From being a president of the Humanist Association of Ghana, the first humanist organisation in Ghana, to becoming the first African woman to be elected to the board of Humanists International and the current Vice President of Humanists International, Roslyn Mould has proven to be a superlative example of a humanist. It takes boldness to be an atheist and humanist in a deeply religious Africa, but it takes temerity to be a Roslyn Mould. That is a fact not untold.
My first impression of Roslyn Mould
Bold and intelligent. This was my first impression of Roslyn when I met her at the then Afia Beach Hotel, where the Humanist Association of Ghana hosted their monthly meetings with humanists, freethinkers, agnostics, atheists and even curious religious folks. She was always fervent in her submissions, with clear arguments supported by facts and data. A humanist on the ground, gathering past, present and emerging data on current issues.
The public typecast
Roslyn is typecast as an LGBT+ rights advocate by our country folk, who have seen her in the media fighting for the rights of the LGBT+ community, a role she wears as a duty to fellow humans. That’s what people straightaway think of Roslyn, the LGBT+ advocate. A Google search for her name will confirm this perception.
She will not deny it if you ask her. As demonstrated in our recent discussion about atheism, humanism, and advocacy, she did not hesitate to declare her support for the LGBT+ community.
In her own words, “People know me as that (LGBT+ rights advocate). But I think I drew to it more…maybe it’s the compassionate side of me as a person, but also more as a humanist. Then more importantly, usually the case against LGBT+ people is to do with religion and people using their freedom of religion and belief to discriminate against people, and I think that is not fair. Your freedom of religion and belief also implies freedom from religion and belief.”
Mislabeling Roslyn Mould
The problem is, many presumptuously label her as a member of the LGBT+ community, even though she is a heterosexual. The greater problem is that Ghana reeks of caustic homophobia, so much so that Parliament passed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill in February 2024. Formally termed the “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill,” the bill aims to push for the criminalisation of LGBTQ+ identity and activity. Included in the proposed legislation are:
- People who identify as or participate in same-sex sexual activities could be sentenced to six months to three years in prison.
- Up to five years in prison for creating, supporting, or endorsing LGBTQ+ organisations and activities.
- A ban on same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples.
The greatest problem is that the compassionate side of Roslyn’s advocacy is overlooked by many. The compassionate side of Roslyn Mould and other humanists like me says, ‘No one should be beaten, killed, discriminated against or harmed because of their sexual identity.’
This is a human rights concern. Which right, you may wonder?
No one should be tortured, abused, or mistreated because they are heterosexual; not because they are heterosexual, but because they are a human being with natural rights. The right to life. Humans are what homosexuals are. And the same applies to them!
If you concur, you are exercising critical thinking, which is a vital skill that humanists like Roslyn, Dr Leo Igwe, Harrison Mumai, Kwabena Antwi Boasiako, and Justice Okai-Allotey contend everyone should have.
Is humanism a religion?
A humanist is someone who believes in the value and potential of humans, prioritising reason, ethics, and shared human values over supernatural explanations or dogma. To address issues and improve the current state of the world for everyone, humanists emphasise the welfare and dignity of people and promote critical thinking, scientific investigation, and a secular outlook on life. With this philosophy, moral judgements and individual fulfilment are centred on human responsibility. To put it briefly, a humanist is a non-religious person who strives to live an ethical life guided by empathy and critical thinking without recourse to religion or the supernatural.
Roslyn, like many other humanists, was once religious. At every point in time there’s someone who is on the verge of leaving religion, and there’s also someone who is on the verge of leaving religion. Roslyn has an important question at this crossroad for the soon-to-be believer and soon-to-be nonbeliever.
I think that people should just question themselves when it comes to that. So, if you are thinking of moving back to belief, I can understand that sometimes people do that because they long for community and support, especially for the part of the world that we come from, because those are the ones where your life could depend on it and which church you belong to and which mosque you attend, so I understand if people want to move. You have the freedom to do that, but is it your truth? And I think that people should just question themselves when it comes to that. And if you’re on the verge of moving to atheism, then also think about it. Same question. Is it the truth you want to live by? Do you want to know the truth and seek for more truth? Or do you just want to live in bliss as an ignorant person? And I think that answers that question for that person.
Leaving religion
In an interview with Canadian journalist and humanist Scott Jacobsen in 2017, Roslyn shared her egress from religion.
I went through stages of grief, disappointment, sadness, anger, and finally stopped going to church. Even when I stopped going to church, I felt that God would strike me with lightning for disobeying him or ‘betraying’ him, but as time went by and nothing bad seemed to happen, my fear lessened. I did not know how to explain it to my family and friends. So for years, I kept my non-belief to myself and gave excuses for not attending church and sometimes hoped that I could be proven wrong with my non-belief so I could go back to worshipping God, but that time never came.
Portfolio of Roslyn Mould
Roslyn Mould joined the Humanist Association of Ghana in 2012 and served as the Humanist Association of Ghana’s organising secretary from 2015 to 2019 before rising to the position of president and council member. She was appointed the West African Humanists Network’s coordinator in 2019. She spoke out against the Ghanaian anti-LGBT bill in 2021 and participated in a demonstration against it at Ghana’s High Commission in the UK. In 2023 she was appointed vice president of Humanists International.
Roslyn is the founder of Accra Atheists, a humanist group advocating for atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and secularists in Ghana. Accra Atheists is a member of Humanists International.
The first atheist billboard in Africa was put up on the streets of Cantonments, Accra, Ghana, by Accra Atheists. This billboard has caused a massive meltdown within the religious demography of Ghana, and the entire religiosphere worldwide.
What’s next in Peter’s Box? ¡Hasta luego amigos!
This was such an amazing read. Roslyn is doing amazing work and congratulations to her and her input in championing for dignity and freedom of queer and irreligious people.