New colonialism in Africa: Financial or sexual?
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday warned of a creeping “new colonialism” in Africa, with foreign investors extracting Africa’s natural resources to enrich themselves. Clinton did not specify any culprits, but from her comments a day earlier, it’s clear she was saying, China: This means you!
Officials traveling with Clinton said she wanted to stress that African countries should hold Chinese investors to the same standards that they apply to Americans and Europeans.
“We saw that during colonial times, it is easy to come in, take out natural resources, pay off leaders and leave,” Clinton said Saturday in the Zambian capital of Lusaka. “And when you leave, you don’t leave much behind for the people who are there. We don’t want to see a new colonialism in Africa.”
Meanwhile, some African leaders blame Clinton for a different type of colonialism—imposing Western beliefs about sexual orientations that their countries oppose. Stephen Langa, executive director of a Uganda-based family ministry, said that African Christians view homosexuality as a sin, and many cultures in Africa abhor the practice, but the United States has arm-twisted and blackmailed some African leaders into accepting it.
Langa said that last year the United States wanted the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission to receive UN accreditation but did not have the votes. Then, Langa said, the United States bypassed standard procedures, intimidated African delegates who opposed the accreditation, and got its way.
In Uganda, Langa said incidents of homosexuality among students were few until five years ago. That’s when Western governments and international organizations such as UNICEF entered schools to promote homosexuality among teens. Langa noted the teachings completely disregarded Ugandan laws and cultural practices that prohibit such behavior.
Uganda’s legislature reacted by passing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. That upset many American Christians because of its extreme punishments: the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” (such as rape of a minor) and life imprisonment for committing a homosexual act.
U.S. insistence that it has the right to usurp a country’s belief that homosexuality is a sin, and its claim that openly practicing homosexuality is a human right, reminds Langa of the colonialist past.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

















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back to top9 Comments to “New colonialism in Africa: Financial or sexual?”
So this boils down to pot, kettle, black.
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U.S. insistence that it has the right to usurp a country’s belief that homosexuality is a sin, and its claim that openly practicing homosexuality is a human right, reminds Langa of the colonialist past.
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Hmmm, know Obama and Clinton are willing to usurp a country’s belief system in relationship to homosexuality as a sin, but refuses to do anything about the Muslim Faith that demands people who are gay to be killed, or demads that those who were Muslim become Chistian are to be killed.
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We don’t want someone else telling them what to do because it might get in the way of what Obama wants them to do.
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Hillary, please do something with your hair.
Surely you can find a haircut that looks better than you in your hippie days.
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I don’t think she’s been taking the necessary time for herself. The cut is probably fine, but she has to put in a little effort, ya know?
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Hey. Leave her hair alone.
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Or … let’s talk about the male politicians’ hair.
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U.S. insistence that it has the right to usurp a country’s belief that homosexuality is a sin, and its claim that openly practicing homosexuality is a human right, reminds Langa of the colonialist past.
Okay, let me get this straight: the U.S. is being “colonialist” for opposing efforts in African countries to make life imprisonment the legal punishment for homosexual acts?
Does World Magazine really want to defend such policies?
To be clear: the U.S. is not “usurping a country’s right to believe homosexuality is a sin”. It’s attempting to pressure countries not to lock people up for life based on their sexual preference.
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So ridiculous. We’re giving this country free money, and we can’t give them some guidelines? Unbelievable. If this doesn’t make you guys hypocrites, I don’t know what does.
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