Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, and Steven Monjeza, 26, who are openly gay men, were arrested after celebrating their engagement at a local hotel. The couple was arrested last December and convicted yesterday of "inappropriate and unnatural acts, and gross indecency" as deemed by a judge. The couple faces up to 14 years. But wait a minute...prison time for homosexuality in these days and times? Where is a penalty of this extreme tolerated and accepted by the masses? In the Republic of Malawi in southeast Africa.


Under laws, which date to colonial times, homosexuality is not only illegal but taboo in Malawi and also in as many as 37 other African countries. Folks throughout Africa are angered by the effect Western culture has had on traditional belief systems, with regard to the practice of homosexuality. Religious officials have stated that Westerners use their financial influence to force places like Malawi to accept an act that they have come to label as "sinful." A country like Malawi, for instance, depends heavily on donors for 40 percent of its development budget.

Criminalization for homosexuality is not only accepted in Malawi but practiced throughout a number of African nations. Last February, five men were arrested in Kenya for just helping to plan a gay wedding. In Zimbabwe, individuals have been prosecuted and harshly convicted for their sexual orientation.

Oddly enough, Canaan Banana, a former Methodist minister and Zimbabwe's first president for seven years after independence in 1980, was found guilty of sexually coercing numerous male employees. The leader, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison but served one, went to his grave holding on to his virulently anti-homosexual views, calling the act "defiant, abominable and wrong." Banana's wife, though, later acknowledged her husband's indiscretions.

In Uganda, lawmakers are considering a bill that could sentence homosexuals to life in prison and includes capital punishment for "repeat offenders." Somalia has no laws regulating homosexuality, and many see it as an outrage. In 2001, the country made headlines when a lesbian couple was sentenced to death because they were found guilty of "exercising unnatural behavior." In most of sub-Saharan Africa, homosexuality is not even publicly discussed. In South Africa, one of the few African countries where gay rights are recognized, gangs scour the country raping lesbians to try and "switch them back."

Now, because Chimbalanga and Monjeza decided to make their love public, they are being prosecuted and held up as examples for others who dare follow suit. Even if the the lovers are released, would they be safe if they remained in their homeland? The answer is a resounding, "No!" The men speculated that if they were, in fact, freed, they would probably be attacked by the Malawans who have threatened them.

So it seems that the young pair must await their fate. Blantyre Chief Resident Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa said the sentencing will take place on Thursday, and that the men could be imprisoned for up to 14 years.