God Loves Uganda

Known as the "Pearl of Africa", Uganda is undergoing a transformation movement caused by the west. In God Loves Uganda this story follows the influence of Christian missionaries who are trying to "save" this country and implement their own religious moral beliefs. The story starts off with the church of IHOP (International House of Prayer) and then transition on the how these Christian beliefs are influencing the political, cultural, and lifestyle of Uganda. Directed by Roger Ross Williams, an interesting tale of how the American Christian Right is being exported to impact the world. I saw this film as part of the Atlanta Film Festival

Can a movie about evil American evangelicals and good Ugandan gays be a bad movie? I'm afraid so. There is a great movie/documentary to be made about this explosive issue, but it's not this thin effort.

This film just doesn't do justice to its subject. A film that portrays the religious right persecuting Ugandan gays pushes all the right buttons to guarantee a positive reception but there is a lot wrong with this film.

It appears to have be edited to serve as a 'gay rights' movie out of footage that was not originally intended for that purpose, because a lot of what is needed to establish the premise of the movie just isn't there. We see starry-eyed American kids being sent to Africa as IHOP missionaries and we see homophobic Ugandan pastors, but nothing establishes any sort of link between US evangelism and Ugandan homophobia. It is as if two independent documentaries - one about American missionaries and another about Ugandan pastors was pasted together.

I am most certainly not denying the existence of a link between the religious right and Ugandan policy on homosexuality. What I am saying is that this movie makes a poor fist of documenting it. The subject is terrific, the editing and photography are fine but I think this film was cobbled together to exploit interest in a fashionable subject rather being objectively good.

Although beautifully shot and designed as a Christian I would be terribly offended. No one from IHOP is telling the Ugandans to beat the homosexuals. Christians don't only go to Uganda to share that "homosexuality" is wrong. They go to serve the people, bring medicine, help build churches and wells. Although there is a bill originally called for life imprisonment for anyone engaging in homosexual intercourse and for the death penalty for repeat offenders. The penalties have since been reduced, but the harshness of the bill remains and it might yet become law. This is one side of the story and I think it is a wrong way. It is Simply misleading, outrageous, and don't waste your time.It blurs American Extremists to American Christians and it is simply wrong. Demonize the Christians and leave Africa alone because they are better off is the moral of this movie.

I recommend this documentary!

The film documents American Evangelicals "at work" in Uganda, spreading homophobia and other "good news", such as abstinence-only programs. To the detriment of the Ugandan people and the growth of the Evangelical cause, influence and donations. It also shows a Catholic bishop (if I am not mistaken) who has been excommunicated for refusing to "condemn the gays". It clearly shows the connection between some Evangelical groups and growing homophobia, as well as growing religious political influence.

I thought the connection between American Evangelicals and growing homophobia was clear and the connection was MONEY and POLITICAL INFLUENCE.

If white rich Americans show at your doorstep and you are poor and face many troubles, particularly if their donations are tied to you spreading their ideology/religion, most of the time you will tell them what they want to hear. Something that is presented pretty straightforward in the film. It is only the privileged who can afford to disregard such a simple fact!! It is only the privileged who can be blind to their power and to the massive inequality between the parties involved! Sure, these Evangelicals build schools, wells and what not and send in wide-eyed enthusiastic youth, and in return they get their "army", their views validated, their status increased. They get to be heard in Parliament, show up in the media and dump all their venomous frustrations and ignorance far away from their home or (until recently) prying eyes. At the expense of the lives, health and safety of Ugandan LGBT.

The amount of hatred, ignorance and bigotry spewed by American Evangelicals, their sponsored supporters and their recruited followers is chilling. The fact that they scapegoat an already marginalized group is absolutely absolutely disgusting. It is revolting to see just such an imbalance of power, between a poor HIV ridden country and a frightened LGBT community on one side, and the blissfully enthusiastic ignorant American Christians on the other. Such an abuse of power.

I thought the film was too soft on Christian Evangelical groups and I thought even gentle in its approach. I was screaming at the screen sometimes frustrated with how restrained the tone was. But I think I understand why this was and I am aware the play field is highly unequal.

I expect all those Evangelicals&co involved to be held accountable for their spread of hate speech and violations of basic human rights and dignity. I won't hold my breath though.

I applaud with all my heart the makers of this film. I don't want to give away too much. Just watch it.

As more and more people in the USA are getting wise to the fearmongering of the Religious Right here and in the western culture, they've decided their fertile field is in the Third World specifically Africa. The test case for them seems to be the troubled country of Uganda, known until recently as the place where Idi Amin ruled in the Seventies and hosted the terrorists in Entebbe who hijacked an El Al airliner.

Idi Amin is gone now, but the craziness lives on. And now it is being fueled by our Christian Right who have decided that this is a fertile evangelical field for their kind of religion which includes a mindless fear of gays. Not that it wasn't there before, but it's being brought to a high boil.

It is incredibly ironic for a multitude of reasons. First until the missionaries came and told them so, most Africans didn't realize gay was so evil. Secondly the colonial powers didn't unlearn their colonies about gays when they left in 50s and 60s. Third those same powers are now one by one allowing lesbians and gays to marry.

In walks the religious right and the bacillus of homophobia is injected in the body politic. The efforts of the right wing evangelicals there have culminated in one of the strictest of sodomy laws, not seen for two centuries. Life in prison for a first offense of sodomy, death for 'aggravated' homosexuality.

The Ugandan Parliament has been toying with this bill for over a year now. Other countries in Africa like Ethiopia and Nigeria have gone ahead and have passed such legislation.

But the reason that Uganda has gotten such attention is its best flirting with terrorism and because of the fact that gay activist David Kato was murdered two years ago. Kato became the face for African homophobia as surely as Matthew Shepard did in the USA. From what I know of him he was a Nelson Mandela figure for the LGBT folks of the sub-Saharan African continent.

The God of God Loves Uganda is not the creation of the religious right, it is the God who recognizes that love is the strongest force in the Universe even if it is between same gender people. This film is an expose of the other God who finds no place in his kingdom for LGBT people.

Watching documentaries such as these you wonder why people condemn themselves out of their own mouths. The news here is just reported, not laid on with a heavy hand. With some cross cutting footage from gay Ugandans and friendly clergy the impact of their statements is positively condemnatory.

The scenes of beating of gay men after a rousing sermon and a rousing session of the Ugandan Parliament that looked like a lynch mob is powerful and disturbing. As surely as Jews were made scapegoats LGBT people are the same, the parallels with Nazi Germany are too clear to overlook.

God Loves Uganda should be seen and reseen by all LGBT people and their straight allies. Every Gay/Straight Alliance group should get this for showing once it's commercially available. Every LGBT youth group like Gay/Lesbian Youth Service in my town and in all areas should have this film shown. The stories of the gay Africans will inspire you.

And this film review is humbly dedicated to David Kato that gentle soul who battled with love, reason, and information against a ruthless enemy. May his spirit triumph.