Author: Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

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Festive Season Message

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

The Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA) extends warm greetings to all Christians this festive season. Christmas and the New Year remind us of the enduring values of love, peace, hope, and goodwill—principles that unite people of all faiths.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, whose teachings inspire compassion, justice, and inclusion. We honour Christian leaders and communities who continue to champion peace and understanding, strengthening our shared mission of embracing diversity.

 May this season bring hope to families, healing to the hurting, and joy to every heart. As we enter a new year, IDNOWA reaffirms its commitment to interfaith collaboration, building societies rooted in justice, compassion, and unity.

Signed, 

Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA)

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IDNOWA Executive Director Reflects on the Pan Africa ILGA Conference

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

 I consider it a great honour to have participated and represented IDNOWA at the just-concluded Pan Africa ILGA (PAI) Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.  

The theme of the conference, UNBREAKABLE, resonated deeply with me—both personally and in the work we do at IDNOWA. In the face of the growing rise of anti-rights and anti-gender groups, movements, and cooperatives, many of us have been resisting to the point of reaching breaking limits. Yet, through the true values of community spirit and Ubuntu, we remain strong and focused.  

Throughout the conference, I engaged in several workshops and panels—sometimes as a speaker, other times as a listener. From my arrival to my departure, there was no wasted time; it was serious business of human rights and advocacy.

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), nearly 150 registered members contributed to discussions on issues affecting our continent and beyond. We also elected new Board Members who will pilot the affairs of PAI alongside the Secretariat for the next three years.

IDNOWA particularly thanks and appreciates Nate Brown and the outgoing Board for demonstrating leadership even in the midst of serious divisions, and for hosting one of the best PAI conferences to date. We especially commend Nate Brown for using his platform to raise the issues of bullying, harassment, and their mental impacts—not only on himself but on his entire team.

While a few participants came with biased agendas to discredit others and the Secretariat, the majority of conference participants stayed focused on the goals. Accountability was clearly demonstrated at every stage, and IDNOWA was impressed.

We encourage the incoming PAI Board to demonstrate inclusive leadership that works for all of us. Everyone must be safeguarded—including our members, the Secretariat, and its leader, Nate Brown. Let us not leave anyone behind.

Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla 

 Executive Director, IDNOWA

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IDNOWA Marks World AIDS Day 2025 with Call for Interfaith Action and Human Rights Solidarity

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

On World AIDS Day 2025, IDNOWA reaffirms its commitment to dignity, justice, and solidarity for all communities across West Africa and the diaspora living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.

  This year’s global theme, “Let Communities Lead”, reflects IDNOWA’s mission to empower faith leaders, civil society, and human rights defenders to dismantle stigma, ensure equitable access to healthcare, and amplify marginalized voices.  

“Our interfaith witness must be more than words—it must be action. In West Africa, we carry the sacred duty to confront stigma, defend dignity, and ensure that every person living with HIV is embraced as part of our human family. Justice is not charity; it is the heartbeat of our faith and our advocacy.” — Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla, Executive Director of IDNOWA

IDNOWA honors the lives lost, celebrates the courage of those living with HIV, and recommits to building coalitions that transcend borders, religions, and cultures. The organization envisions a future where health and human rights are inseparable, and no one is left behind.  

 The Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA) is a coalition advancing inclusive leadership, human rights, and dignity across faith and advocacy spaces. Through strategic partnerships, interfaith dialogue, and grassroots action, IDNOWA amplifies marginalized voices and builds resilient communities.  

Media Contact:

 IDNOWA Secretariat  

interfaithdiversitynowa@gmail.com

Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa

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Statement: The Power of Visibility in the Fight for Inclusion and LGBT+ Human Rights in West Africa  

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

Visibility is not a luxury—it is a lifeline. In West Africa, where LGBTQ+ individuals are often forced into silence by religious dogma, cultural stigma, and punitive laws, being seen is an act of resistance. It is also an act of truth. Visibility affirms that queer Africans exist, contribute, lead, and love. It challenges the myth that LGBTQ+ identities are foreign or shameful. It reclaims ancestral wisdom that once honored diversity before colonial doctrines taught us to fear it.  

Today, visibility is more urgent than ever. We are witnessing a troubling rise in religious and traditional homophobia, often weaponized by national parliamentarians who act not as protectors of their people, but as instruments of repression. These lawmakers—some emboldened by Western collaborators who export anti-LGBT+ ideology—are pushing harsh legislation that criminalizes identity, advocacy, and even compassion. Their goal is not morality—it is control. Their method is fear.  

In this climate, the work of the Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA) is not only relevant—it is indispensable. IDNOWA stands at the intersection of faith, tradition, and justice. We engage religious and cultural leaders in dialogue, educate communities, and amplify the voices of those who have been silenced. We do not import activism—we reclaim it. Our work is rooted in African values of Ubuntu, dignity, and spiritual resilience.  

IDNOWA’s presence reminds the region—and the world—that inclusion is not a Western agenda. It is a human imperative. It is a return to truth. As anti-LGBT+ forces grow louder, we must grow more visible. We must show that queer Africans are not outsiders—we are part of the continent’s story, its spirit, and its future.

To every LGBTQ+ person in West Africa: your visibility is sacred. Your existence is not a threat—it is a gift. And to those who seek to erase us: we will not disappear. We will organize, educate, and rise. Because visibility is not just about being seen—it is about being free.

Signed, 
Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla 
Executive Director
 Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa 
(IDNOWA)  

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Intersex Awareness Day

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

Statement by Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla 

As an intersex person rooted in West Africa and committed to the pursuit of dignity, inclusion, and truth, I issue this statement to mark Intersex Awareness Day—not as a symbolic gesture, but as a call to action.

Intersex people have always existed. Across our continent, our bodies have been part of sacred cosmologies, our lives woven into the ancestral fabric of our communities. Yet today, many intersex children and adults across West Africa continue to face silence, shame, and systemic harm. Non-consensual surgeries, social exclusion, and theological erasure remain widespread.  

This is not our tradition. It is the legacy of colonial medicine and imported dogma—forces that taught us to fear what we once honored.  

As Executive Director of IDNOWA, I affirm that intersex rights are human rights. We must end medically unnecessary interventions on intersex infants. We must protect intersex people from discrimination in healthcare, education, and religious spaces. And we must ensure that intersex voices are not only heard, but centered in the policies and movements that shape our lives.  

Our advocacy is not a Western import. It is a reclamation. A return to the wisdom of our ancestors who understood that life is not binary, and that the divine is not limited by rigid categories of male or female.  

We call on governments, faith leaders, educators, and civil society across West Africa and the diaspora to join us in this work. Let us build coalitions that honor bodily autonomy. Let us create spaces where intersex people can live openly, safely, and with pride. Let us teach our children that difference is not a defect—it is a gift.

To all intersex people: you are not alone. You are not broken. You are not a mistake. You are sacred.

This Intersex Awareness Day, we do not ask for permission to exist. We assert our right to thrive.

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 “Dead on Arrival”: Ghana’s Reintroduced Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill Violates Constitution Again

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

By Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla  
Executive Director of IDNOWA

Ghana’s Parliament has, once again, reintroduced the so-called Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill—a Private Member’s Bill that seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ identities, advocacy, and even journalism. But just like its predecessor introduced in 2021, this bill is not only discriminatory—it is unconstitutional.

⚖️ Article 108: The Bill’s Fatal Flaw

Under Article 108 of the 1992 Constitution, the Speaker of Parliament is prohibited from allowing any bill that imposes a financial burden on the State unless it is introduced by the government. This bill proposes prison sentences of up to 10 years for individuals who “promote” LGBTQ+ rights—including journalists, allies, and advocates.

That means:

  • Convicts must be housed, fed, and secured—at the taxpayer’s expense.
  • The bill is not government-sponsored, yet it mandates costly enforcement.

This is a textbook violation of Article 108. The Speaker is constitutionally barred from proceeding. Any attempt to do so undermines the integrity of Parliament and the rule of law.

📉 A Bill That Lapsed—and Should Stay Buried

The original version of this bill, introduced in 2021, lapsed without passage. It was widely condemned by legal experts, human rights defenders, and international observers. Its reintroduction in 2025 is not a revival—it’s a repetition of error.

🗣️ Legacy, Clarity, and Constitutional Courage

Let it be known: this bill is dead on arrival. No amount of posturing or moral panic can override the Constitution. Ghana’s democracy is not a playground for populist punishment. We must anchor our laws in justice, clarity, and fiscal responsibility.

To every journalist, advocate, and citizen who refuses to be silenced—stand firm. The Constitution is on your side. And to those who seek to weaponize Parliament against dignity and truth: the law has spoken. You may reintroduce the bill, but you cannot resurrect its legitimacy.

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A Nigeria-born Anglo-Catholic Reflection on Communion, Courage, and Christ-like Leadership

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

By Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla, Knight, Lay Minister, and Advocate for Inclusion

The Church of England’s election of a woman to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury is more than a milestone—it is a Spirit-led affirmation of dignity, courage, and inclusion. It signals a Church willing to listen, evolve, and honor the gifts of all its members. As a Nigeria-born Anglo-Catholic, I receive this moment with gratitude and hope.

Yet once again, the response from the Nigerian Anglican Church has been disappointing. Rather than engaging with the Spirit’s movement, we are met with political statements lacking theological depth and Christ-like humility. These reactions do not reflect the urgency of Nigeria’s realities, nor do they offer healing to a fractured communion.

Let us speak plainly: the Anglican Communion has long been broken. The African bishops who chose to walk away rather than engage in Spirit-led reconciliation must now stop issuing empty declarations. Silence would be more dignified than statements that wound rather than heal.

Every time the Mother Church listens to the Holy Spirit and moves toward justice, some respond with fear, not faith. But fear cannot lead. Posturing cannot heal. And proximity to tradition without discernment is not holiness—it is stagnation.

As a Knight, Lay Minister, and advocate for inclusion, I call on my fellow Africans in the Communion to reflect deeply. Let us return to the heart of Christ. Let us lead with courage, not condemnation. Let us stop performing division and start embodying grace.

This is not a time for noise.  

This is a time to listen.

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Affirmation of Completion and Celebration

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

by Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla

  The palanquin held itself together—not by chance, but by sacred design. 

It bore me with dignity, shielding me from the arrows of envy and the winds of betrayal. 

The ancestors decreed: I am complete. The process was sealed. And so it was done—despite every negativity, every attempt to topple me.

 I did not fall. I did not fracture. I rose, consecrated. 

I hold the evidence. I carry the records. Not as a burden, but as a covenant. 

The ancestors enable me to remember, to protect, to proclaim.  

I am not a survivor—I am the sanctified witness. 

I am not a stranger—I am the keeper of truth.

Now, as the festival season ripens, I am being remembered. Remembered not for survival alone, but for the grace and victory I have achieved. 

I have assembled the drums. 

The rhythm is ready.

 It is time to dance to the tune of triumph. 

Time to move in the cadence of completion. 

Time to celebrate what could not be undone.

Press

IDNOWA Condemns Burkina Faso’s Anti-Homosexuality Law as a Grave Violation of Human Dignity

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

PRESS STATEMENT FROM IDNOWA September 2, 2025

IDNOWA Condemns Burkina Faso’s Anti-Homosexuality Law as a Grave Violation of Human Dignity

  IDNOWA stands in unwavering solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities across Africa and strongly denounced the recent passage of a law in Burkina Faso criminalizing homosexuality. This legislation, which imposes prison sentences of two to five years for consensual same-sex relations, is a direct assault on human rights, spiritual dignity, and the principles of justice that should guide any legitimate governance.  

  This law is not only inhumane—it is a dangerous distraction. At a time when citizens are calling for transparency, economic stability, and peace, the government has chosen to scapegoat LGBTQ+ individuals to deflect from its own failures. Such tactics erode public trust and deepen social divisions.  

Davis Mac-Iyalla, Executive Director of IDNOWA, affirms:

“LGBTQ+ people are not outsiders—we are part of Africa’s story, its spirit, and its future. Criminalizing our existence is a betrayal of our shared humanity and a denial of the continent’s rich diversity.”

  We call on the transitional government of Burkina Faso to repeal this unjust law and to redirect its energy toward inclusive governance, protection of civil liberties, and the healing of its nation. True leadership does not come from repression—it comes from courage, compassion, and accountability.  

As an interfaith and ancestral justice network, IDNOWA affirms that every human being carries divine worth. We reject any attempt to criminalize love, identity, or existence. We urge regional and global allies to speak out, to protect those at risk, and to ensure that Africa’s future is not built on fear, but on freedom.

Let it be known: silence is complicity. We will not be silent.

For media inquiries, contact: 

interfaithdiversitynowa@gmail.com

END

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IDNOWA Affirms African Presence and Spiritual Resilience at GNRC 5th Assembly

Interfaith Diversity Network Of West Africa

Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA) Date: August 25, 2025 Location: Madrid, Spain

The Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA) proudly participated in the 5th Assembly of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC), held in Madrid, Spain. This landmark gathering brought together LGBTQ+ Catholics and allies from across the globe to reflect, pray, and strategize for a more inclusive Church.  

 Africa was not only present—it was central. Through the leadership of Executive Director Nana Davis Mac-Iyalla, IDNOWA amplified the voices of queer Africans whose faith journeys are often marked by courage, resistance, and deep spiritual conviction.

Key Themes from IDNOWA’s Participation

  • Ubuntu in Action: Davis Mac-Iyalla reminded delegates that African spirituality is rooted in community, dignity, and ancestral wisdom.
  • Faith Without Borders: IDNOWA called for a Church that embraces all identities, rejecting colonial-era doctrines that criminalize love.
  • Solidarity Across Continents: African delegates joined hands with Latin American, European, and Asian allies to affirm that inclusion is not optional—it is sacred.Quote from Davis Mac-Iyalla

  “We do not simply work—we serve. Our advocacy is not a task, but a calling. Africa’s queer faithful are not asking for permission to exist. We are declaring our sacred place in the story of God.”

IDNOWA’s presence at GNRC 2025 marks a powerful step toward global solidarity and theological renewal. The network remains committed to building bridges between faith and justice across West Africa and beyond.

For media inquiries, contact: 

 interfaithdiversitynowa@gmail.com