Directed by: Roger Ross Williams.
Written by: Benjamin Gray & Richard Hankin & Roger Ross Williams.
I
firmly believe that the vast majority of missionaries – even those ones
documented in Roger Ross Williams’ excellent documentary God Loves Uganda –
have the best of intentions. For me, an agnostic (or atheist depending on what
day you ask me) I would prefer to simply live and let live – meaning basically
that I won’t try to convince you that my beliefs are correct, and you don’t try
to convince me your beliefs are correct, and we’ll get along just fine. Still,
I understand that some people’s religion requires them to “spread the word” to
others – and I’m respectful of the people who come to my door and pass out
their booklets, or the numerous people who accost me on the streets of Toronto.
I don’t think they’re doing any harm. But the people who have gone to Uganda
are, in fact, doing harm to people. Evangelical churches like the International
House of Prayer (or IHOP) have donated millions of dollars to Uganda to help
them build schools, churches and infrastructure – and have undeniably improved
the lives on many in Uganda. But in preaching their beliefs, they have also
done harm to homosexuals living in Uganda. I think it’s possible to believe
that homosexual is wrong – even if I vehemently disagree – and still be
respectful. But in Uganda, there is a bill that would criminalize homosexuality
to the extent that they can be jailed for life or even executed for being gay. This
legislature has its roots in the Evangelical churches in America – and the
people who are responsible are either lying or keeping themselves deliberately ignorant
of the facts of this bill.
God
Loves Uganda is the second of two documentaries released in 2013 about the bill
– the other one, Call Me Kuchu – concentrated on gay activists in Uganda. I
thought the subject matter of that film was extremely important, but the
execution of the documentary left a lot to be desired. God Loves Uganda covers
some of the same ground but also different ground as well. And as a documentary
is a far better film. If you’re only going to see one of these films, I would
recommend that film be God Loves Uganda.
Director
Roger Ross Williams strategy in the movie seems to be to provide his interview
subjects with enough rope to hang themselves with. We never really hear him
pushing his interview subjects too much – except perhaps late in the film when
he asks two young missionaries directly what their thoughts on the bill are,
and they blame the Western media, not their own work, for misrepresenting the
bill. They don’t even know what’s in the bill, they say, which is odd, since
the drafter of the bill, and the religious community in Uganda, are not shy
about telling you about it – and it’s pretty much exactly the same thing as the
Western media who have “misrepresented the bill” say. But that’s the exception
– for the most part Williams simply asks for their side of the story, and finds
that most of them are all too willing to tell them what they think. If you
agree with them, it’s possible to walk away from the movie not overly upset. If
you disagree with them, then the film can be downright chilling.
I
really don’t have a problem with missionaries going to Africa to help the
people there who need help – and if that means they feel the need to share
their religion, then so be it. But I cannot help but think that many of these Evangelical
churches are hurting as much if not more than they are helping – not just in
terms of gay rights, but also in terms of AIDS. The AIDS rate dropped in Uganda
during the 1990s, when aid from the Clinton administration supplied condoms to
the people of Uganda, who had a large scale advertising program about the
benefits of condoms. But under George W. Bush, things changed. Uganda could
only get aid if they agreed to “abstinence only” education – which doesn’t work
anywhere – not in America, and not in Uganda. The AIDS rate has gone up again,
but to the government of Uganda that’s worth it because it means aid they
desperately need from the West.
God Loves Uganda is one of those documentaries that leaves me sad, mad and more than anything just shaking my head. How any reasonable person could believe that much of what has happened in Uganda makes sense is beyond me. Uganda has a long way to go in terms of gay rights and other social issues. As God Loves Uganda makes clear, so do parts of America.
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