The Malawi Government says much as it respects the concerns of the United Nations it cannot allow the practice of same sex marriages because it is not a part of the Malawian Culture.

Government spokesperson, Patricia Kaliati was reacting to UN Secretary General, Ban-Ki Moon’s address at the African Union summit which ended Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

“We are not going to follow whatever a person is saying, but we only respect our culture,” said Kaliati in an interview with Zodiak Online adding; “We have taken note of what he has said, but we are going to follow what Malawian culture is all about.”

The reaction from the presidential spokesperson came after Mr. Ban made a statement calling on African countries to acknowledge gay rights.

“One form of discrimination ignored or even sanctioned by many states for too long has been discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It has prompted governments to treat people as second-class citizens or even criminals," Ban said. "Confronting these discriminations is a challenge, but we must not give up on the ideas of the universal declaration of human rights.”

Mr. Ban’s address comes after he visited Malawi in 2010 when Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were given 14 year prison sentences for partaking in the country’s first gay marriage. Following his departure, President Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned and released the two men.

Homosexual rights have always been a hanging sword in Malawi, and the case of Tiwonge and Monjeza highlighted the political, religious and social views of gay culture in modern Malawian society.

It also called international attention to sections 153 and 156 of the penal code whereby men can be charged with unnatural offences and indecent practices between males.

But according to Gift Trapense who is Executive Director of the Centre for Development of Peoples (CEDEP), a human rights organization fighting for minority rights, the excuse of culture is simply an excuse to discriminate.

“Any previous studies that we have done have shown that there are a lot of gay people in Malawi.” Said Trapense, adding; “People should not hide behind culture to discriminate against people because that culture [of discrimination] cannot be accepted in a democratic society.”

Mr Trapense further added that the stigma associated with being gay in Malawi leads to a life of seclusion and ridicule if they are caught.

He further said there is need to recognize minority rights if the HIV/AIDS pandemic is to be tackled.

“HIV is a viscous cycle issue, so if you leave one group it means that the whole society will be at risk.” Said Trapense, “When we talk about men having sex with men, we find that some have girlfriends, some are married which means that we are connected in terms of sexual activity. If you can’t prevent HIV amongst one group then you are not doing anything in terms of the whole pandemic.”—Zodiak Online

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