Negro y gay en Sudáfrica

Autor invitado: Tendai Mandimika (Sudáfrica)

‘Traditionally there was no people who engaged in the same sex relationships, there was nothing like that and if you do it you must know that you 'rotten”. That was South Africa’s Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini in January 2012 at a ceremony marking the defeat of the British Imperial forces by the Zulus. He was celebrating the “Zulu culture”.

Leaders in South Africa are used to address such comments about homosexuality and ironically the country was the first one, in Africa, to legalise same sex marriges in 2006. At this time Jacob Zuma was not yet the the president. When the law was adopted by parliament, he declared that “same sex marriage was a disgrace to the nation and to God. When I was young, unqingili (homosexual in Zulu language) could not stand in front of me I would knock him out". It was a major controversy and he was forced to apologise.

Besides all these problems being faced by the South Afican gay communities, they still remain the most gay friendly country in the whole of Africa. They also host the largest and the oldest gay and lesbian event in October every year, Johannesburg Gay Pride. Todas las fotografías del autor.

In Africa in general, homosexuality is seen as an import from the Western World and against African culture. South Africa might be the only country in the world where equality in sexual orientation is specified in their constitution, the mentalities of people have changed as fast as the law. Recently the National House of Traditional Leaders appealed to parliament to revise gay rights from the Constitution.

Capetown and Johannesburg have gay nite clubs which is rare in other African countries.

It is not so rosey in the Townships. They has been 31 murders in Capetown alone of lesbians since 1998 and Action Aid (an NGO for gay rights) noted that out of 25 men, only one was brought for trial. Homosexuals and associations feel that the justice system has let them down, and the government hasn’t educated the very people who are supposed to enforce the law. Most police officers are homophobic so it very hard to report the cases of abuse to them.

Collective rape is done by gangs hoping to “cure” lesbians from sexual orientation. Last year Noxolo Nogwasa (24) was raped and stabbed to death in KwaThema township on the East Rand near Johannesburg. In the same township a celebrated female soccer star and national team player Eudy Simelane was gang raped, stabbed 25 times and disposed in a ditch. These two women were champions for gay rights in KwaThema township. The gay rights organization which Nogwaza led before her death, is planning to protest at a local police station because they has been any progess on the murder case, until now they not received the approval for the demonstration.

Recently in April 2012 they hosted Mr Gay World for the first time in Africa.

Nota. Los textos de los autores se publican en su versión original primero y más tarde traducidos al castellano (cuando encontramos el momento de hacerlo o la ayuda de algún espontáneo)