Morality
The Executive Coordinator Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK+) Lorna Dias has urged the society to cultivate a healthy age-appropriate conversation with their children as it will help them acquire information that will make them become responsible.
Dais said the role of raising children in this era in the world, including Kenya is difficult because of the amount of the present influences, a need she said requires parents to create a strong relationship with their children.
She said, “If parents do not create a relationship and a connection with their children, then their kids will go and find information somehow somewhere,” and added “Having a healthy age-appropriate conversation with your children is paramount, its either that or they will go and look for this information, experiment and do all the things and you’ll never know”.
Dias who was speaking during The Language of Morality and Morality in Language event themed ‘Reflections on African Sexualities’ that was held at the University of Nairobi, observed that the society dictates whom one has sexual relations with simply because people are headed to a state of new Kenya where sex is so much more than procreation.
“Constraining environment is not just about language, it’s about what those who are using the language of abomination carry in their own entities,” said Dias, and referred the language being used currently as spiritual colonization.
She noted that most people are on TikTok and Instagram since the internet offers everything to the current generation which she noted allows people to share a common language. The Executive Coordinator said engaging in sexual behavior with a child is a criminal act, noting that she does not ascribe to any criminalistics behavior for a crime is a crime.
In his remarks, Prof Kithaka wa Mberia from University of Nairobi, Department of Linguistics and Languages, said different colours of people in the society respond differently to sexuality saying that euphemisms can make language more moral.
He mentioned that morality is a system of aspirations and expectations that have evolved and put in place to make the society a suitable place to live in. Centre for Human Right, Litigation Counsel Joshua Malidzo said, if it is accepted that sexuality is humanity, then people will be lying to themselves.
“It is a constitutional obligation of the state to protect the marginalised and the minority,” he added. The Anglican Church of Kenya Clergy, Reverend Godfrey Adera noted that there is a tendency to weaponise religion and making religion the script to discriminate, harm, hurt and also exclude people.
“Conversations in religious spaces around sexuality and morality is very difficult because we tend to be having one narrative or one story that is dominant in many spaces,” stated Adera adding that if religion has been used to enable discrimination and exclusion, then it can still be used to enable other things.
The event was organised by the Centre of Human Rights and Peace.