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A Conversation With Davis Mac-Iyalla: The Other Side of the Story |
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Written by St. Thomas' Parish
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Tuesday, July 3, 2007 |
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Davis Mac-Iyalla, director of Changing Attitudes-Nigeria, a support group for LGBT members of Nigeria's Anglican Church, spoke on July 3 at St. Thomas' Episcopal Parish on the struggles of Nigeria's gay community in the face of official and societal oppression. Mr. Mac-Iyalla visited historic St. Thomas', located at 18th and Church Streets, NW in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood, as the final stop in a three-month speaking tour of the United States.
Mr. Mac-Iyalla has been arrested, beaten and incarcerated for possession of printed gay-friendly materials found in his car, and later forced to flee the country following numerous death threats. The Nigerian Anglican Church, led by Archbishop Peter Akinola, has steadily pressured the Nigerian government to enact a series of repressive laws designed to silence gay Nigerian voices. At one point, Mr. Mac-Iyalla was harassed by the Rev. Tunde Popoola, Canon for Communications for the Archibishop of Abuja, who accused him of a variety of crimes, denied he was a member of the Anglican Church, and even insisted that Mr. Mac-Iyalla had ever existed.
Archbishop Akinola has been a key player in the present schism in the U.S. Episcopal Church by naming his own bishop for several breakaway American congregations.
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Episcopal Relief & Development Stories from the Field
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Read true stories of success and triumph from some of the countries where we work. You will receive new and featured stories from our partners in the field as they are published. |
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A Boat of Her Own
Elena is a food vendor in the community of Uros-Chulluni, Peru, where the only mode of transportation is by boat. The expense of renting a boat to sell her food limited both her business growth and mobility. Although Elena dreamed of owning her own boat, she had no collateral to secure one. Through a micro-finance program supported by Episcopal Relief & Development, the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund and the Anglican Diocese of Peru, Elena and her neighbors formed a community bank. She was then able to obtain a small loan without traditional collateral, enabling her to buy her own boat. Now Elena’s business has expanded to include not only the sale of food, but also handicrafts and candy. She’s thankful to Episcopal Relief & Development for showing her how to improve her income, continue her children’s education and strengthen her family.
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Building Access to Clean Water
Maria, her husband Juan and their five children knew the harmful effects of dirty, contaminated water in their village of Bijagua, Nicaragua. They used to bring the household water for cooking, bathing, drinking and washing in buckets from a stream 10 minutes away from their home — the same stream where cattle roamed. The children were constantly sick with diarrhea, and getting the water each day was a real burden. “Our daughter spent so much time carrying water, she was falling behind in her school work. We always worried about her walking alone in the dark of the early mornings and evenings. There are poisonous snakes around here,” said Maria. Episcopal Relief & Development partnered with El Porvenir, an organization that works in Nicaraguan communities to develop water, sanitation and re-forestation projects. The program also provided Maria and her community with education and training on properly maintaining the water system, water hygiene and protecting children and families from preventable, water-related diseases. Instances of water-borne illnesses were also tracked by local health monitors. Now Bijagua has safe water and residents can stay healthy. “Our daughter is excelling in school now that she doesn’t have to carry buckets of water. And the children don’t have diarrhea anymore,” Maria stated.
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