .
aside from the premise itself, the most striking thing about the film is that ihop has granted williams full access. apparently, the group thinks there is no such thing as bad publicity, and the depiction is predictably far from flattering. interviews with the bombastic leaders of the church establish the importance attached to the mission in uganda, which is regarded as “the pearl of africa” since it is so ripe for indoctrination, with more than half the population under 15. well - meaning though they may be, these evangelicals believe god has given them the mandate to rule the world .
it happened across the continent. uganda was a country at its worst point and america represents so much to the world, its wealth, power and image. hollywood has done a good job - - people around the world listen .
although uganda' s anti - homosexuality bill has stirred up major controversy, many activists and observers believe that it will not be brought before parliament for a vote. senyonjo says the legislation has been a
blessing in disguise .
it' s commendable that this film tried to shed light on the horrifying influence of conservative christian values on uganda. i think a lot of what this film showcases needed to be seen and speaks a lot about the political affiliation that these religions push on countries that don' t have the same rights and freedoms as those protected in other countries. the interviews were solid, and following the ihop missionaries was intriguing, but the correlation between these people and uganda needed to be made clearer. there is legislation in uganda against homosexuality, but there was nothing about the violence enacted against these people, the discrimination, and the countless deaths. the funeral scene was a good start and showed human kindness exists in uganda, but it didn' t show the true impact of these people and their heinous causes. a very beautiful film overall, it still showed the ugandan societal landscape, and what has changed its features in the past thirty years .
the documentary call me kuchu follows uganda’s first openly gay man and a retired anglican bishop as they work to defeat a law that would make homosexuality punishable by death. check out the trailer here, and the dvd can be purchased on amazon .
in fact, williams says, they had a public relations person “chaperone” him during the filming in uganda to make sure no one got off topic. he soon discovered the mission of ihop was part of a larger christian evangelical movement in uganda that promotes biblical law as the ultimate law. their message is everywhere – from street preachers shouting gospel to drivers and pedestrians, to stores with names like “holy face of jesus pharmacy, ” “born again brokers, ” and “party for jesus shoemaker. ”
a. no, we do not. we never have, and stated as such in the interviews for the documentary (which never made it to the final cut of the film). we have very little to do with uganda as an organization; we do not have missionaries in uganda and do not send a dollar of our budget to uganda. our primary mandate as an organization is prayer and humanitarian action; it is not political. we are not involved in us politics, let alone politics in another nation. upon further investigation of the bill (due to the making of this documentary), we would state that many of the provisions of the bill make it untenable in its current form, and we would oppose its passing .
four years ago, a bill was introduced in uganda' s parliament that would criminalize same - sex relations. the anti - homosexuality bill has not yet become law, but it has drawn international attention to the animosity against gays in the african nation .
bishop sonyonjo is the hero of the film, and of uganda, as far as i’m concerned. are you close with him? he comes with me to a lot of screenings. he gets standing ovations, as you can imagine. he’s a hero. he was living in poverty because he lost his pension after taking his stance. he didn’t have to take that stance. he had run the church of western uganda for 25 years and is married with ten kids. he said, “people don’t understand homosexuality, and i have to educate people. ” people would say, “how could you give up everything for this cause? ” he said he believed this was what god was telling him to do. the elton john aids foundation came to his rescue and gave him a grant, and he was able to start st. paul’s center for reconciliation, which is the only church where lgbt people can go and pray .
writing on his facebook page, welby reflected on his time in sudan:' i spent a brief time with the bishops of sudan hearing about their vision for their dioceses,' he wrote.' i reflected on how the word emmanuel means god with us. together with partners, we discussed how to help the church in sudan thrive by working with local churches, rather than doing things to or for them .
call me kuchu is a 2012 american documentary film directed by malika zouhali - worrall and katherine fairfax wright. the film explores the struggles of the lgbt community in uganda, [ 2 ] focusing in part on the 2011 murder of lgbt activist david kato. [ 2 ]
senyonjo was excommunicated by the archbishop of uganda in the early 2000s, but has continued his ministry and activism. he says there are times when he' s been fearful for his life. in 2001, he stayed in the u. s. for six months .
there' s a history of not talking about sex. period. sex is not something talked about. the myth that scott lively brought to uganda is that homosexuality is a western import trying to recruit children. they believe it because it' s coming from an american, and no one talks about it. it’s kept in private. the good thing about the [ anti - gay ] bill in uganda and the [ anti - gay ] bill in nigeria that got passed is that now there’s dialogue, is that now they’re talking about it .
that' s what' s happening in uganda, where the parliament has been considering a
kill the gays
bill for several years. director roger ross williams (director of the oscar - winning short music by prudence) connects the dots between the virulent anti - gay politics in contemporary uganda and the u. s. churches that are exporting their fringe views to the country in the guise of charity and mission work. (the ugandan pastor of one of the affiliated churches is now, not coincidentally, one of the nation' s richest men. )
“david was paranoid when i met him. he had been attacked and beaten many times, as all the activists in uganda have been. they’re edgy and nervous, ” says williams. “but he was particularly paranoid, and rightfully so. his brutal death was devastating, tragic. ”
at the beginning of the film, it is explained that
kuchu
, a word of swahili origin, is a way to refer to homosexuals in uganda; sylvia tamale documented the usage of the word by homosexual ugandans as a catch - all self - description. [ 3 ]
he believes that powerful evangelical leaders have a larger agenda :
everyone i' ve talked to in my film has said,' you know, look: america' s lost.' as marriage equality has passed, america is lost to them, but they are winning the war in uganda .
did it mess with you? totally. oh, totally. it’s so bizarre. i don’t even know how i did it, looking back. i don’t know how i did it. i was on some sort of mission, or i was driven. i don’t know. there was a point where i was outed. someone sent an email. one of the missionaries who lived in uganda wrote a blog about me following her. the email said i was part of the gay agenda and that i should be… [ trails off. ] she sent it to all the anti - gay pastors in uganda .
publisher’s description: preaching prevention examines the controversial u. s. president’s emergency plan for aids relief (pepfar) initiative to “abstain and be faithful” as a primary prevention strategy in africa. this ethnography of the born - again christians who led the new anti - aids push in uganda provides insight into both what it means for foreign governments to “export” approaches to care and treatment and the ways communities respond to and repurpose such projects. by examining born - again christians’ support of uganda’s controversial 2009 anti - homosexuality bill, the book’s final chapter explores the enduring tensions surrounding the message of personal accountability heralded by u. s. policy makers .
with nearly half its population under the age of 15 — a fertile source of unclaimed souls — uganda is particularly attractive to missionaries. but saving them comes with a price, as we learn from gospel messages liberally seasoned with antigay rhetoric and fundamentalist support for a bill that would institute the death penalty for repeat homosexual offenders .
american evangelicals have done a lot of great work ,
williams tells all things considered weekend host arun rath .
but it' s a certain type of fundamentalist evangelical ideology that came in there and basically instilled in a lot of the young people in uganda this message that biblical law is above any other law .
director roger ross william’s film is centered on uganda and the activities of the international house of prayer, a vehemently anti - gay church headquartered in kansas city. * the church preaches that homosexuality is a sin that can be resisted and even cured by prayer. according to the film, the church has helped to foment a new level of hatred and violence against gays in uganda. the film alleges, in fact, that the church, along with similar groups, led ugandan politicians to introduce a law (the “kill the gays” bill) that would make it a capital offense to be gay, and inspired the murder of david kato, a gay rights activist .
uganda is the youngest population on the planet, with the median age being 15. after idi amin, uganda was devastated because of hiv / aids and civil war. the parents were all killed. the evangelicals saw a vacuum and filled that vacuum. the founder of ihop told me that he was there the day idi amin fell in 1979 with a group of evangelical leaders from america. he said he was on the ground, bullets flying over his head, there to take the country as a christian nation. they went in there right at the beginning and said, “this is our chance to take an african country and rebuild it in our own image. ”
the film argues that conservative evangelical christian churches, aware of the declining trend of belief in america, are spreading out into africa, where they hope to foster an anti - gay fervor among the increasingly religious african population. a growing number of african countries, like uganda, have been reporting explosive growths in christianity, according to the film .
i was very nervous, of course. they hadn' t let any documentary crew in ever and they hadn' t even let christian media in, very much. they were particular about letting me follow this group to uganda, afraid they’d say the wrong things, they’d embarrass them! right before the trip, they changed their mind .
as a gay man who grew up in a religious family, williams has had a lifelong desire to explore the power of religion to transform lives – or destroy them. one of the first people williams met on a research trip to uganda was david kato, an activist who would, sadly, become a victim of violence sparked by evangelical anti - gay ideology .
the variety critic concludes :
with little interest in attributing any social benefits or genuinely altruistic impulses to the missionary movement, williams allows local bishop christopher senyonjo to be the reasonable face of christianity in uganda, calling for an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect. it' s an attitude the film outwardly endorses but doesn' t entirely embody, as far as evangelicals are concerned .
williams was in the right place at the right time. the evangelical movement fueled uganda’s anti - homosexuality bill and religious fervor was peaking as missionaries preached their message of intolerance throughout the country. ugandan president yoweri museveni signed the bill into law in february. with its passage, williams says newspapers are publishing names and addresses of homosexuals, prompting a human rights crisis – and mob justice .
back in the us, in the past few years, engle has been seen participating in efforts to elect extreme right wing politicians, dreaming up a scheme where 100, 000 ex - gay preachers will help cure aids and even encouraging his followers to watch the avengers so they will learn how to fight demons, all while continuing to send waves of missionaries to uganda to carry his message of intolerance .
uganda, a largely conservative christian nation, is currently facing intense international pressure to ensure that an anti - gay bill introduced in parliament does not make homosexuality punishable by death, as a previous version of the bill reportedly stipulated. mainstream american evangelical chrisitan pastor rick warren of saddleback church in calif. , has spoken out against the law, calling it
unjust, extreme and un - christian toward homosexuals .
what were you thinking as you sat there? i was thinking, “this is crazy! ” how am i now in this position where i can make a difference in people’s lives? i was thinking, don’t let this moment go. i convinced him to come out with a statement in support of the decriminalization of homosexuality in uganda. i got him to work with me to do a series of video spots supporting lgbt equality, and he would also like to screen the film in uganda. he says people his age are kind of stuck in their ways and won’t see the film, but young people will. he realized africa had to change in the same way america had to change 30 - 40 years ago. they’re in that place, and they have to respect the rights of everyone. he said he’d like to do it through my film .
what i got from them was love and acceptance - - on their terms. people at ihop were constantly laying hands and praying for my salvation; ihop believes in conversion therapy, with a department tending to “sexual brokenness .
jono hall told me he was an expert on working with the sexually broken. he told me this late one night in uganda. in their bookstore there were a couple shelves of books on ex - gays .
after introducing the memorable music by prudence to mountainfilm in 2009, director roger ross williams returns with a different look at africa. uganda has received international attention for anti - homosexuality legislation proposed in parliament, which the media calls “kill the gays bill. ” williams carefully reveals that this virulent legislation is systemically supported by american christian missionaries. the hatred leads to a predictable series of human rights violations but also brings about some heroes to stop the madness .
filmmaker ross williams was given extensive access to ihop leaders, including evangelist lou engle, who believes uganda has a special prophetic destiny. the documentary includes footage of engle at a rally with supporters of the infamous anti - homosexuality act, where he tells the crowd he was “called” to encourage the ugandan church for standing up for “righteousness” in the face of international pressure to drop the bill. ihop now says it has never supported the anti - gay law .
is there progress being made in uganda right now? with dr. bukenya onboard, we can actually make some real change in africa. we need african leaders who are reasonable to stand up against hatred. i think there’s a lot happening on the ground. activists are doing a great job out there. they have great support from the international community, but it has to come from ugandans and faith leaders, because faith is the reason this bill exists .
charisma magazine’s jennifer leclaire writes that ihop and lou engle are being “falsely accused of ‘demonizing’ homosexuals in uganda. ” ihop’s response says that while it believes all sex outside of the marriage of one man and one woman is sinful, “we honor the dignity and rights of all whose opinion differs from ours” and that ihop is “open to civil dialogue and mutual respect. ” the filmmakers, says ihop, “pursued a deceptive means to achieve a hateful, polarizing result. ”
, this book investigates christian politics and discourses on homosexuality in sub - saharan africa. the contributors present case studies from various african countries, from nigeria to south africa and from cameroon to uganda, focusing on pentecostal, catholic and mainline protestant churches. they critically examine popular christian theologies that perpetuate homophobia and discrimination, but they also discuss contestations of such discourses and emerging alternative christian perspectives that contribute to the recognition of sexual diversity, social justice and human rights in contemporary africa .
as the world' s media goes into full gear over ukraine - russia standoff, we look at the timeline of events. uganda has now passed some of the worst anti - gay laws in the world. israel admits yet does not admit to destroying another weapons convoy heading to lebanon from syria. smaller parties in india unite to form an alternative to the big 2 in the upcoming election. boko haram militants attack a boarding school in eastern nigeria. this week' s newz source is the poynter institute .
: issues of homosexuality are the subject of public and political controversy in many african societies today. frequently, these controversies receive widespread attention both locally and globally, such as with the anti - homosexuality bill in uganda. in the international media, these cases tend to be presented as revealing a deeply - rooted homophobia in africa fuelled by religious and cultural traditions. but so far little energy is expended in understanding these controversies in all their complexity and the critical role religion plays in them. complementing the companion volume,
god loves uganda is a documentary film produced and directed by roger ross williams , which premiered at the 2013 sundance film festival . it explores connections between evangelicalism in north america and in uganda , suggesting that the north american influence is the reason behind the controversial uganda anti-homosexuality act , which at one point raised the possibility of the death penalty for gays and lesbians . the filmmakers follow a group of young missionaries from the international house of prayer in their first missionary effort in another nation , as well as interviewing several evangelical leaders from the us and uganda . williams was inspired to make god loves uganda when he met david kato , an lbgt activist who was killed in 2011 , ostensibly in a robbery . kato told there was an untold story of the damage american fundamentalist evangelicals are doing in uganda ; of the insidious nature of their aggressive effort to harvest young , unclaimed souls to preach a gospel of love intertwined with a gospel of intolerance . 
god loves uganda is a documentary film produced and directed by roger ross williams, which premiered at the 2013 sundance film festival. it explores connections between evangelicalism in north america and in uganda, suggesting that the north american influence is the reason behind the controversial uganda anti-homosexuality act, which at one point raised the possibility of the death penalty for gays and lesbians. the filmmakers follow a group of young missionaries from the international house of prayer in their first missionary effort in another nation, as well as interviewing several evangelical leaders from the us and uganda. williams was inspired to make god loves uganda when he met david kato, an lbgt activist who was killed in 2011, ostensibly in a robbery. kato told there was an untold story of the damage american fundamentalist evangelicals are doing in uganda; of the insidious nature of their aggressive effort to harvest young, unclaimed souls to preach a gospel of love intertwined with a gospel of intolerance.
god loves uganda is a documentary film produced and directed by roger ross williams, which premiered at the 2013 sundance film festival. it explores connections between evangelicalism in north america and in uganda, suggesting that the north american influence is the reason behind the controversial uganda anti-homosexuality act, which at one point raised the possibility of the death penalty for gays and lesbians. the filmmakers follow a group of young missionaries from the international house of prayer in their first missionary effort in another nation, as well as interviewing several evangelical leaders from the us and uganda. williams was inspired to make god loves uganda when he met david kato, an lbgt activist who was killed in 2011, ostensibly in a robbery. kato told there was an untold story of the damage american fundamentalist evangelicals are doing in uganda; of the insidious nature of their aggressive effort to harvest young, unclaimed souls to preach a gospel of love intertwined with a gospel of intolerance.