The Soul Beat 172 - Human Rights and LGBTI Communities in Africa

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* Using social media and film festivals to mobilise LGBTI communities
* Oral testimonies and edutainment to raise awareness on LGBTI issues
* Trainings in LGBTI and Human Rights

In celebration of Human Rights Day on March 22, this issue of The Soul Beat looks at human rights as they relate to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) communities across Africa. The newsletter offers programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, and resource materials that highlight how communities are raising awareness about LGBTI issues, as well as how commmunication is being used to help LGBTI communities mobilise and advocate for their rights.

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LGBTI ADVOCACY AND ACTIVISM

1. A Meeting of Queer Minds - Report on a retreat of LGBTI leaders and activists from the Republic of Ireland and South Africa
By Karen Martin
This report, published by The Atlantic Philanthropies in 2010, covers the exchange, key learnings, and recommendations of leaders and activists from Irish and South African organisations representing LGBTI people at a retreat near Cape Town in March 2010. At the retreat, participants were given an opportunity to reflect on LGBTI activism in the two countries over the last 15 years. In particular, the retreat looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies pursued; what has been achieved; and what challenges remain. The report seeks to serve as a resource for organisations and groups thinking through strategies for social justice.

2. The Queer African Youth Networking Center - Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria
The Queer African Youth Networking Center (QAYN-Centre) is a lesbian-led international organisation registered in California, USA, but working on sexual minorities issues in Central and West Africa. Formed in 2010 to bring visibility to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (LGBTIQ) African youth, QAYN seeks to foster solidarity, reflection, debates and activism among LGBTIQ youth in Africa. The aims of the organisation are to build the capacity of LGBTIQ youth to effectively disseminate information on sexual education, gender identity, sexual orientation, and substance abuse; to mainstream sexual and reproductive health interventions in their communities in West Africa; and to train queer youth to use internet as a safe advocacy tool. For that, they provide online forums, group discussions, and other tools to enable youth to safely access information and discuss culturally sensitive issues.

3. Together, Apart - Organizing around Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Worldwide
By Scott Long
This report, published by Human Rights Watch in 2009, intends to give a picture of a global human rights movement around issues of sexuality and gender. The report is based on written surveys and in-depth interviews with more than 100 activists organising against discrimination and abuse for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in five regions: sub-Saharan Africa; the Middle East and North Africa; Eastern Europe and Central Asia; the Asia and Pacific region; and Latin America and the Caribbean. In each region, the report outlines: prevailing patterns of abuse and rights violations; the political and social challenges, and opportunities that activists see ahead; and key strategies these movements are using to achieve social change.

4. Gay People are Living There: Reaching Out Beyond the Cities: An Evaluation of the Out In Africa Satellite Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Mafikeng, 2008
By Marian Nell and Janet Shapiro
This report, published by Atlantic Philanthropies in 2009, presents a case study of one of Out in Africa’s (OIA) satellite film festivals held in Mafikeng, South Africa in 2008. Out in Africa has organised an annual gay and lesbian film festival in various South African cities since 1990. Since 2004, OIA has taken a selection of films to 18 small towns in rural areas. As stated in the report, these satellite festivals not only provide education and entertainment to isolated gay and lesbian communities, they also bring gays and lesbians together in solidarity and help to strengthen embryonic organisations. In addition, they also provide platforms for gay visibility in often hostile environments.

5. Hivos' Role in LGBT Emancipation in Southern Africa: 1995 - 2006
By Sarita Ranchod and Sonja Boezak
This evaluation, published by Hivos in 2007, reflects on Hivos' support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organisations and projects in the Southern African region. It seeks to answer the question: to what degree have Hivos' interventions in the period 1995- 2005 contributed to LGBT emancipation in Southern Africa? The evaluation highlights the strengths and effectiveness of Hivos-supported LGBT organisations, while identifying lessons for future interventions toward LGBT emancipation. According to the evaluation, there has been significant and meaningful change in the lives of LGBT people, including significantly increased senses of well-being and self-esteem; increased levels of self-confidence; development of useful and valued skills; decreased feelings of isolation; increased senses of safety; access to much-needed safe spaces; and access to quality support and services offered by skilled personnel.

6. Guns and Roses: Advocacy in an Emerging Democracy
By Marian Nell and Janet Shapiro
This publication, produced by Atlantic Philanthropies in 2010, is an attempt to distil learning from three books published during 2009 that provide insights into doing advocacy in South Africa. According to the authors, using advocacy as a non-violent strategy to bring about social change is an integral part of a constitutional democracy. After looking briefly at the constitutional basis for advocacy work, the authors focus on two campaigns - the Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) campaign to reduce the number of firearms circulating in society and the campaign for the recognition of same-sex marriage conducted around the Civil Union Act by organisations from the LGBTI sector. According to the report, the structures of the campaigns were similar and highlight some of the core challenges that advocacy campaigns in a constitutional democracy such as South Africa face.

7. The LGBTI Movement and Social Media in Africa
By Sokari Ekine
This online article, published on the Heinrich Boll Foundation website in 2010, looks at LGBTI rights in Africa and the role new social media is playing in increasing the visibility of activists from across the continent.

PROMOTING EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OF LGBTI ISSUES

8. Queer Malawi: Untold Stories
By Patricia Watson
Published by Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA) and the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) in 2010, this book offers portraits of the lives of gay men and women in Malawi. The accounts in the book portray the joys of love and the heartache of rejection, the dangers posed by homophobia and hatred in communities, as well as the comfort of close friends and relatives. According to the publishers, the twelve life stories are "intended to invoke compassion and support for the rights of African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people to live freely and harmoniously alongside their heterosexual counterparts in Malawi and beyond her borders".

9. Homosexuality and Homophobia in Senegalese Media Content and Analysis
This study, coordinated by Panos Institute West Africa in collaboration with SAHARA Programme (Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS & Health Research Alliance) in 2010, looks at how the Senegalese media is handling issues of homosexuality and homophobia, specifically analysing representations of homosexuals and the manner in which they are constructed by the media. The results of the study will be used to strengthen media professionalism and responsibility in reporting on homosexual issues in a way that does not discriminate or stigmatise.

10. Using Edutainment to Reach Sexual Minority People: HIV and Rights Awareness for the LGBT Community in South Africa
By Tonya Graham
This paper, featured in Exchange on HIV/AIDS, Sexuality and Gender, Issue No. 4 in 2006, shares the experience of producing two multidisciplinary communication projects that aim to raise awareness and discussion around LGBT rights, health, and HIV/AIDS. The paper looks at "Coming Out Again", initiated by GALA and implemented by Community Media for Development (CMFD), which began as a participatory theatre production focusing on disclosure and stigma within the LGBT community, and grew to include two comic books and a radio adaptation. It also looks the serial radio drama called "Outside the Lines" which used participatory techniques to ensure full participation from the LGBT community at every stage of production.

11. Are Your Rights Respected? - Comic Book
By Tommy Motswai
This comic book was developed to help outreach education in the deaf community about HIV/AIDS, sexuality, sexual diversity, human rights and empowerment. The comic was developed by Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (formerly Gay and Lesbian Archives) and is illustrated by well known South African artist Tommy Motswai, who is also deaf. The comic aims to depict real life stories of the deaf community, while encouraging discussion on important issues affecting the lives of deaf people. It tells the story of a group of friends at a deaf school as they seek to learn about sexual health, and lobby for their right to information.

12. Experiences of Black LGBTI Youth In Peri-Urban Communities in South Africa: Formative Research For an LGBTI Radio Drama
By Tonya Graham
This research study from 2005 was commissioned to uncover and explore the central issues facing the black LGBTI communities in townships and semi-urban areas around Johannesburg. The results of the research were used to create relevant and appropriate storylines for a 13-part, youth focused radio drama produced by The Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) and Community Media for Development Productions.

13. Eyes Wide Open – Comic Book
By Andre Croucamp
This comic book, produced by Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action in 2006, tells the story about four friends and how they fall in love, make mistakes, and above all stick together as they talk about relationships, safe sex and living with HIV. The comic is based on the real-life experiences of LGBTI youth in South Africa. The comic forms part of GALA’s ongoing work to collect the oral histories of the LGBTI community, and share these stories through creative projects.

TRAINING

14. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons (LGBT) and Human Rights Training Programme (October 17 2011 - May 25 2012) Stockholm, Sweden and Africa
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Rights is conducting this training programme, designed for participants working in organisations or sectors where they have influence on issues concerning LGBT and human rights. The programme is divided into two parts. The first part takes place during three weeks in Sweden October 17 to November 4, focusing on theoretical and practical components within the field of LGBT and human rights. The second part will take place in Africa from 21-25 May 2012.

15. Sexual Minority Rights Course (April 11 - 15 2011) Pretoria, South Africa
Part of the Good Governance Programme (GGP) at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, this course is designed for government officials, members of civil society, academics, and legal practitioners from around Africa. The course is intended mainly for "mainstream" non-governmental organisations and others who may need information, awareness raising, and capacity on the issues involved.

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