“You are one dirty thing that is going to die and go to hell.” That is what it feels like when someone uses the term ‘homosexual’ to describe you, according to Adebisi Ademola Alimi, founder of The Independent Project, Nigeria (TIP).
Gay Africa, a one-off event organised by theatre company The Red Room on 28th February, opened with a discussion on semantics – how do you describe someone who’s not heterosexual? Alimi believed that all the commonly used phrases were loaded with negative meanings when used in Africa. Preferring the term ‘gay’, he also felt that in his home country of Nigeria, it implied not only someone interested in same sex relationships, but also someone inclined towards paedophilia or bestiality. Try to think of a negative gay stereotype and you can bet that someone in Nigeria has not only thought of it, but said it to someone’s face.
 
The event had an unusual format – a long table seating 12 was placed in the centre of the room – and the audience were seated in rows around it. While it commenced with invited guests at the table, audience members were allowed to partake in the discussion by tapping someone from the table on the shoulder, and then replacing that person in their seat.
 
“Gay Africa to me means invisibility. They don’t event speak my name in case they catch the disease of homosexuality. We are the scapegoats, we’re demonic, we are the ones who stop the rain and make the plants die.” Zimbabwean Skye Tineyimbo, a human rights activist and LGBTI refugee, spoke of the crazy stories that continue to circulate regarding the evil powers of the gay community.
 
John Bosco Nyombi, who came to the UK from Uganda as a refugee, also talked about myths he had overhead: “They recruit gay people by giving them money”, as if there was some weird quasi-political recruitment of gay people going on. He also discussed the problems he had explaining to the Home Office the persecution he would face if he was deported. They cheerily told the judge presiding over his case: “We don’t see any problem with him being deported because he can change his behaviour when he returns.” Nice. Because if he wasn’t able to fake it, he would face life imprisonment and/or death. Fortunately, he won his case and has been able to stay in the UK.
 
The discussions were interspersed with poetry recitals from Rhymes Won’t Wait, Jasmine Ann Cooray and Keith Jarret, music from Martina Baker and screenings of short films “Souljah” by Rikki Beadle-Blair, which won Best Short Film at Rushes, and “Young Black & Gay” by Dean Atta, Director of Rhymes Won’t Wait.
 
Over 200 people turned up to the event, men and women, gay and straight, white and black and everything in between, showing that the issues in Gay Africa should be of concern to us all. In fact, I even arranged to meet my (male) date at the event. Surely a perfect way to see if someone is truly on the same wavelength as you. And turns out he was. Lucky me!  

Words: Holly Howe
 
For more info please visit www.theredroom.org.uk/platform/gay-africa/