CNN.com: Ugandan authorities jailed a British producer for staging without permission a play about the challenges facing homosexuals in the African nation.
Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda, where most gays and lesbians face physical attacks and are treated as social outcasts.
The east African nation has made headlines after a parliamentarian introduced an anti-gay bill that called for death for certain homosexual acts.
15 comments:
Wow! What courage. I find this to be very compelling. I think it's terrifying what this guy did, staging a play that he knew there would be consequences for. I hope his lawyer is able so successfully manipulate around the accusation, and say that the show was being performed in 'private' by 'invitation only'. I find it most interesting that despite his arrest, the producer still demonstrates a passionate loyalty to the country of Uganda, even though he isn't from there. I am also curious about his prison conditions. He makes it sound so wonderful. Maybe it's just my ignorance, but if Uganda is such an impoverished country that struggles with civil war and other things, jail is probably a safe & clean place to be. Or so he makes it seem. But that's can't be accurate...It would be strange to think that he was getting special treatment. I also wonder how the cast of this show was treated. The article mentioned that the cast was comprised of all Uganda natives. Other than the fact that the performance was illegal, was the show well received? It took courage on behalf of the performers as well. Why would it be that they were not also arrested? Could it be because they were paid? Or maybe they weren't...I wish the article had more information regarding that...
Keeping on when you are shot done takes a lot of courage! I definitely agree that this makes a statement and is very compelling. Theatre can make a statement and an impact for whatever it is worth. Dont let anyone ever tell you it cant. Uganda is very strong in their politics and hopefully he will be able to get out of this at some point. Its good to know that international struggles are being addressed for issues that are so strong in america.
Wow. The fact that this could even happen really speaks to the power of art...and the stakes/danger that can come with that power. It is so sad that there are places in this world in which a gay man cannot live his life and in which a play about a gay man cannot be put on. It is people like producer David Cecil whose efforts are going to change this one day. I hope. I can't say that I would have taken the risk that Cecil took in deciding to stage his play in private. While it seems he did not interpret the law inappropriately, in a country like Uganda, it seems like laws are often upheld by the government in ways that they really shouldn't be. David Cecil is a brave and determined man. I hope that he is able to get out of the mess so he can continue to reach out to people and to share his powerful art with the world.
One always has to admire the courage on men like Cecil who can go into another country and put on a highly controversial show. On that same note, these people are needed to bring to light the horrors of this world. For example I knew that Homosexuality was banned in certain countries Like UAE and Uganda, but I was not aware that some homosexual acts are punishable by death. I wish I could have seen this production, also it would have been nice to know if it was a popular play, through put on in small bars.
The 2009 bill is absolutely tragic, and no where in the world should laws like the 'anti gay' laws be put in place. I am glad that attention was drawn to the issue because it is really sad how unequal and primal many country's beliefs are on gay rights.
Going against a country that you're not from and directly opposing the government just to stand for something you believe in is an astounding thing. Gay issues in Uganda seem to be taken very seriously, the play was just a story about a gay business man- thats it, just a play. They're taking a play extremely seriously. If the play had been about making fun of gays i wonder if the results would've been different. However i do feel hes getting very lucky with this Uganda us still an up and coming government and society. The out come could've been much worse i feel.
Yet another issue that east Africa faces. I think it is terrible that anti-gay acts are still a thing in some places, but countries like Uganda are struggling with so much, I can't say I'm surprised that no one has addressed this issue, until this producer came! I am impressed at this producer's courage, and having the mental ability to say that a country is still amazing after being sentenced to 2 years in prison is amazing. The cleanliness and hospitality of the jail surprises me; and part of me wonders if there was a closeted homosexual somewhere in the ranks helping him out a bit. I'm also curious to see this play. It makes you appreciate our freedoms of speech!
As Shannon said, I don't know if I would have taken such a risk by deciding to still put on the play and go against what the government explicitly told him not to do, but I do respect it. From what it seems he put on a lovely artistic play that got his point across in a beautiful manor. That takes a lot of will and determination to go through with something that has such great risks, I suppose he felt that the benefits outweighed the risks. I commend him for following his passions and standing up for what he believes in, which is something society as a whole doesn't do enough. It's just like we talked about in Mind The Gap, you have to take risks with things that you believe in, even though you don't know what the consequences might be. You sometimes just have to buckle your seatbelt, sit back, and go along for the ride, bumpy or smooth.
While I think this producer did a very commendable thing, I do have to keep in mind that he purposefully broke the law in another country. To that end, he knew the consequences of his actions before he started, and he should have been ready to accept those consequences. The feeling I'm getting from the article is that he will serve his prison sentence if one is handed down to him without an outrageous fight. I don't agree that his lawyer is trying to get him out of something that was unlawful if that is how the law is being interpreted by the Ugandan government. I do, however, have a great level of respect for the man who knows what he is doing is against the law, but is still willing to fight on the behalf of others and accept the consequences with grace. This world could use some more people like that to make it a better place.
I commented on another article about this last week, but this one brings new facts to light. Every country has their own laws and beliefs and they are clearly written and known. I assume that the extent of attention that the play and the producer are getting now was the main intention of producing the play in the first place. I think that this was done to draw attention to the lack or non existent gay rights in Uganda with an intention on creating/ starting a change or at least pulling the curtain from over the Government's less mentioned laws to the rest of the world.
Also do not believe that they thought the Media Council stating that they should not stage the play in any public theater in Uganda meant that they could do in private in a bar via invitations. This was a situation where all parties involved knew the consequences and decided to push forward no matter what.
While I do commend his attempts, like I said last week, I hope that he is prepared for what is to come. I also hope that while on bail that he protects himself, because there are many locals who would not agree with the play, or his cause or take likely to the further negativity which is thrown onto Uganda!
However, this is probably .10% of the steps that will be needed to create a change in that law, which should not be implemented!!
The power of art has always been compelling to me. I have struggled for many years with the questions "Why?" Why do I do this? Why do I want to do this for a living? I can't say that I have found an answer to these questions, but reading this story is a good reason to stick with it. This man had something to say and art was the only way that he could be heard. I admire his passion and courage. He said in the article that he still loves Uganda -- The government of a nation does not always define its people.
I think he is facing the consequences. I don't see why he shouldn't fight back with his lawyer if in fact it was a closed event and the audience was in fact invited.
This bothers me so much and is really an eye opener. I get so wound up in our little world here i forget about things like this, that should't go unnoticed. I feel so luck to live in a country that has freedom of speech and is based on equal rights for every citizen. I wish more could be done to reverse conditions and societies in the countries like Uganda. There are so many problems in the world other then the hate and ignorance that the Ugandan government is full of. They could spend that same vast amount of energy on actually progressing their countries instead of repressing them.
As horrible as it may sound, 2 years in prison was probably the best reaction Cecil could have gotten. I would have not have been surprised if instead an execution had been arranged. But it is oppression such as this that still exists around the world and more people need to take the cue from Cecil and begin to present material and content that people find taboo or might be ignorant against. It is our responsibility as humans to educate others who might need guidance and understanding of the non-norm
It's so upsetting to think that people around the world still have a mindset like this. Even though this mindset of an anti-gay society is prevelant in some areas of the United States, we are used to having a pretty open society in these modern times. I think we forget that outside of the United States that homosexuals have it much worse than they do here, although I won't say it is all too great here in some regards. The fact that nations like these Ugandans have laws that allow them to kill people because of their sexual preference is terrifying. I just wish the world could see that homosexuality should be something embraced by society and not shunned and deemed as a sin. People, in general, just need to be more open and welcoming to this idea.
I am sad to see this turn from the article of last week. I think that the publicity generated will help his case. I think it is a sad thing that the issue took this turn but I feel with his claim that the performances were invite only may aid his case. In any case, his efforts to raise awareness in Uganda have been successful. I feel the play may even be able to performed elsewhere to raise awareness of countries's policies and could cause a move in the positive direction in Human Rights.
I cant even imagine how much courage it mustve taken to do this show in the country the piece is critiquing. Im a little confused on the legal issues because it doesnt seem like anything was up for interpretation. It wasnt public it was by private invitation so why he is facing charges makes no sense to me.
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