The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia – IDAHOT, is one of the most important dates to mobilize communities to protect, promote and defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. The date was chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1990. It removed homosexuality as a formal psychiatric diagnosis in 1992. IDAHOT is commemorated every year on the 17th May across the world.
The theme for the 2017 IDAHOT focuses on FAMILY. The role of families in the well-being of their LGBTI family members and the respect of the rights of LGBTI families (rainbow families). We hope that this year’s theme will:

•  Strengthen the visibility and voice of LGBTI parents.
•  Strengthen the visibility and voice of Rainbow families that would advance the recognition and rights of LGBTI persons.
•  Strengthen the visibility, voice and support for children and relatives of LGBTI persons and creating a socially inclusive and non-discriminatory society
• Reclaim “family values” such as Botho; to progressively understand the need for humanity towards addressing LGBTI rights issues and those around them.

The Botswana community is very family oriented and all traditional gatherings and celebrations involves families. Family contributes to the core fiber of our being and existence. They are our source of love, protection and comfort. It is where tradition, norms and values are passed on from one generation to the next.

For many LGBTI in Botswana, the same cannot be said about this sentiment. Being an LGBTI person is still an enormous battle – it is emotionally draining, physically straining and economically challenging and contributes to various inner and outward conflicts in the daily lives of those in these situations. Working with the LGBTI community over the years has revealed that the family still needs a lot of awareness and understanding on diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity and the challenges faced by the LGBTI community.
We encourage Batswana to recognise that families are different and interact with one another differently. We have blended families, extended families, single parent families and even same – sex families. It is important that we support, accept, love and protect our LGBTI family members

Poetry, dance and music were all used to mark the day – in a small but successful event that also ended in the release of rainbow balloons to mark IDAHOT 2016. As well as a film screening, talks on discrimination and stigma and an ‘artivism’ workshop there were also a handful of campaigns run through social media and local radio. The group also released a press statement on the day, discussing the ongoing situation for LGBT Batswana.

The day will be one of the group’s first public events since gaining legal recognition as a registered charity earlier this year, the first LGBT group in the country to gain this recognition.

For more information visit the Facebook event page, or the group’s official press release.

National LGBT organisation LEGABIBO engaged in community mobilization through creating dialogue with members of the community including tribal leaders and the police to stimulate interest in LGBT rights. “It is very important that we have interventions at community level so that Batswana may understand what it means to be LGBTI, so as to avoid violating LGBTI rights”  says LEGABIBO Coordinator, Caine Youngman.

In a recent interview in the lead-up to IDAHOT 2015 a LEBABIBO spokesperson highlighted the importance of the event, mentioning that the day helped raise awareness for Botswana’s LGBT community. The spokesperson also used the opportunity to call upon local authorities to work towards ending the discrimination targeted towards marginalised groups.

Additionally, activists held the UP KGALE event where participants took the rainbow flag to the highest point in Gaborone. This was to show that despite all the LGBTI community will rise and soar.

Find more details and updates here.

The Queer Shorts Showcase is Botswana’s first, and only, short theatre production festival focused on presenting original works dealing with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) themes through various theatrical means. The festival was founded by Katlego K Kol-Kes in 2014 and premiered on May 17, 2014.

The festival promotes interrogation of themes addressing LGBT livelihood in Botswana with the aim to generate conversations, promote socially relevant discourse, and educate residents of Botswana on these minority issues.

After a successful first instalment, the Queer Shorts Showcase Festival – Botswana’s first and only LGBTI themed theatre festival – will be headlined by South African actor Mogoshi Mogwera. Mogwera will be performing his heart-wrenching solo, Bring Back Our Gays, alongside 4 other productions from Botswana.

Bring Back Our Gays interrogates gay identity development following the story of a young, black boy growing up in the townships of South Africa. Navigating genderqueering from childhood games, to religion, to self acceptance and the coming out process, this work the pushes boundaries of racial portrayals of African homosexuality.

The Queer Shorts Showcase will be mounted on 16 May 2015 at Thapong Visual Arts Centre, in Gaborone, Botswana. The line-up also includes new works by Katlego K Kol-Kes, such as Mmele, Top Centre, and Somebody Give Me The Strength Not To Kiss A Straight Man And Ruin His Life.  Additionally, Kol-Kes will be directing Kgotla Molefe in a performance to poke at the proverbial beehive of male privilege in the 2015 instalment of the festival.

Inspired by the efforts and support of a young Motswana boy, Tshimo, Queer Shorts Showcase Festival organizer, Katlego K Kol-Kes has launched the “Bokamoso Bracelets” campaign. The 50 bracelet limited edition debut collection will be made to support LGBTI Visibility and Youth in Botswana. “This collaboration is a symbol of how educating our youth helps them free themselves” says Kol-Kes, “Tshimo is already a great LGBTI ally at the age of 9, and he will be making each bracelet. We’re excited to support his business.”

The official branding “Bokamo50″ is inspired by Botswana’s upcoming 50th Independence, with the name being inspired by the 2015 IDAHOT theme focusing on LGBT Youth. “Bokamoso, which means Future in Setswana, is hoped to inspire our allies to wear their support and hope, quite literally, on a sleeve” says Kol-Kes. The bracelets will each go for P35 ($3.53) each and will be on sale starting 8 May 2015.

They have launched a campaign video, which you can view here.

Several groups came together for different events around the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014, in the Motswana capital, Gaborone. Actions included a one-day queer theatre festival, a press conference and panel discussion, poem recitals, song, dance and storytelling, as well as a march and candlelight vigil.

Various groups come together for diverse IDAHOT 2014 series

The Botswana Network On Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) and Rainbow Identity Association (RIA), and their partners, commemorated IDAHOT 2014 through various activities spread through three days – as outlined in their press release, published ahead of the day:

“Day one of the commemorations will start with a press conference and followed by a panel discussion under the theme ‘Is Botswana a Homo-transphobic Country, Perspective from affected communities).’ The second day will be a night of spoken word against Homophobia and Transphobia on the 16th of May (from 1800hrs) at Thapong Arts Centre (opposite Village Clinic) at Village, Gaborone. It is at this space that the LGBTIQs will express themselves artistically through poem recitals, song, dance and storytelling. The last day will be celebrated by having a power march from Game City Supermall to Kgale Hill at 0800am. Once at the hill, a candlelight vigil will be conducted and multi-lingual prayers will be recited by different attendants. The festivities will continue from 1400hrs with an Expression show held at Somarelo Tikologo Ecological Park.”

First “Queer Shorts” series held in Gaborone

Katlego K Kol-Kes staged her 3rd IDAHO event in Gaborone, Botswana, on May 17 2014. The Queer Shorts Showcase is posited to be an annual event, and 2014 marked the inaugural staging. Featuring 5 short productions by Katlego K Kol-Kes, Queer Shorts Showcase, expressed LGBT themes through various means. Kol-Kes was joined by 3 other directors from Gaborone with the sole mission of addressing the 2014 IDAHO theme: Freedom of Expression.

The productions were all between 10 and 15 minutes long. These productions are: Under My Roof (Institutionalised Homophobia), Horses, Rivers, Mountains, Men (Discovery/Coming Out), Butchered (Romantic Drama), A Real Woman (Defining a Trans* reality), and Sakeng (Male Privilege and Responsibility). With a company of 20, comprised of dancers and actors, the inaugural Queer Shorts Showcase promises to be an enlightening and entertaining evening of theatre and activism.

Queer Shorts Poster

Media coverage

• Star Africa: ‘Botswana agency bars gays from donating blood‘

Synopsis of BUTCHered

Theatrical maven and crowd-pulling actress Tracey is celebrating her 30th birthday by hosting a dinner at her and her girlfriend’s apartment in the heart of Gaborone. The guest-list, kept particularly short, features: Frankie- a Television producer and Filmmaker, Thai- an Herbalist, Leo- Tracey’s best friend and Lawyer, and Deb- Tracey’s girlfriend, a Household Product Engineer. What is set to be an intimate dinner evolves into a claustrophobic affair when Sam, Tracey’s ex-girlfriend, appears and a trip down memory lane unlocks doors to secrets & lies and friends turn on one another in a fight for survival. Where is the line between betrayal and protection?

Art Exhibition

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, also reports that a dedicated art exhibition took place to mark the Day.

The Queer Shorts Showcase is now posited to be an annual event, and 2014 will mark the inaugural staging. The Showcase will feature 5 short productions by Katlego K Kol-Kes, and will express LGBT themes through various means.

Kol-Kes will be joined by 3 other directors from Gaborone with the sole mission of addressing the 2014 IDAHO theme: Freedom of Expression.

The productions are all between 10 and 15 minutes long. These productions are: Under My Roof (Institutionalised Homophobia), Horses, Rivers, Mountains, Men (Discovery/Coming Out), Butchered (Romantic Drama), A Real Woman (Defining a Trans* reality), and Sakeng (Male Privilege and Responsibility).

With a company of 20, comprised of dancers and actors, the inaugural Queer Shorts Showcase promises to be an enlightening and entertaining evening of theatre and activism.

More updates and details coming soon!

Speakers addressed such issues as self-stigmatization and societal stigmatization, discrimination and sexual diversity in the workplace, and called for the LGBT community to “awaken” and take the movement to greater heights.

After the forum, activists visited the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs to promote training for staff from the Labour Department on sexual orientation.

A dance work entitled “Keledi” [Tear], written, choreographed and performed by Kalvin K Kol-Kes, was also held on May 17. It was a solo work that was aimed at ensuring that Botswana had the opportunity to communicate without fear of segregation and discrimination.