Slavery in Libya: Where is the AU?

Libya is committing crimes against humanity while the African Union and the UN are watching as black people are enslaved on the African soil! Arab slave trade in Africa continued long after it was abolished — this repeat of this trade of hell must be stopped now.

Our people where smuggled out and auctioned across the world because of the color of their skin. Since then, we black Africans have been taken advantage–we exist at the mercy of White or light skinned people. We are black people but not full humans. We are commodities to be sold at will–we are humans without sanctity; we are simply too black to be seen. I can assure you that the world would have responded differently if white people were enslaved in Libya. But these are black animals–so who cares? There is no reason to pretend we are not seeing it–our fellow humans are being being auctioned, called in animals, forced to work without pay, and enslaved.

I am so disappointed that black African presidents are unmoved by this evil. We may wait for America or Europe to stop this mess– but at their own time. Black Africa can stop it right now–they must move in to liberate the captives in Libya.

There is nothing to be lost by addressing how Arabs have treated us Black people. The Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir committed genocide on Black people. Yet our useless African Union dominated by Black presidents has protected him from being held responsible. Black presidents love him at the AU!

Let us face it—Libya is degrading us. Unless we all stand up against Libya, Black lives will continue to be commodities to benefit Libya. We may say that we have We cannot continue to hide by the claim of African Unity—it is the unity of the skin! We must stand up against it now – future generations will judge us.

It is shameful that we turn the blind eye on slavery in our time. We did not know then how many Africans died during this trade of hell, but that was then. Today we must stand up to Libya and let them know that we know what is going on in the world.

I fully agree that our ancestors watched as Arabs took our own as slaves. They did not have the knowledge and the power to stop it–but we do. We must realize that the auctioning of another human being is an insult and attack on all of us. This barbaric trend needs to be stopped at any cost; and perpetrators of this crimes against humanity must arrested and tried. I believe the AU can address this crisis—Libya is not on planet Mars–it is in Africa.

By Rev. Kapya Kaoma

SAME-SEX KISS VIDEO LANDS TANZANIAN WOMAN AN ARREST

DAR ES SALAAM – Police in Tanzania have arrested a woman after a video clip showing her kissing and embracing another woman at a party was widely shared online, a senior official said.

Homosexuality is a criminal offence in the East African nation, where a conviction for having “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” can carry a life sentence.

The woman, who police said resides in the northwestern Tanzanian town of Geita, was arrested after a video circulated on social media showing a woman kissing and hugging another woman and presenting her with a ring.

“I can confirm that a Tanzanian woman is under police custody over that video clip. We will issue more details later after we conclude our investigation,” Geita police chief Mponjoli Mwabulambo told Reuters by telephone on Saturday.

Tanzanian president John Magufuli’s government has stepped up a crackdown against homosexuality since coming into power in 2015 and threatened in June to arrest and expel activists, as well as deregister all non-governmental organisations that campaign for gay rights. In October, authorities in the main city Dar es Salaam raided a meeting at a hotel, saying the gathering was promoting same-sex relationships, and arrested at least 12 men.

The arrest of the woman in Geita was thought to be the first arrest of a lesbian suspect in the recent crackdown and police sources said authorities were also searching for the woman who was given the ring in the video clip.

Reuters could not confirm where or when the video the filmed. 

The clip drew condemnation on social media platforms in the socially conservative nation, with some Tanzanians condemning the celebration as immoral.

“Both of them should be arrested. Why did the woman accept an engagement ring from another woman?” Cosmas Alele, a resident of the northwestern town of Kagera said on Twitter, writing in Kiswahili.

Since homosexuality is a criminal offence in Tanzania, rights groups are reluctant to speak publicly in defence of gay rights. The country’s health ministry banned non governmental organisations last year from distributing free lubricants to gays as part HIV/AIDS control measures.

Some health experts warn that shutting down HIV/AIDS outreach programmes targeting gay people could put the wider population at higher risk of infections. Around 1.4 million Tanzanians among a population of more than 50 million are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to government estimates.