The Alliance for Democracy ( AFORD) leader Enoch Kanzingeni Chihana was on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Lilongwe one of protesters who took to the streets to protest against the introduction of same sex marriages in country through court doors.
Chihana was the first politician to bash the introduction of gay marriages in the country when he pitched his political rally in Mzuzu on June, 11.
In his speech to the reporters, Chihana said he does not hate gay or lesbian people but he is there to “defend family values and the institution of marriage as ordained by God.
“Carnal intercourse is against the order of the nature and threatens Malawi’s deep religious and culture sacraments.
“Let our courts criminalize same sex- sex marriages and declare them unconstitutional because they are a big threat to the society ethos, the sacred fabric of ” holy union” which recognise that marriage is between a biological man and woman, said Chihana.
Led by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Evangelical Association of Malawi and the Malawi Council of Churches, there was heavy presence of security forces as placard-carrying protesters marched in Blantyre in defence of marriage and the family.
Similar protests took place in other parts of the country, including the capital Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba.
Organisers said the marches are not meant to stigmatise or harm those propagating same-sex relationships, “but to show them the right way.”
“As Africans and deeply religious people, in spite of our poverty, we must stand up in defiant defence of the family and culture even when we are under severe pressure from the rich but virtually pagan societies which sadly appear to push us back to the path of colonisation after the foundation fathers of our nation won bloody battles against all forms of colonization,” ECM said in a statement
In Malawi same sex are activities are prohibited under the Penal Codes (153/154) which criminalise acts of “carnal knowledge against the order of the nature and gross indecency”. These provisions carry a maximum penalty of fourteen years imprisonment with corporal punishment.
