Category: Human right

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Africa Boko Haram equality Freedom Gay Human right LGBT LGBT Rights Nigeria President Barack Obama President Muhammadu Buhari sexual orientation Solidarity Torture United State of America

President Buhari Prefers The Terrorists – Boko Haram!

Buhari-and-Obama-360x225

Does President Buhari Prefer The Terrorists – Boko Haram?!

The newly elected president of the most populous nation in Africa, president Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has accepted the continuous onslaughts of his country’s citizens as opposed to promoting freedom, equality and the human rights of the LGBTIQ minority of Nigeria.

During Buhari’s visit to the US last week between Sunday, July 19 and Wednesday, July 22;  the need to repeal Nigerian Anti Gay law as contained in an open letter to President Obama requesting that he intervenes and pressures Buhari to repeal the Nigerian Same-sex marriage prohibition law was raised. Unfortunately he rejected to do so; this leads to missing a milestone which would have been a huge landmark in equality and human rights for all Nigerians and indeed the whole of Africa.

The Washington visit was meant to discuss the U.S government supports for Nigeria. President Obama was said to have told Buhari that: “The destiny of the continent was tied to Nigeria’s, he said, pledging that America would continue to support, as long as Nigeria does the right things”.

It beggars good reasoning and the worth of humanity what the priorities for Nigerians are from their newly elected president!

“A president who prefers the continuous maiming, mass massacre, torture, displacement and gruesome raping of his country’s citizens to LOVE needs to reconsider his or her position in my view” says Aderonke Apata, founder of African Rainbow Family.

Fair enough president Buhari has shown his commitment to combat and rid Nigeria of her number one spiral historic endemic ‘disease’ – bribery and corruption. He also promised to retrieve Nigerian looted money starched away in foreign countries. This is a welcome move and hopefully he achieves it.

However, it’s beyond imagination that the rights of ordinary harmless minority group in Nigeria who only shows love towards each other in consensual relationships could be traded off for the daily mayhem caused by Boko Haram. Read about the February 2015 Africa Rainbow Family’s candle lit vigil in solidarity with victims of Boko Haram massacre in Baga here.

Other benefits for Nigeria’s advancement were also rejected by her custodian all in the name of culture and religion.

We call on president Buhari to take a better inward reconsideration of his stand and move away from being ‘cowed’ by the so called religious leaders who only care about themselves under the pretence of upholding God’s commandments.

For further information:

Aderonke Apata

info@africanrainbowfamily.org

www.africanrainbowfamily.org

To support our work, please contact us here.

27th July 2015.

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Boko Haram Freedom Human right Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari Solidarity Torture

“I Am Baga Too”: Manchester Marches Against Boko Haram

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Exactly seven days before Valentine’s Day, central Manchester was occupied by activists marching in solidarity with the victims of Boko Haram’s heinous January attacks. Not only did the vigil – organised by self-funded collective African Rainbow Family (ARF) – condemn the attacks, but it raised the alarm against the lack of mainstream media coverage. With people from various backgrounds, ethnicities, ages and faiths, up to 60 activists gathered in Piccadilly Gardens, having walked from St Peters Square via Market Street where the march commenced.

Echoing the reverberation of the megaphone’s “I Am Baga Too” and “Black Lives Matter Too”, the protesters peacefully marched with lit candles and placards denoting the value of all human life, regardless of background or social standing.

Despite the outbreak of news interest in the initial kidnappings of 200 schoolgirls in March 2014 – including a social media hashtag campaign that even Michelle Obama took part in – little-to-no light has been shone over Boko Haram’s further spate of abductions of women and recent bombing of an estimated 2,000 civilian lives.

The rally’s aim was to raise awareness of those neglected by mainstream media and to provoke “a national debate with western and African leaders” driven towards active change rather than lip-service, founder of ARF Aderonke Apata told TNT.

RF is the group behind last December’s march along Portland Street, Manchester. The convention saw hundreds of activists protesting against institutionalised injustices such as that which happened to the late Mike Brown from Ferguson, Missouri USA.

“Going forward, we want to see more communication between activist groups and volunteers. We want to connect with each other as we are more powerful together. Ultimately we want community voices to be heard,” one of the co-organisers said.

Terrorist militant group, Boko Haram, has taken over the Baga town of north-east Nigeria. It continues its monstrous crimes against thousands of innocent women and children. Activists feel there is no other option but to take to the streets in protest, rather than mirror the meek and passive reaction of mainstream media. The next public meeting has been provisionally booked according to ARF group; however, the date will be confirmed soon. In the meantime, we should all continue to let the appalling silence burst away from us. More details of the news coverage of the vigil can be found  here.

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Freedom Gay Human right LGBT Nigeria President Barack Obama President Muhammadu Buhari Solidarity United State of America

President Buhari supports continuous criminalisation of his country’s LGBTI community!

Press Release – 23rd July 2015

Repeal Nigerian Anti-Gay Law Now!

During his visit to President Barack Obama in the U.S.A this week, our open letter of 17th July 2015 to President Obama requesting that he intervenes and pressures Buhari to repeal Nigerian Anti Gay Law was raised in a discussion as confirmed by Femi Adesina, spokesperson for President Buhari. Unfortunately, he rejected to do so hence he is in support of the continuous inequality, discrimination and criminalisation of this Nigerian minority group.

“It’s a shame. President Buhari’s rejection to repeal the Same-Sex Law marks the continuous dark age of hostile and toxic environment against LGBTIs and any support organisation of this community in Nigeria” said Aderonke Apata, founder of African Rainbow Family.

Adesina said: “The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday. President Muhammadu Buhari was point blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture.”

Over 70,000 equality lovers all over the world signed the petitions to the Nigerian president asking that he upholds the human rights of the LGBTI community in Nigeria. Details of petitions here and here.

President Buhari missed the golden opportunity to be a custodian of human rights and democracy in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa; especially at a time when Americans are enjoying an historic marriage equality, continues Aderonke.

In her open letter to President Barack Obama on 17th July 2015, Aderonke highlighted the plights of her community in Nigeria. The enormous state sponsored violence and inhuman degradation treatments such as arbitrary police arrests, torture, extortion and blackmails against this minority Nigerians would know no end. The magnitude of state and non-state discrimination they face in their own country such as  jungle justice, homelessness, lack of access to: healthcare, employment, political opinions have just been sanctioned by the newly elected president of Nigeria.

It should be noted however, that our resolute persistent push and call for the decriminalization of this punitive law must be unwavered. African countries such as Uganda and Mozambique recently decriminalise homosexuality. Nigeria needs to be more forward looking and protects all of her citizens against violations of their human rights.

For further information:

Aderonke Apata

info@africanrainbowfamily.org

WWW.AfricanRainbowFamily.org

To support the work of African Rainbow Family, contact us here.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Freedom Gay Human right LGBT Nigeria President Barack Obama President Muhammadu Buhari Solidarity United State of America

Open Letter To President Barack Obama-Repeal Nigerian Anti-Gay Law

Open Letter To President Barack Obama-Repeal Nigerian Anti-Gay Law.

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Freedom Human right Nigeria Solidarity

Candlelit Vigil For The Victims of The Horrific #Baga Attack, 7th Feb 2015 @ 4pm En Route St Peters Square to Piccadilly.

#BlackLivesMatterToo #Baga
Join us as we march ARM-IN-ARM in solidarity through Manchester in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in tragedies neglected by the mainstream, to stand with all those affected by the hateful Boko Haram group, and to remind the world that @BlackLivesMatterToo!

 We will gather at St Peter Square and make our way to Piccadilly Gardens, where we will have our speakers.

This barbaric and horrific Baga attacks which took place between the 3rd and 7th of January 2015 have been underreported. A confirmed 150 people lost their lives, with an estimated number of over 2000 strewed bodies unaccounted for, and over 35,000 displaced by the violence of Boko Haram.

Boko Haram are a terrorist organization affi…liated with Al-Qaeda, active in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Governments are reported to have misreported/underestimated the numbers of victims in an attempt to downplay the threat of this organization, who have so far claimed over 7000 lives since 2009, and forced more than a million to flee.

In April 2014 Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls, the majority of which remain missing to this day -:http://bringbackourgirls.us/
Join invite page https://www.facebook.com/events/621914561246282/
Speakers include:

Aderonke Apata

Human Rights Activist, LGBTIQ Equality Advocate and Feminist. An unstoppable force in fighting for justice. she started the shutdown Yarl’s Wood campaign from inside Yarl’s Wood in 2012. In spite of terrible violence and human rights violations, chose to stand up not only for herself, but for others who have experienced injustice and continue to challenge the government and legal system that penalises the many LGBT refugees seeking asylum in the UK.

Winner of the Positive Role Model for LGBT National Diversity Awards 2014 and number 41 on the 101Independent Newspaper’s Rainbow list 2014 Most Influential LGBT people in UK.

Twitter handle is rock4_ronnie.https://www.facebook.com/ronke.bamidele.9/friends

Alfa Kuabo

A Cultural and Political Activist from Angola; also a video producer for different African TV stations in the UK such as Bentv, Mwangoletv and Soltv.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1UdNfdoJBA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijwkWOnmW4M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNCSxG2PnoU

 Prince Odunze O. Odunze

A film graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

Happily married with 2 children a boy and a girl. A human right activist, a social critic and freedom campaigner. A visionary leader, motivational speaker, life coach, community organizer and serial entrepreneur.

Other speakers to follow