In Cameroon, despite laws criminalising same sex relationships and a recent uptick in violent hate crimes against LGBTI communities, various actions were held in commemoration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014.

Sexual, gender and human rights communities came together to coordinate a meeting which brought together religious and political leaders to discuss homosexuality. An exhibition on human rights violations was organised, featuring paintings of recently deceased Cameroonian LGBT activists; other works included representations of recent cases of abuse, including the collective rape of a Lesbian woman, the arbitrary arrest of 6 men and the expelling of female students from secondary school on suspicion of homosexuality.

Portraits of deceased LGBT activists

The international focus issue around ‘freedom of expression’ was marked by a specific outreach to journalists, to raise their awareness on the current coverage of LGBT issues by the media and provide recommendations for improvement, including on how journalists can resist social and peer pressure to put up a homophobic facade even if their personal views are much more progressive.

Activists also offered media and legal affairs training specifically for lesbian communities, to empower them more in the LGBT community.

A community evening for 200 people was also held on May 17th which included information on HIV testing and treatment, resulting in 56 tests being done during the event. The programme also featured the raising of a Gay flag, the election of Miss and Mister IDAHO, music and danse.

On May 18th, the IDAHOT program met the Candle light memorial day. The programme featured for the first time a dialogue between LGBT activists and religious leaders

Candlelight memorial

Rainbow Flashmob – Cameroon Style. Source.

The commemorations featured:

• A series of thematic film screenings, followed by debates on the role of religion and the determinants of coming out in the Cameroonian context.
• A football match opposing a team of MSM (men who have sex with men) to a team of heteroseuxal men. The MSM team wore T-shirts bearing the slogan ‘Everyone has rights. So do we” and the IDAHO logo. The game was followed by speeches from both team captains on the role of sports in fighting homophobia.
• A thematic conference on LGBT discrimination. The debates focused on the issues of Human Rights violations against LGBTI people, but also on the positive contribution of Sexual and Gender minorities to society.
• A festive evening, including the elections of ‘Miss and Mister IDAHO’ ! The 300-strong party was joined by the members of the heterosexual football team which had played against the MSM team. For the first time, the police agreed to ensure the security of the event and were present during the entire time of the event, which was held in a private home in a residential suburb. The evening was also an opportunity to reinforce the community by awarding prices for the best peer-educator, best community leader, best academic performance, best professional achievement, most gay-friendly space, etc…
• A Flashmob, as part of the Global IDAHO 2013 initiative. This activity was organised to close the thematic conference. Participants gathered on a main traffic crossing and staged a choreography before releasing balloons with anti-homophobia messages written on them. The event was not announced publicly and went on without incident.

Eric O. Lembembe reports on the blog 76 Crimes:

‘Time: around 6 p.m., May 17. Location: The Bastos Roundabout residential area of Yaounde, where most embassies are located, within walking distance of the Presidential Palace.

Dressed in many colors, a group of young men and young women get out of a minibus. Excited and happy, they dance, shout and run in all directions, waving a rainbow flag made especially for the occasion. Cameras flash. After a few minutes of dancing, the small group vanishes, leaving behind some balloons with LGBT-friendly messages written on them. This unusual scene arouses the curiosity of some passersby, one of whom takes a few snapshots. Many other observers have little idea what’s going on.

“In a Cameroonian society that is increasingly hostile to the gay issue, we fear what would have happened if they had understood what it was about,” says one of the protesters, who is pleased that the event came and went without unpleasantness.

This was probably the first “Rainbow Flag Flash Mob” in the history of the LGBT movement in Cameroon. It was organized to mark International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) by three advocacy groups that promote the rights of sexual minorities — Humanity First Cameroon, the Cameroonian Foundation For Aids (Camfaids) and Affirmative Action.’

For more information please see:

• 76 Crimes: ‘Peaceful celebration in Cameroon a year after mob attack‘