Who are we fooling!! Uganda’s “mini-skirt law” and its colonial undertones (Part 2)
The push for a “mini skirt Law,” the regulation in Ugandan Anglican Churches that denies brides the right to wear strapless gowns at church because it is disrespectful to the Church is a clear indication that colonialism has made it’s mark. The Evangelical movement in Africa and the traditional Church Institutions have carried on this colonial ideology of indecency.
It would be interesting to know the role of the religious right particularly in America with regard to financial donations / support, to and for the religious idiots that are taking Uganda and other African nations down a path radically different from the path the rest of the world ( excluding Russia but including the Vatican ) is moving.
The real issue here is the failure of the Ugandan State to control the circulation of Pornographic Media on the streets and probably address the issues that lead young women to expose their bodies for sexual exploitation (one clear issue, the lack of decent employment opportunities).
I am at a loss to know how the Ugandan government could actually control the circulation of Pornographic Media. That you are reading this now and not viewing pornography is astonishing. The world wide web runs on porn is funded by porn. I suppose Uganda could exercise the Venezuelan option, but it would not stop pornography. Actually I also doubt that the lack of employment opportunities has much to do with it. I very much doubt full employment would have any effect other than to increase the size and affluence of the audience.
There is nothing new about prostitution and pornography, and for those religiously inclined, Mary Magdalene is one case in point. This trade has existed for the same reasons to this day; the lack of meaningful employment for women with the responsibility of raising a family, finding shelter and food. However we have to be mindful to that the demands have significantly increased with the high cost of living thus increasing demand for this trade globally.
I agree that there is nothing new about prostitution and pornography, they have been with us since the dawn of humanity and expecting a government to be able to prevent it via legislation is rank stupidity. Uganda will discover that their anti gay legislation will fail for the same reason. If your politicians are stupid enough to be bought by extreme right " Christians " who feel they have the right to kill people because of who they chose to sleep with so be it.
It is also important to note that where there is supply there is demand and we cannot hope to eliminate the pornographic industry in Uganda without addressing the demand (the men that consume it) as this will only drive it underground.
Sort of right; actually where there is demand there is supply a lot of businesses have gone broke getting that around the wrong way. Interestingly a lot of consumption of pornography is by females.
" Caroline is not alone. While it's accepted that women are watching – and enjoying – porn more and more, it's less recognised that some are also finding it hard to stop. At Quit Porn Addiction, the UK's main porn counselling service, almost one in three clients are women struggling with their own porn use, says founder and counsellor Jason Dean. Two years ago, there were none.While more than six out of 10 women say they view web porn, one study in 2006 by the Internet Filter Review found that 17% of women describe themselves as "addicted"."
Which sort of screws the demand argument up a bit.
This like most legislations lets women carry the heavy penalty of a trade that has existed for centuries. This debate should not be centered on the female anatomy but on the male demand for pornographic images, and the increased regulation and prosecution of men that are involved in the exploitation of women in the sex trade.
Many jurisdictions have legalised prostitution and that is the sensible way to deal with the industry, willing buyers and sellers who are consenting adults. That probably won't happen if you decide to persecute the participants but ironically the church will love you for it. It would seem it is not only the Ugandan Government that is guilty of colonial ideology but indeed the author of this.
It is indeed laughable to see MPs making statements that the Law is void of Western influences, that they are defying the immorality of the West for the modesty of African culture. How quickly they forget their history, or should we assume that is one aspect of the academic arena they skipped. The Anti-pornography Act is as big of a Western concept as the English language and trying to blanket it in a veil of morality and religious values only proves its true origin. The fool here is really the legislatures that believe they are making an anti-Western statement, moving away from the indecent, corrupted and sexualised Western culture.
Oh fuck, you stupid bloody person. Pornography is not illegal in the west unless it is child pornography, something we really don't like. Why don't you stick your stupid immature attitudes where the sun doesn't shine, you could probably make money out of photographing it. As for the " legislatures " are they making an anti-western statement ? Or have they just like the author arrived in a logically impossible place due to a narrow minded approach.
It is therefore important that even in this post-colonial era with the invisible Western hand we should make sure we legislate with a rational mind, one that is mindful of our past and remains true to our history or else we stand to be judged as hypocrites. The religious movement should be mindful of the opinions they advance in the legislative arena and the influence these have on the authenticity of our African autonomous governance.
I have already judged you as a hypocrite, you have absolutely no right to impose your value judgements on anyone yet like the Church and legislature you bemoan, you have.
The religious movement in Uganda is actually more influential than earlier perceived as it has now pushed into the legislative arena but we should be assertive and identify its true nature and it’s influences which are at the end of the day not an African perception of morality, but a continuation of a Western Concept of what it means to be a civilised African.
It would seem the " do as I say " lunacy is well established as well.
Hat Tip: Rosebell Kagumire
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