Senegal: big controversy around a review on homosexuality

In Senegal, the phenomenon of homosexuality continues to occupy the news. Indeed, according to information reported by the local and international press, a white bac test on this subject sparked a wave of indignation in public opinion.

 According to the information reported on this situation, the incident allegedly occurred at the Rufisque Academy, near Dakar. The agent behind the matter has been relieved of his duties. The test was based on a text by the American writer Armistead Maupin . The latter is known for his defense of the interests of the LGBT community.

A question on “the social exclusion of homosexuals in Senegal”

 The text submitted for the appreciation of the candidates featured a man who informed his mother of his sexual preference. One of the test questions addressed to the learners asked for their opinion on the treatment of homosexuals in the country. “  Are you for or against the social exclusion of homosexuals in Senegal?  » , Asked in particular the instruction. This initiative had sparked a wave of indignation and reactions in public opinion.

“Attempt to promote homosexuality”

Despite the apologies of the agent of the Regional Teacher Training Center in Rufisque, religious leaders denounced an attempt to promote homosexuality at school  " . The authorities in charge of Education in the country subsequently let it be known that   “ the programs (…) remain scrupulously backed by our values ​​and beliefs  ” . Recall that the incident occurred in a context where many demonstrations took place to denounce homosexuality in Senegal and to demand its "criminalization" .

translated from French

Read more via La Nouvelle Tribune

In Senegal, a trainer dismissed after a school test around homosexuality

An agent of the Senegalese ministry of education was "relieved of his functions" for having made floor of future candidates for the English test of the baccalaureate on a subject around homosexuality, although he has apologized , we learned Tuesday 1 st  from the ministry.

The Senegalese press had made its “front page” this weekend on this text submitted to final year students at the Rufisque academy, near Dakar, as a mock exam preparing them for the baccalaureate. The text is a passage from More Tales of the City ("New Chronicles of San Francisco"), by contemporary American writer Armistead Maupin, himself an activist for the defense of homosexual rights, in which a character informs his mother of his homosexuality.

Ousmane Baldé, coordinator of the “English” component of the Regional Teacher Training Center in Rufisque, admitted in a video received Tuesday by AFP that he had transmitted this text to the teachers responsible for administering the English test.

But he assured that it was an “error” made when selecting the files to send, and that he had attached “inadvertently” a text “which did not lend itself to the Senegalese context” , 95% Muslim country where homosexuality widely regarded as a Western deviance.

In this video where he apologizes for having "made a mistake" , Mr. Baldé defends himself from any link with homosexual associations. He says he took part in a recent demonstration to demand the criminalization of homosexuality. Read more via Le Monde