Davis Mac-Iyalla, a prominent critic of Nigeria’s Archbishop Peter Akinola, is returning to the United States this month to raise awareness about the lives of gay Africans and to raise money in support of a gay African presence at this summer’s Lambeth Conference. Learn how you can support his efforts. His schedule to date:
February 17th, 10:15 a. m., St. Luke in the Fields, New York City
February 17, 1 p. m., The Riverside Church, New York City, Maranatha LGBT Monthly Forum.
February 21-24, World Pride Power Conference, Los Angeles. Davis describes the conference as “an international gathering for GLBT people of African Descent and their allies.”
He will also be speaking at the rector’s forum at All Saints Church, Pasadena on February 24.
Davis, director of Changing Attitude, Nigeria, has developed a funding proposal for the Lambeth Conference in cooperation with the Rev. Colin Coward of Changing Attitude England. To read the proposal click on read more.
To make a donation visit the Changing Attitude Web site.
Find our previous coverage of Davis’ activites here, here, here, here, here and here.
Funding proposal for Changing Attitude Nigeria Lambeth 2008
Changing Attitude England and Nigeria (CAN) have developed a proposal and budget in consultation with Davis Mac-Iyalla for CAN preparation and proposed presence at Lambeth 2008. CAN will be part of a team from Integrity and Changing Attitude national groups that will total about 30 people.
Outcomes – what is CAN able to achieve at Lambeth:
CAN is the only organisation which, to our knowledge, is working openly and actively in sub-Saharan Africa for the development of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered members of the Anglican churches.
CAN has over 3,000 active members in 9 groups, the majority being Anglican. In Davis Mac-Iyalla, CAN has a director who is fully open about his sexuality, visible internationally, and a committed Anglican with widespread knowledge of the church. He is known personally to a significant number of Nigerian bishops.
Davis’s presence at the Primates’ meeting in Tanzania and his visits to the USA and the UK in 2007 resulted in significant media coverage. He has personally met numbers of bishops from Nigeria, USA, UK and other parts of the Anglican Communion. He represents LGBT Nigerians and Africans to a church that denies the existence of LGBT people in Africa and then denies them a place in the church.
CAN leaders at Lambeth will make present to the assembled bishops at Lambeth the truth that in every part of Africa and in every African Anglican Province, LGBT people are present and active in the Church.
CAN leaders at Lambeth will be able to engage bishops from African provinces from an African cultural and religious perspective. They can undermine the myths about LGBT in Africa that are purveyed by African leaders and bishops.
The CAN leaders will hold an open seminar for the bishops to present the reality of LGBT experience in Africa with leaders from Integrity Uganda and other West African countries.
CAN propose to bring lesbian, bisexual and transgendered leaders, as well as gay men, to Lambeth. Their presence at Lambeth will further challenge and undermine assumptions made about the presence of other sexual identities in Africa.
The presence of CAN at Lambeth directly challenges the arguments of African bishops, which are primarily targeted against The Episcopal Church. The leaders will be able to present themselves directly to African and global south bishops and engage them in LGBT experience. The advantage to members of TEC and other LGBT affirming Provinces is that it is less easy for these bishops to dismiss the experience as western or un-African.
The CAN leaders will integrate their work with members from Changing Attitude England and Scotland and members from Integrity USA, Canada and Uganda. We will present an integrated display in the Market Place. CA England has … hired a church hall close to the University Campus in which well will pray together and create a media centre. This will monitor online news and developments and produce a daily newssheet.
CAN Budget for the Lambeth Conference 2008
Cost per person
Air fare Nigeria to London return £600 $1,200
Visa and application costs £200 $400
Canterbury accommodation £200 $400
Canterbury food £100 $200
Pre-Lambeth hospitality £150 $300
Travel and subsistence before Lambeth £250 $500
Total: £1,500 $3,000
Total 7 members: £10,500 $21,000
CAN budget for Pre-Lambeth conference in Benin
CAN proposes to hold a pre-Lambeth conference for the leaders of the 9 CAN groups in Nigeria and leaders of other West African LGBT Christian groups. The conference will enable the leaders to develop a strategy for their presence at Lambeth in consultation with all CAN and West African Christian leaders. The conference will be modeled on the leaders’ meeting held in Togo in May 2007.
Because of the continuing hostile culture towards LGBT people in Nigeria, it is proposed to hold the conference in Benin. The budget is based on two leaders of each of the 9 CAN groups attending, plus 2 delegates from each of the 9 other West African groups, 36 delegates in total. The majority of those attending will either be living at subsistence level or on a low level of personal income.
Hotel £3,000 $6,000
Food £1,000 $2,000
Transport £1,000 $2,000
Total: £5,000 $10,000