1. Ghana and Gay Rights
Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King"[6] and is derived from the ancient Ghana Empire(Jackson, 2001)

2. Independence Ghana Flag
The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, becoming the first sub-Saharan African nation to do so,
The name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana, which once extended throughout much of west Africa.
Ghana is a member of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, and an associate member of La Francophonie.
Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa in the world and is home to Lake Volta, the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area.
The economy of Ghana has been listed as The World's Fastest Growing Economy in 2011 with an economic growth of about % for the year 2011 in economic research led by Economy Watch with data coming from the IMF's tracker of GDP Growth in constant prices in the national currency.(12

3. Gay rights in Ghana Ghananian Law
Under Ghanaian law, male same-sex sexual activity is officially illegal. Gay men can also be punished under provisions concerning assault and rape, only if "in public or with minor".
Criminal Code 1960– Chapter 6, Sexual Offences Article 105:
Whoever is guilty of unnatural carnal knowledge— (a) of any person without his consent, is guilty of first degree felony; (b) of any person with his consent, or of any animal, is guilty of a misdemeanor.[
The Constitution of Ghana guarantees the protection of all human rights for Ghanaian citizens "whatever his race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender", but does not mention sexuality.[

4. How did the crisis emerge
On May 30th a strange story circulated in the Ghanaian media. It claimed that 8,000 homosexuals, many with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, had been registered by an NGO. The figures also included students in junior and senior high school.
A few days later a group of Muslims tried again to lobby the government to bring the ‘homosexual crisis’ under control before Allah destroys Africa. (Graham Knight (2011)

5. Some of the actors in the crises
, Paul Aidoo the Western Regional Minister in Ghana, ordered the arrest of all homosexual persons in the west of the country.
He also urged landlords and tenants to dob in anyone they suspected were homosexual.
Whilst sadly this story isn’t all that surprising, when you think of the African continent and LGBT rights in general, it does mean that once again, our gay brothers and sisters overseas are being targeted and need our help.

6. David Cameron threat to Anti Gay African nations
David Cameron has threatened to withhold UK aid from governments that do not reform legislation banning homosexuality.
Mr. Cameron's threat applies only to one type of bilateral aid known as general budget support, and would not reduce the overall amount of aid to any one country.
Mr. Cameron says those receiving UK aid should "adhere to proper human rights (BBC News Oct. 30)
He was asked whether African countries would have their aid reduced if they did not reverse anti-gay legislation. Mr Cameron replied: “We are saying it is one of the things that will determine our aid policy.” Earlier this week a Ugandan presidential official,

7. David Cameron’s position on gay rights
During the Labour government's repeal of the Section 28 legislation in 2000, which banned local authorities from promoting the acceptability of homosexuality, Cameron accused Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair of being against family values and of pursuing the "promotion of homosexuality in schools".
In 2003, once Cameron had been elected as Conservative MP for Witney, he continued to support Section 28 and voted against its full repeal via a Conservative amendment which would have maintained Section 28 in schools.
In 2002, Cameron voted in favour of a bill that would allow unmarried heterosexual couples to adopt children, but which would specifically ban gay couples from adopting.
In addition, in 2008, he opposed giving lesbians the right to in vitro fertilisation treatment.[55]More recently, Cameron has claimed to have changed his position on gay rights. Although he supported it to the end, he has claimed that he is glad Section 28 is gone (it was repealed by the Labour Government in 2003).
Cameron voted in favour of civil partnerships for gay men and lesbians in 2004.In March 2010, Cameron was interviewed by Gay Times, and was filmed struggling to explain his party's voting record on the issue of gay rights, at one point asking for the interview to be stopped while he gathered his thoughts.
In his speech at the 2011 Conservative Party Conference, Cameron said he supported same-sex marriage and his government would begin a consultation to legalize it.

8. Ghana President’s Reaction to Cameron’s threat
The Ghanaian President John Atta Mills has reacted angrily UK’s threat to cut bilateral aid if the country refuses to legalise homosexuality. He said the UK did not have the right to “direct to other sovereign nations as to what they should do”, saying their society’s “norms” were support any attempt to legalise homosexuality in Ghana.”

9. Reaction from other African Countries on Cameron’s threat
Malawi government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati said it was “unfortunate” for Britain to have attached “pro-gay strings” to aid and noted that laws criminalising homosexuality are a legacy of British rule.
In Uganda, presidential adviser John Nagenda accused Cameron of having an "ex-colonial mentality" and of treating Ugandans "like children
The Ghanaian president Atta Mills’ communications chief Koku Anyidoho told the BBC: “If that aid is going to be tied to things that will destroy the moral fibre of society, do you really want that?”
50 LGBT rights groups in Africa also condemned Cameron’s statements, saying that they could lead to a backlash against gay people and that cutting aid to African countries would also negatively affect gays and lesbians on the continent
Most Africans argue that homosexuality violates their religious and cultural beliefs. (BBC News, Nov. 2, 2011)

10. Media
The recent trouble started when a media outlet reported there were around 8,000 homosexuals in Ghana; with a population of around 24 million, this is probably a conservative estimate. The figures were collected from non-government health services accessed by gay people and Ghana's homophobic media seized on the numbers.
The news also got the Ghanaian Christian council riled up; it asked voters not to vote for any politician that supported gay rights. Aidoo added to the disquiet, commenting that “all efforts are being made to get rid of these people in the society”, calling LGBT people “detestable and abominable.”

11. Contextual factors Believe systems Culture Christianity & Islam HIV
Threat to national security
Family continuity
Racism
Colonialism

12. Reactions from Cameron’s threat
Homophobia and gay bashing are at a fever high in reaction to British Prime Minister’s David Cameron warning that countries receiving British aid “should adhere to proper human rights.” Cameron specifically mentioned the anti-gay laws of Uganda and Ghana (World News, Nov. 19, 2011)

13. References
BBC News October 30, 2011 Cameron threat to dock some UK aid to anti-gay nations retireved from
World News, November 19, 2011Taking a stand for gay rights in Ghana. Retrieved

14. Video
Is Homosexuality un-African? Part 1& 2