African Liberation Theologies and the Flourishing of the LGBTIQ+ Community in Botswana

The Bible and African culture are often used to justify and encourage homophobic outlook towards gender and sexual minorities in Botswana. Despite the country describing itself as secular, the influence of the Christian faith in state affairs and in the general lives of Botswana cannot be underestimated. With usage of existing literature, this article examines the recent developments in the legal framework relating to the rights and freedoms of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) community in Botswana. It also examines African cultural traditions and the Bible with specific interest on how these canons that fuel oppression could also be used to bring liberation and transformation in the lives of the LGBTIQ+ people. The discussions of this article borrow from African liberation theological perspective in arguing that the mainstream Christianity is an outright patriarchal and heterosexual in nature leading to the condemnation and demonizing of sexual minorities. With insights from African liberation theology, this article concludes that the hatred or fear of sexual minorities is inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ of love, compassion and acceptance. Any theology of liberation should take the lived experiences of the people into consideration and has potential to transform oppressive traditional, cultural belief system.