Resident in Kampala, Uganda, David Cecil (photo) is a British producer who runs a theater troupe and a private cultural center – and is trapped in the African country. Reason: he defied one of the most homophobic laws in the world and showed a play that deals with the taboo of homosexuality on Ugandan soil, even after it had been previously banned by the authorities, the newspaper reported The Guardian last weekend.
titled The River and the Mountain, the play, written by fellow Brit Beau Hopkins, addresses the tragic fate of a man who admits to being gay. The play, which in addition to actors, also features Ugandan direction, was shown in different theaters in Kampala last month and discusses the motivations behind attempts to toughen the country's anti-gay laws, already quite severe.
Needless to say, the story did not please the government at all. The play was soon "reviewed" by the Uganda Media Council, which sent a letter to the producer saying that the play should not be shown until a decision was made – but Cecil continued editing. Result: He was arrested on two charges: having produced a play about homosexuality "and putting the play together whilst under examination", confirmed a Kampala police spokesperson.
"This piece is justifying the promotion of homosexuality in Uganda, and Uganda does not accommodate homosexual causes," said Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo, according to the The Guardian, when justifying the banning of the piece by the Media Council. At the time, David Cecil suspended the performance at the National Theater, but continued it in two theaters in Kampala.
The Briton is expected to remain in jail until next Monday, when a court will assess whether he can be released on bail. Human rights activists from Africa and Europe believe that the producer's arrest was a way of intimidating the gay rights movement in Uganda.
The African country is one of the most severe in condemning homosexuality. Currently, homosexual acts are punishable by life imprisonment, and there is a project to introduce the death penalty in cases of "recurrence", with an HIV-positive partner or with a minor, which has the support of local evangelical churches and President Yoweri Museveni . Pressure from the United States and European countries that contribute to the country's public budget, however, has postponed the vote. Discussing homosexuality in Uganda, in turn, results in a 7-year prison sentence.
