In May 2004, the IHEU met in Kampala, Uganda for its first General Assembly in Africa, and for a regional conference to inaugurate the African Humanist Alliance. One of the issues discussed at the event was homosexuality.

In a short space like this, one can only present the briefest of sketches of a multifaceted issue in a huge and complex continent. I shall not even touch on the question of homosexual rights, since that is dealt with elsewhere in this issue (see Page 12). Africa has many intractable problems and they all impact on the questions under consideration.

IHEU was among the organisations represented at the 42nd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights(ACHPR) held from November 14th to 30th at Palais du Parlement in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. This session was organised to mark the 20th anniversary of the Commission.

On the afternoon of Tuesday 11th December, in a joint statement with four other NGOs, IHEU made a plea to the plenary session of the Human Rights Council for action on Darfur.

We live in a world where societal norms leave women in subordinate positions, and where women are valued less than men. Men’s power over women increases women’s vulnerability to both violence and HIV.

In late May 2007 five men in Zambia were given sentences ranging from 14 to 35 years in prison for raping young girls between the ages of nine and 14. Women activists described the sentences as “a milestone for justice”.

The emergence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is one of the greatest developments in the defense, protection and promotion of human rights in Africa, Leo Igwe writes. I realized this in May when I traveled to represent the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) at the 41st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) in Accra, Ghana.

IHEU with other NGOs represented at the United Nations has again called for action to resolve the breakdown of the rule of law in Sudan. In a statement to the Human Rights Committee, the group of experts in Geneva reporting to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the NGOs said that the massive violations of human rights in Darfur endangered the implementation of civil and political rights in the country as a whole. The Committee has no powers of investigation but it takes evidence and makes recommendations.

Towards a New Enlightenment

On 17 January 2007, the Cameroon Freethought Association (CAFTA) organized the first major conference in French speaking Africa. The theme of the event was Secular Humanism and Freethought: Towards a New Enlightenment for Africa. The conference was held at the Hotel de Deputes in Yaounde Cameroon. Over 40 participants who came from Liberia, Nigeria, France, Britain and the United States were in attendance.