The Paradox of Same-Sex Representations: The Presence/Absence of Gays in Ugandan Short Stories

Imbizo ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Fred Nabutanyi
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Short Story ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Discursive Strategies ◽  
Rights Discourse ◽  
Human Rights Discourse ◽  
Picture Frame

The fact that same-sex sexuality is a topically combustive issue in Ugandan public discourse is reflected in debates it inspires. The debates that rage in Uganda regarding this topic are ferociously polarised around one camp that evokes the protection of minors from exploitation by “foreign” gays and upholding Ugandan culture to support the criminalisation of a sexual orientation, and another that cites modernity and Universalist’s human rights discourse to advocate for the fundamental human rights of individuals who choose to engage in same-sex relationships. The intense national anxiety around this topic is perhaps best illustrated by the controversial 2009 Anti-homosexuality Bill and the debates it produced. Granted, many Ugandan commentators, like politicians, journalists, religious leaders, traditional leaders and medical practitioners have joined in this debate to advance particular standpoints regarding this topic. However, one group of public intellectuals whose critique of this debate has attracted little scholarly attention, comprises Ugandan writers. In this article, I investigate how Ugandan short story writers have utilised fiction to map out the essence of queerness in Uganda. I argue that Lamwaka’s ‘Pillar of Love,’ (2012) Arac’s ‘Jambula Tree’ (2007) and Paelo’s ‘Picture Frame’ (2013) deploy subtle and nuanced discursive strategies to foreground the presence/absence paradox that is inherent in Ugandan discourse of same-sex sexuality.

Toward Particular Declarations of Human Gifts: A Christian Reflection on Religions, Stories, and Untold Suffering

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-247
Author(s):  
Paul Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Universal Declaration ◽  
The Political ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
Military Action ◽  
Religious People ◽  
Rights Discourse ◽  
Human Rights Discourse

AbstractIn this article, the author suggests that religious leaders and communities should speak freely of faith in God and spirituality in their own particular ways as they advocate for human rights. While recognizing the destruction wrought by religious people, he recommends that religions be received as gifts that can cultivate people who far exceed the minimal expectations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He claims we do not expect too much when we ask religions and religious leaders to promote, teach, and uphold human rights, we expect too little. As a Pentecostal Christian ethicist, he argues for the significance of narrative, prophetic protest, and testimony as crucial aspects of receiving all people as gifts and of evoking empathy, action, and hope. Finally, the author warns against the political seizure of theistic and human rights discourse for the justification of military action, and he encourages the implementation of just peacemaking theory and practices.

scholarly journals THE SOCIAL REALITY OF THE WOMAN CHARACTER IN THE SHORT STORY “KA-MANAKAH TERBANGNYA SI BURONG SENJA” FROM THE LENS OF TAKLIF

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (16) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Ros Anita Karini Mohamed ◽  
Abdul Halim Ali
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Short Story ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Woman Character ◽  
The Social ◽  
Rights Discourse ◽  
The One ◽  
Human Rights Discourse ◽  
The Universe

This paper will highlight the creative work ‘Ka-mana Terbangnya Si Burong Senja’ by A. Samad Said which features the issue of moral collapse. The short story of the study is seen as a human rights discourse that can provide awareness to society regarding human rights in the formation of social and cultural dynamics through the display of character and characterization of a fully significant immoral society. The work of A. Samad Said needs to be appreciated in terms of its inner meaning. The Taklif framework will be used to discuss the findings of the study because, in the Islamic view, in principle, the universe belongs to the One True God. By using a text analysis approach, the study will turn inward and bring the reader to be more open-minded in reading the author's message from the lens of Islam, which is back to the creator in the process of personality formation.

Housing as a Basic Human Right: A Reflection on South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mziwandile Sobantu ◽  
Nqobile Zulu ◽  
Ntandoyenkosi Maphosa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Rights Discourse ◽  
Human Rights Discourse

This paper reflects on human rights in the post-apartheid South Africa housing context from a social development lens. The Constitution guarantees access to adequate housing as a basic human right, a prerequisite for the optimum development of individuals, families and communities. Without the other related socio-economic rights, the provision of access to housing is limited in its service delivery. We argue that housing rights are inseparable from the broader human rights discourse and social development endeavours underway in the country. While government has made much progress through the Reconstruction and Development Programme, the reality of informal settlements and backyard shacks continues to undermine the human rights prospects of the urban poor. Forced evictions undermine some poor citizens’ human rights leading courts to play an active role in enforcing housing and human rights through establishing a jurisprudence that invariably advances a social development agenda. The authors argue that the post-1994 government needs to galvanise the citizenship of the urban poor through development-oriented housing delivery.

The Internationalization Of Human Rights And The Importance Of Normative Dialogues Between International And National Courts

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Mariane Morato Stival ◽  
Marcos André Ribeiro ◽  
Daniel Gonçalves Mendes da Costa
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Rights Protection ◽  
Rights Protection ◽  
National Courts ◽  
European Court ◽  
Differences Of Opinion ◽  
Rights Discourse ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
Human Rights Discourse

This article intends to analyze in the context of the complexity of the process of internationalization of human rights, the definitions and tensions between cultural universalism and relativism, the essence of human rights discourse, its basic norms and an analysis of the normative dialogues in case decisions involving violations of human rights in international tribunals such as the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and national courts. The well-established dialogue between courts can bring convergences closer together and remove differences of opinion on human rights protection. A new dynamic can occur through a complementarity of one court with respect to the other, even with the different characteristics between the legal orders.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document