Paper short abstract:

This paper considers the recent tension between Pentecostal-Charismatic discourse in Kampala, Uganda with secular agendas concerning HIV/AIDS and sexual rights. The rise of conflicting voices within the public sphere has led to a struggle for discursive dominance, shaping the tenor of the country.

Paper long abstract:

In recent years Kampala, Uganda has experienced mounting tension between religious and secular agendas. This is exemplified with the growth of Pentecostal Charismatic discourse promoting 'moral' agendas in the fight against HIV/AIDS and sexual freedom, with competing secular discourses—emanating both exogenously and endogenously—encouraging biomedical approaches to HIV/AIDS and the extension of human rights to sexual minorities. The recent rise of Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches in Uganda throughout the past decade has led to an abundance of religious discourse within the public sphere. Consequently, Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCC) are influential political actors, influencing state policy over public health and sexuality. In recent years public health initiatives combating HIV/AIDS have become reframed, and now emphasise abstinence and monogamy approaches over condom use in the fight against HIV. Additionally, numerous PCCs offer religious healing as a viable cure those HIV-positive. In 2009 legislation was brought before congress to further criminalise homosexuality. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill finds tremendous support within many Pentecostal Churches, while the origin of the legislation is often directly linked to the Pentecostal-Charismatic community by numerous Western media sources and church parishioners. Following the legislation several Western governments have threatened to withdraw aid if the legislation is passed—as a result President Museveni has publicly denounced the bill—while international public health sources have attributed the recent statistical rise of HIV/AIDS in Uganda to the negation of condoms in overall prevention strategies. This paper aims to examine the conflict between competing secular and religious discourse influencing public policy