Shiny, Happy People

…also known as gays, are illegal here.

It’s a hotly debated subject at the moment because the EU is threatening to withhold funding if Malawi doesn’t abolish the law that makes homosexuality illegal. Discussion is rife in the media where the most liberal letter that I have read so far goes something along the lines of…

            “….let 'The Gays' have their little corner of society. While we might find what they do unnatural they are hurting no one but themselves. As long as they stay away from my children I say - 'live and let live'. They will burn in hell for all of eternity anyway.”

Even the bands are getting in on the act. The Black Missionaries, ‘Malawi’s Best Band’ and also a serious bunch of Christians started chanting in Chichewa at a recent gig and the crowd went wild. The volunteers, caught up in the moment, all clapped and cheered too…until someone told them that they were cheering to 'Hang The Gays'. Whoops...

The ironic thing is that most of the blokes cheering were all wearing their own weird brand of Malawian fashion including jaunty leopard print hats, foxy puff sleeved numbers and practical ballet pumps – all donated by some teenage girls from Essex. You go boys…

Rest assured that my position remains firmly on the disco side of the fence. So thankful we live in a liberal society and I'm looking forward to a big martini and a 4am boogie sesh with my bezzies when I'm back in London/Shoalhaven Heads/Brighton ('I don't know much about clothes but my hair looks fierce!'). x