OPINION: Take Pro-Life Africans Seriously

Obianuju Ekeocha, founder of Culture of Life Africa, spoke in Gaston Hall on October 23 about the current state of Western aid to Africa. Born and raised in Nigeria, Ekeocha founded her pro-life organization to combat what she terms the “Western ideological neocolonialism” of the aid sector. She described an email exchange between the president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding Kenya’s rewriting of its constitution to include anti-abortion language. The correspondence, which can be found on WikiLeaks, encouraged Clinton to draw attention to the issue, saying that “if Kenya knows the world is watching they may be more careful in how they proceed.” Citing these emails and a perceived focus on “population control” over other development needs, Ekeocha argued that the West inappropriately pressures African countries to accept artificial contraception and abortion, withholding aid and ultimately violating the sovereignty of any country that refuses.

Although progressive Westerners might dismiss these arguments, to do so is to adopt a dangerously paternalistic mentality. My own research in Uganda demonstrated how widely these views are held; several Kusabiny elders I interviewed asked me why we wanted their ethnic group and culture to die out, as they believed would happen if they were to adopt artificial family planning. The implications of ignoring this controversy are already visible—one must look no further than Ashanee Kottage’s coverage of Tanzania’s anti-contraception campaigns recently published in the Caravel. Rather than dismiss these trends, Western aid and development organizations must listen closely to the complaints of African nations and take into consideration cultural and generational priorities. Failing to do so will damage our relationships with those we aim to help and may lead to further backlash like that in Tanzania.