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Gay play lands British director in Ugandan jail

Friday September 21 2012
cecil

British theatre producer David Cecil waves from a court cell at the Makindye Court on September 13, 2012 in Kampala. Photo/FILE

When Beau Hopkins, a British poet conducting academic research in Uganda, wrote the play The River and the Mountain, he was interested in creating a “dialogic space” to tackle the interaction of religion, politics, and sexuality.

Homosexuality is outlawed in Uganda — punishable by imprisonment for up to 14 years — and so the question “dialogic space” doesn’t arise.

Beau, the play’s director Angella Emurwon, and David Cecil its producer, knew the message was controversial, otherwise they wouldn’t have made such disclaimers as “it is not intended for advocacy or propaganda.”

In the play, Samson (Okuyo Joel Atiku Prynce) is climbing the ladder at work because he is willing to expose corruption. Once he replaces his boss, he feels emboldened enough to reveal to his best friend, Olu (Mpaata Rogers William Otako), that he is gay.

Olu is training to become a pastor and is torn between keeping his friend’s secret and condemning all “sin.”

Meanwhile, Samson’s mother is determined to convert him into a heterosexual by any means possible, and at whatever cost.

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The cast is brilliant. Otako is a household name in Kampala’s comedy circles. Okuyo, Michael Wawuyo, and Joanitta Bewulira-Wandera are experienced actors.

“By playing this role, I could put not only my career, but my life in danger. However, I started thinking, how long are we going to keep quiet and watch people be mistreated and even sacrificed for their sexual orientation?” asked Okuyo.

The message of the play is that there exists one group of people who are open and accepting of new realities (the river), and the other uncompromising and intolerant of others in their worldview (the mountain).

The state is, therefore, depicted as the mountain in the play; its argument is essentially that homosexuality threatens the country’s social and moral fabric.

At the very least, interaction should be possible. After all, some rivers emerge out of mountains even as others flow at their feet in a harmony tolerated by both.  

Premiering at Tilapia Arts Centre in suburban Bunga, which Cecil manages, the hour-long production claimed it was going where other Ugandan productions fear to tread, albeit with laughter and song.  

Some actors refused to take part after interpreting the play as a recreation of the life of David Kato, a gay man in Uganda whose death captured international headlines last year.

Beau insists the play isn’t about Kato. According to his research, no other subject in Uganda is as controversial as homosexuality.

The next hitch was waiting at the National Theatre, where they wanted to stage the play for a weekend.

Two weeks after submitting the synopsis and script for review, the organisers were told to get clearance from Uganda’s Media Council, the state’s censorship board.

They dashed to the council with everything that was required, but didn’t hear from it until the eve of the premiere when, in a letter, the council advised them to wait until it reviewed the play before they could perform it publicly.

According to Cecil, “since it did not refer to any law, article of penal code/constitution, or any legal consequences, we interpreted the letter as a request rather than an order. Our lawyer supported this interpretation. A collective decision was then made to go ahead with the performances, but without publicising the play further, except through private channels (Facebook, e-mail, SMS).”

Eight performances were held without a hitch. “The reaction to the play makes me think we’re headed in the right direction, as we had a full house every night,” says Okuyo.

However, on September 6, Cecil and Beau were summoned to the Media Crimes Division of the CID. Cecil was remanded at Uganda’s Maximum Security Prison for “disobeying an order by a public official/authority”.

He was released from jail three days after his arrest. Cecil pleaded not guilty at his bail hearing, but he could still face up to two years in prison. His case will be heard on October 18.

“What happened to the freedom to create, should we get permission to create our art, music, dance and plays? Come on Uganda, style up,” Daudi Karungi, a noted Ugandan artist, wrote on Cecil’s Facebook page.

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