Reunification Monument in Yaoundé, Cameroon, overlaid with Fatteh’s map of the African continent.
Fatteh’s monthly round-up of LGBTQ+ news from the continent features a trans Ghanaian musician, Ugandan cabinet ministers, a South African Pride parade leader and stories from Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
by Beza Lealem
Global politics shaped much of the news this month, as African LGBTQ+ issues intersected with the culture wars in America and migration debates in Europe. That didn’t stop African politicians from waging their own battles against the community, despite pushback from local activists and artists.
All the more reason to take inspiration from someone courageous and creative. In a candid interview with Willis Chimano, Fatteh chronicled the Kenyan pop star’s journey from secrecy to liberation and found out why he’s comfortable being seen as an LGBTQ role model even if he sometimes feels like an imposter. Yet both within Nairobi and far beyond, the contrast in lived experiences across the community can be stark.
In Johannesburg, the streets were filled with joyous people celebrating the oldest Pride march in Africa despite threats of a boycott from within the LGBTQ community. Meanwhile, in cities like Yaoundé and Kano, trans women and gay men were being imprisoned by the police on trumped-up charges after being humiliated and attacked. There were also a few surprises this month, including a first-person account of same-sex romance in Ethiopia called ‘Our Kind of Love Is Unspeakable’, published in The New York Times.
Here’s our round-up of the headlines of other important stories that unfolded in October affecting LGBTQ people across Africa.
Johannesburg Pride Director Rejects Boycott Claims as ‘Misinformation’
Police Imprison Five Men in Cameroon for ‘Suspected Homosexuality’
Islamic Religious Police Arrest ‘Gay Wedding’ Attendees in Nigeria
Trans Ghanaian Musician Angel Maxine Releases Protest Song ‘Coward’
Netherlands Won’t Send LGBTQ Rejected Asylum Seekers to Uganda Cameroonian Trans Women Arrested After Election for ‘Disturbing Public’
South African Human Rights Commission to Probe Homophobic Radio Host Ugandan Anti-LGBTQ Cleric Uses Charlie Kirk Murder to Sell Homophobic Book
Ghanian Politicians Admit They Are Confused About Anti-LGBTQ Bill Status US Politician Seen with Anti-LGBTQ Ugandan Leader Denies Knowing Her Views Mamba Online Founder to Receive the Simon Nkoli Award in South Africa Anti-LGBTIQ Violence in Uganda Is Getting Even Worse, Report Says
New Report on LGBTQ+ Tanzanians Reveals Extent of Marginalisation
Prison Sentence Upheld for Moroccan Activist Over ‘Allah Is Lesbian’ Blasphemy Report Critiques South Africa’s Tolerance of LGBTQ ‘Conversion Therapies’
Bishop Blames LGBTQ Inclusion for ‘Exodus’ from Nigerian Methodist Church