Major attack averted on Ethiopian LGBT?

By Paul Canning

A 'national embarrassment' for Ethiopia was averted after religious groups tried to disrupt the gay presence at a prestigious HIV/Aids conference.

The 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) in Africa (ICASA) opened in Addis Ababa 4 December. Prior to the event, African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (Amsher) had planned a pre-conference meeting for 200 people but when they turned up to the Jupiter hotel they were told the facilities were no longer available. This followed a loud campaign against their event by religious leaders in Ethiopia's media.

A truncated Amsher event eventually went ahead using UN facilities but religious groups planned a press conference to continue to agitate against the group. This was called off at the last minute according to reports after the intervention of the Ethiopian government, worried about the 'embarrassment' associated with such disruption to such a huge international conference presence in Addis - 10,000 people were at the event - and the potential to divert future conferences.

Reports said that Minister of Health Dr Tewodros Astnahom held a closed-door meeting with the religious leaders. After the meeting, one of the religious leaders from the Ethiopian Protestant Church, Pastor Eitefa Gobena, told journalists that the press conference was not taking place.

A newspaper photographer was forced by government security to delete some of the pictures he took in the press conference room.

According to Global Voices, the debate on the religious attack on LGBT shifted online.

In December 2008 a campaign was started by Ethiopian religious leaders called “United for Life.” This was reportedly limited to urging the parliament to ban homosexuality in the constitution, but the Rainbow Ethiopia LGBT/MSM group reported that the religious coalition was actually calling for the death penalty for gays.
They said that the local media was engaged in “open psychological homophobic war to agitate the general society” against the LGBT community.

Kent Klindera the Director of MSM Initiatives at The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) told Behind The Mask:

“There is major concern for the Ethiopian LGBT activists who will be here after the conference ends. The director of a group that amfAR supports has received death threats.”

“Recently, a local newspaper published an article purporting that the group had gone to Kenya learn ‘how to promote and spread homosexuality in Ethiopia.’ ”

These claims came after a Pepfar (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) funded study tour sponsored by EngenderHealth, a leading international reproductive health organization working to improve the quality of health care in the world’s poorest communities that sought to learn more on access of MSM (men who have sex with men) to HIV prevention and treatment.

Klindera said:

“I am working with several other global organizations to ensure that they have protection and are informed and empowered about security strategies to allow continue to do their work.”

Related articles

• Leaked cable shows limits of State Department LGBT issues reporting (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• In Ethiopia, 'mere concept' of LGBTI community 'non-existent' (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• Ethiopia: Homosexuality Debate Arises as Ethiopia Hosts AIDS Conference (globalvoicesonline.org)

"How does a lesbian come out at 13?" UK treatment of lesbian asylum seekers

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Women's Asylum News

By: S. Chelvan*

In September 2011, an Immigration Judge addressed this question to the representative of a lesbian appellant from Pakistan, highlighting her disbelief of the appellant, despite the appeal being ready to proceed.1 It is astounding that there are still those who need educating in the simple facts that the differences between straight, as compared to lesbian, gay and bisexual appellants, are in fact found in the experiences of all human beings. This is particularly shocking after the training provided to Immigration Judges by STONEWALL earlier this year following HJ (Iran) and HT (Cameroon),2 which repeated the mantra to the judges, “It is not what we do, but who we are”. Would anyone ever ask “How does a teenager come out as straight at 13?”. In the hetero-normative society we live in, there are still those who assume that every child is programmed as straight as this is ‘normal’, ignoring the core development of a sexual and gender identity, straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, trans or intersex, based on identity (including desire and love), and not merely conduct, in all human beings.

The rejection of a straight life

Following guidance and training since the UK Supreme Court’s July 2010 landmark ruling in HJ (Iran) and HT (Cameroon)3 there are decision-makers who engage with detailed analysis of such claims, and who would reject as highly unacceptable and legally flawed decisions which are based on personal ignorance, or in some instances blatant homophobic bigotry. For example, in July 2011, the Upper Tribunal reversed the dismissed appeal of a gay man from Uzbekistan, finding the adverse credibility findings as perverse. The deeply flawed approach of the Immigration Judge in the initial appeal included the question “When did you first engage in buggery with your boyfriend?” clarifying that the reference to ‘buggery’ was perfectly acceptable.4 The invisibility of lesbians, bisexual women, trans and intersex women, has until recently reflected the blatant ignorance of asylum decision-makers. The recent Upper Tribunal country guidance case on Jamaican lesbians,5 shows a much welcomed engagement with the core issues of difference, stigma, shame and harm (‘DSSH’)6 which are at the core of the narrative of the majority of LGBTI claims. SW importantly identifies risk categories to those who are, or those who are perceived as lesbian in Jamaica, where an individual does not live a ‘heterosexual narrative’ (i.e. have men ‘calling’ or have a boyfriend/husband and/or have children). Six years since the Tribunal concluded that the finding “there is some force that perception is key” was non-binding,7 the Tribunal has finally applied this to the core trigger of “difference”.

Correcting a historical wrong

This article explores how the development of case law in the past twelve years shows a significant attempt by the UK to identify what is at the core of asylum claims made by lesbians.8 There is a need to recognise that it is the failure to abide by the “heterosexual narrative” which creates the “difference” with heterosexual individuals. This difference is linked to stigma and results in asylum seekers’ shame and a continuing fear of harm in their home country. This understanding is at the heart of identifying the protection needs of women in sexual and gender identity asylum claims. It was the case of two women who feared domestic violence at the hands of their husbands in Pakistan9 in 1999, which established that “homosexuals” could be considered a particular social group in addition to women. Lord Steyn recognised an international consensus based on prosecution, or the potential prosecution, of predominantly male same-sex conduct. This landmark judgment reflects that the Refugee Convention is a living instrument and should be interpreted as such. Ironically and shamefully, this corrected the historical wrong which hid the fact that ‘homosexuals’ were also part of the persecuted in Nazi Germany: in ignoring such facts, the framers of the Convention created a protection gap in the UK of nearly fifty years.10

Read more »

Leaked cable shows limits of State Department LGBT issues reporting

Image Wikimedia

By Paul Canning

Issues with relying on the US State Department for a accurate take on LGBT life in particular countries have been highlighted in the reporting of Daniel Berhane, the self described 'leading blog in Ethiopia.

He has found a leaked Cable (here's the cable) from US Embassy Addis Ababa, dated Dec. 30,2009. It claims that:

"A thriving LGBT social scene exists in Addis Ababa. Parties are generally unannounced and held in private homes or bars, with invitations distributed via word of mouth or text messaging….events are held at least on a weekly basis, with attendance of more than 50 people not unusual."

According to the Cable, citing Embassy ‘contacts’, such events have been forced to relocate, sometimes on short notice, because of real or perceived threats to the establishments where they are held. However it claims that no arrests or harassment have been reported linked to these social events.

The Cable notes that Ethiopia is a conservative society and homosexual conduct is punishable under Ethiopian law. It adds:

• Post [the Embassy] is not aware of any cases of homosexual conduct that have been prosecuted in recent years or any pending cases for homosexual acts between adults.
• In the past year, post received limited reports of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals; however, reporting may have been scarce due to fears of retribution, discrimination, or stigmatization. The anecdotal reports post is aware of come from credible sources and include forced marriages and rapes of LGBT individuals.
• [social events of LGBTs] have been forced to relocate, sometimes on short notice, because of real or perceived threats to the establishments where they are held. However, no arrests or harassment have been reported linked to these social events.
• As in other countries, urban residents and young people are likely to be more tolerant of homosexual behavior when compared to their rural and elder counterparts, but even among this group conservative views dominate.
  

Not noted in State Department reports, but covered in those of Rainbow Ethiopia LGBT/MSM, a group engaged in HIV/Aids prevention efforts, was the murder of an American diplomat Brian Daniel, 5 February 2009. He was found dead in his home in Addis Ababa, beaten to death with golf clubs in what the group says was a "homophobic attack". That aspect of the murder appears to have been covered up.

The US State Departments Human Rights Report on Ethiopia from the same period (2010) in the section on LGBT issues now required in these reports doesn't mention any "thriving LGBT social scene" but says the following:

There were some reports of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals; however, reporting was limited due to fears of retribution, discrimination, or stigmatization.

The Cable and Human Rights Report also mentions a December 2008 campaign by Ethiopian religious leaders called "United for Life". The Cable says this mainly involved the signing of a resolution by "dozens of religious leaders condemning homosexuality and urging the parliament to ban homosexuality in the Constitution. However, the Constitution was not amended to that effect, nor does it seem likely."

But Rainbow Ethiopia LGBT/MSM reported that the 'United for life' religious coalition was actually calling for the death penalty for gays.

They said that the local media was engaged in "open psychological homophobic war to agitate the general society" against LGBT.

"If these trends continue we may face more additional danger both from the government and the public. These will jeopardize the whole Ethiopians sexual minorities in general and our steering organization members in particular."

"At any time," the group wrote, "we may face public attack at any place, we don't have either a legal ground or organizational capacity to respond to this defamation, intimidation, harassment and attack because we are very resource constrained. So, we need a partner for capacity building assistance to our organization well functioning."

"Generally, to accomplish all the projects into fruition, we need the support of international humanitarians in the form of financial, technical, material."

In 2011, the group is saying that:

[The government] show no interest to stop the massive death of the Ethiopian gays (Men having sex with men) by the epidemic of HIV/AIDS rather they threatened us to stop advocacy for those who are unnaturally engaged in sexual misconduct."

In September Behind the Mask's Melissa Wainaina interviewed a gay Ethiopian based in Britain who runs the Ethiolgbt.com website.

He said that: "The mere concept of the LGBTI community as a minority of any kind is non-existent in Ethiopia." Amharic dictionaries do not even include a word for 'gay' and:

"Systematic and divisive repression seems to have taken root planting immense fear among society at large. Civil societies are continually monitored and intimidated while almost every form of media government controlled. This does not allow for much of a human rights movement in Ethiopia."

The UN Human Rights Committee in its list of recommendations to Ethiopia last July, stated its opposition to criminalisation, adding that:

"The Committee’s concerns are not allayed by the information furnished by the State party that the provision in question is not applied in practice or by its statement that it is important to change mindsets before modifying the law in this regard."

It urged the government to:

"Send a clear message that it does not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination or violence against persons based on their sexual orientation."

Related articles

• In Ethiopia, 'mere concept' of LGBTI community 'non-existent' (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• Does Ivory Coast's relative safety for LGBT prove something about sodomy laws? (madikazemi.blogspot.com)

In Ethiopia, 'mere concept' of LGBTI community 'non-existent'

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Behind the Mask

By Melissa Wainaina

Interview with Selam* a gay Ethiopian based in Britain. Selam began an online LGBT movement and spoke on the subject of human and LGBT rights in Ethiopia.

Selam’s aim is to reach out to other LGBT Ethiopians with the hope that the day will come when homophobia and criminalization of same-sex couples is a thing of the past in Ethiopia. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Q: What is the human rights movement like in Ethiopia today?

Ethiopia has a diverse population upwards 80 million and has been under the same leadership for over two decades. There is an absence of a significant human rights movement of any kind.

Systematic and divisive repression seems to have taken root planting immense fear among society at large. Civil societies are continually monitored and intimidated while almost every form of media government controlled. This does not allow for much of a human rights movement in Ethiopia.

Q: But surely human rights abuses in Ethiopia will be exposed eventually despite the restrictions and intimidation tactics?

The global west seems to somehow favour stability over democracy. This is evident when there is continued support for the dictatorial leadership that oppresses human rights and this is rather hypocritical in my opinion.

If laws of western nations vow to uphold the values of basic human rights and condemn all kinds of discrimination based on age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex and sexuality, then they shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the situation of millions of people in nations like Ethiopia whose leadership they have close ties with.

Currently the right to basic human rights in Ethiopia continues to be unattainable and endeavouring to raise awareness of the issue or organize some sort of human rights movement seems impossible.

Q: So where does this leave the LGBTI Movement in Ethiopia?

Read more »

Egypt is no safe haven for refugees: will things improve? Or worsen

Source: Huffington Post

By Lindsey Parietti

Ghada El-Khafagy fled Iraq four years ago with her two young children, in a journey that took her to Jordan, back to Baghdad and then finally to Egypt, but after two weeks of an often violent uprising, this second homeland is no longer a refuge.

“Please do not ask me about how I spent the past week. It was really terrible. I spent most of the time crying at home,” the 31-year-old single mother said. “I’m afraid to go out, to see anyone. I don’t know what might happen.”

Her decision to leave underscores the desperate condition of many of the roughly 100,000 refugees and asylum-seekers living in Cairo. Facing shortages of food and fuel, marauding street gangs and tanks in the streets, many have decided to flee.

For years, Egypt has provided a new home for hundreds of thousands of African and Middle Eastern refugees, a safe haven in the middle of a tumultuous region.

Read more »

First website for Ethiopian LGBT launches

Image via Wikipedia

By Paul Canning

'Peace [Selam] seeker' (pseudonym), an Ethiopian gay asylum seeker, has written to us to announce his new website, set up for Ethiopian LGBT around the world.

Homosexuality is illegal in Ethiopia and the country is very homophobic. As elsewhere in Africa, he says, "homosexuality is perceived as being an evil disease or curse brought up on the white man for his wrong doings, hence any appearance of it in Ethiopia would then be attributed to just another shortcoming of globalization."

Ethiolgbt.com carries news, a blog, stories of gay Ethiopians and a forum. It has "been getting very good feedback from the Ethio/Eritrean lgbt community". He says:

My aim is mainly to reach out to Ethiopian gay, lesbian,bisexual and transsexual communities at home and in diaspora, thereby helping to create a closer and stronger community. I strive to reach those with no one to talk to and find themselves in difficult situation due to their sexuality.

I myself have experienced all countless challenges and continue to do so, but after all, I have come to realize that it is up to me to face the facts, accept reality and find the solution to what ever the problem might be.

Main motive for this blog being that I as a gay Ethiopian came to realize that there is literally no means of gaining info, emotional support or general knowledge related to LGBT life as an Ethiopian and also, the only forums engaging in related topics are almost always derogatory and extremely homophobic.

Hence I have set about single-handedly to do my bit by creating this site not only as a let out for my own thoughts and principles, but for all of us, the Ethiopian LGBT community who are starved freedom and acceptance to contribute our share.

Read more »

Egypt has become a human prison for African migrants.

Source: Ethiopian Journal

By solomon

They are hung from trees by metal chains attached to their arms and provided with plastic bags to collect their urine to drink when they are thirsty. They are gang raped, tortured with electricity and held prisoner in desert camps. When they escape they are shot, either by their Beduin captors or by Egyptian police. These savage and disturbing details, published piecemeal over the years, are just a part of the picture of what is being done in Egypt’s Sinai desert to African migrants.

The story probably begins with the end of the Ethiopia-Eritrea War in 2000, the beginning of the Darfur genocide in 2003 and the end of the war in South Sudan in 2005, each of which in its own way created numerous refugees. In December 2005, Egypt began cracking down on African migrants, in one infamous incident many (between 10 and 60) were massacred by police attempting to clear a park of their encampments.

This helped provide incentive to travel further afield, with Europe a tough destination, they trickled into Sinai and thence to Israel. Eritreans, who now make up the majority of refugees (10,000+), have been arriving in Israel since 2007. In that year it was reported that 48 African refugees deported to Egypt by Israel had been abused and then disappeared. One migrant claimed Egyptians imprisoned him and “poured boiling water on his body.”

Read more »

Troubled life of a gay Ethiopian

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Behind the mask

I was born in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. I and my nephew were raised by my aunt.

The story that I heard from my family was that a few weeks before my dad passed away he gave me to my aunt.

I never knew my biological mother but I heard that she died of the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

As I went to school, from elementary to high school everybody used to tell me that something was different about me.

Since I was a little boy I never had feelings for girls, I was only attracted to boys.

I was depressed for many years because I wanted to fix what I thought was wrong with me but it was impossible.

I used to wonder who was going to heal me, but even if there was someone who could heal me, I wouldn’t be able to tell them my sexuality because it is shameful and would be a disgrace to my family, my religion, my culture and tradition.

The burden of facing such problems on my own was too much. My life was full of fear, shame and disgrace. I felt useless and unwanted by my community and worse, my own family.

I never told anyone about my sexual preference because there is a very strong culture in Ethiopia where no one is allowed to talk about sex in front of elderly people, even one’s own parents.

If you are gay it is given that you will be rejected by your family, community, and church. You will not have friends at all.

I was alone for a long time with my secrets until I found out people are talking about me.

I was between the ages of 14 and 16 when it became clear to me that I am gay.

It was a nightmare for me because I knew that if anyone heard, my life would be in danger.

The Ethiopian culture is 100% connected with religion both Christian and Muslim which means I had to vanish or if the government came to my rescue I would have to go to jail for the crime I didn't commit or for the sins I didn't do, but just because of my nature.

Even if I would go to jail, I would be killed in no time.

I was called by many names, but no one ever laid a hand on me because they respected my aunt.

Problems came after the war broke between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

We used to own a big hotel which was run by me and my aunt whom I used to call mom since I was a child.

But during the war, every thing was taken from us. We were told by government officials to leave the country. This was a big blow to us.

Even though we were told to leave our country we are still Ethiopians. These politics were too much for my aunt, she died on June 27 1998 after a long illness.

Her death was the final nail on the coffin; I had no family, no friends, no money and I felt betrayed by nature. I told to my self "from now on every body is my enemy."  At that time, the most important priority was to get out of my country.

Before I left, I met one gay guy from the southern part of the capital city called Akaki.

We met through my friend and before we knew it, we were like soul mates. We talked about our safety and we kept our secret but people were suspicious of me not dating any women from my community.

Things went crazy when people found out that I am dating a guy. They broke in to my house and found me and my friend in bed and started to attack us, using anything they could find.

My friend ran for his life but I was beaten into a pulp and I was left to die. Miraculously I survived but I still bear scars in my head, left arm, right ear, left arm, and my hand.

I went to my friends’ house and his family took me to hospital and they were under the impression that I was beaten by street muggers.

Upon my recovery I looked for a way out of my country. I left the country and came to South Africa in 2002 and I applied for asylum seeker documents.

I am still a seeker but have not received my documents. Even after I arrived in South Africa I was still hiding from everybody.

I dated some South African gay guys but I had to be careful not to be exposed by anybody because many Ethiopians who are in South Africa would beat me up as they have shown extreme homophobia, since they found out that I am gay.

In mid 2006 someone from Ethiopia found out that I am gay and all hell broke loose. I was called names and I was chased. The more I tried to convince people that I am not gay, the more difficult it got.

I had a group of about seven other gay people from Ethiopia and we used to meet secretly but now I am the only one left.

One was killed by Ethiopians in front of us in May 2006 because they found out he was gay. The tension was so terrifying every body went their own way.

Each one of us thought they would be next.

I am the most vulnerable because I live amongst Ethiopians and I know one day I will be next to be killed or seriously injured.

I don't have anybody to lean on, to depend on or to talk to. I live in fear every day of my life.

The only thing that bothers me is that no one is willing to bring my enemies to justice.

Even here in South Africa The Department of Home Affairs doesn't recognise my incessant requests for documentation.

For seven years I have been a seeking asylum but have not received any documents. I really don't know when I will be recognized as a refugee.

All in all I have never been protected and I have never had peace in my life.

I always think each day could be my last unless a miracle occurs.

I face so many challenges in my life apart from losing all my family. I long to be treated with respect and dignity.

I don't even have money to pay my rent, to buy food because I cannot get a job.

My life is threatened on a daily basis.

Ethiopian gays threatened as clerics seek homosexuality ban

Ethiopian religious leaders have called on the country's government to amend the constitution and ban homosexuality, a law which was never mentioned in the constitution of that country before.

In a meeting held in December 2008 in Addis Ababa, where heads of various congregations including the Roman Catholic, Ethiopian Orthodox and Protestant churches met, a resolution was made that seeks to end homosexuality which was branded as "the pinnacle of immorality".

According Sonic Casuist of ETHIOGLBTI, a gay rights group in Ethiopia, homosexuality is still perceived as taboo and nonexistent in that country and many homosexuals are still in the closet.
"It is hidden, no one is out. The general population would like to claim that it does not exist", she revealed.

Abune Paolos of Ethopia's Orthodox Church, the second most influential church in Ethiopia with 40 percent of the population being its devoted followers, told reporters that homosexuals are "stupid" and should not be tolerated.

"For people to act in this manner they have to be dumb, stupid like animals. We strongly condemn this behavior, they have to be disciplined and their acts discriminated, they have to be taught a lesson".

While homosexuality is illegal under the country's penal code it is not mentioned in the constitution.

"The Ethiopian constitution bans any discrimination based on gender or any other reasons. However the penal code states that homosexuality is illegal", Casuist pointed out.

She further highlighted that even though homosexuality is illegal in the country the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community congregates at secluded places.

"For those of us who live here we make and build our communities. We get together and we have places to go in the evenings however nothing is out in the open, it's a hidden community", Casuist said.

ETHIOGLBTI is a group that aims to increase public awareness and understanding of LGBTI issues in Ethiopia.

Source

'Pink Refugees' in South Africa seek refuge from persecution at home

Source: Rainbow Network

by Adam Levin

Sunday night at the Summit Club in Hillbrow. Anita, a pint-sized Whitney Houston lookalike in white micro-mini and fuck-off platforms, is belting out a flawless lip-synch of Miss Whitney's classic, 'It's not right, but it's OK'. Anita's upturned almond eyes sparkle as the red stage light brushes her high, honeyed cheekbones. She gyrates, bends, touches her toes, and flashes that impossibly broad white smile. Her energy is total. The audience - mostly black, male and heterosexual - chug down their Black Labels and cheer raucously. Little do they realise the title of the song has a certain hidden poignancy.

First up, Anita is not a woman, but a young Nigerian man called Azubike Udogo, known to his friends as Azu. Azu is currently in the process of applying for refugee status in South Africa on the grounds of his sexual orientation. "I can't go back to Nigeria," he fumes over a glass of Lemon Twist in his Troyeville apartment. "I'll go somewhere else if I have to. Anywhere. If I go back to Nigeria they'll kill me or they'll throw me in jail and that's it."

Just how well founded this claim is, however, is a matter for the adjudicators at South Africa's Department of Home Affairs. As a signatory of a 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees, South Africa is obliged to grant refugee status to asylum seekers who have been victims of systematic persecution in their home countries. Not only must they offer proof of this persecution; they must show the inability or unwillingness of their governments to offer them protection. While asylum seekers await judgement, which can take anything up to six years, they live half-lives without ID books or access to bank accounts. Although they are entitled to work, the asylum seeker's permit must be renewed every three months.

Given the transience of this legal status, it is extremely difficult to secure employment or even a lease. But luckily, Azu is a fighter. He has a day job in the call centre of a Randburg attorney's office, while at night Anita fills the breadbasket. Azu studies French, performs, socialises. Yet, having first presented his case in June 2000, he is, understandably, feeling rather frustrated at this stage. Azu was born 29 years ago in Lagos, the economic capital of Africa's most populated country. Though he realised he was gay from an early age, he was always too frightened to admit this to anyone.

Not only would his family reject him, thanks to a strict Victorian penal code, homosexuality is still illegal in Nigeria, and two men found having sex are liable for up to 14 years' imprisonment.

Furthermore, it is alleged that in Lagos there are private groups of vigilantes who prey on gay men, humiliating and harassing them. Worse still, in the country's Northern states - where Islamic or sharia law has recently been implemented - homosexuality is punishable by execution. While at least one gay man has been flogged publicly, last year a young man in Kebbeh province - accused of having sex with a male minor - was sentenced to death by stoning. Even in Lagos, Nigerian society is a long way from liberated when it comes to gay rights.

While historically it was customary for powerful Hausa men to share their wealth with young male lovers as well as their female harems, in Post-Colonial Nigeria it is almost impossible to be an out homosexual. According to the affidavit of Adolph Mabunda, a young, gay Nigerian in Johannesburg, "I am regarded as a public disgrace [in Lagos]. At University, I was often insulted by being called derogatory names like [H]'Omo Detergent'. I was rejected and excluded from the mainstream... I am an enemy to my family because they say I have brought shame on them". Ironically, the situation is so dire that Alliance Rights, an underground gay organisation, which cannot be registered, spends much of its resources helping persecuted gay Nigerians to leave the country. Azu worked as a travel agent in Lagos. He drove a decent car and enjoyed a relatively high standard of living. As his family was from River State, where Ken Saro-Wiwa had recently been killed, Azu participated in some peaceful anti-government demonstrations.

Secretly he had also begun dressing in drag. Armed with fierce dancing skills and that killer smile, he had won two major titles in the city's underground drag contests - Miss Lagos and Miss Nigeria. He had also established a secret relationship with a man but this had ended when - under extreme pressure from his family - the man had been persuaded to marry. It was back in 1996, while walking one evening on the streets of Lagos, that Azu was arrested on suspicion of homosexuality - a charge that carries a seven-year sentence in its own right. The police held Azu in the cells without laying a formal charge. They beat him. Indeed, he still has the mark on his back from where he was whacked with a policeman's baton. Eventually, after a week behind bars, the charge was changed to "Late Wandering." Azu paid a fine and was released.

Around two years later, Azu was visiting what he calls a "Man to Man" bar in Lagos. Though nothing as overt as a gay club, the venue was known to have a partly gay clientele. Late that night, police raided the premises, throwing more thirty patrons into a van and yelling "You are worse than dogs!" Had Azu not had sufficient money on grease the officers' palms, he would have been imprisoned again. It was then that he decided to flee the country. "If I couldn't be who I really was," he recalls. "I didn't want to live anymore".

Azu had read on the Internet about South Africa's progressive stance on homosexuality. As the only African country with anti-discrimination laws in its constitution and strong gay rights movement, it seemed a likely place of refuge. And so he gave up everything he'd established in Lagos and began the long journey, by road, through Cameroon, Congo, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, arriving eventually in Johannesburg in late 1998. As he had no idea that sexual orientation was grounds for asylum, Azu applied on political grounds. With an asylum seeker's permit granted, he began making his life in Johannesburg. He made new friends and got accustomed to the liberty of living openly as a gay man.

"Finally, I didn't have to hide," he says. "I could just be myself and feel safe. It was magic." Azu also began making his name on the drag circuit, belting through Jennifer Holiday and Aretha Franklin at Monte Casino and private parties. At one point, he was flown down to Cape Town to perform at a Camps Bay restaurant.

It was only after two years in the country that Azu heard, via the grapevine, of Abeeda Bhamjee, a young Moslem and Legal Counsellor for Refugees at Wits Law Clinic. "Azu came and told us his story," says Avida. "And we took his case to Home Affairs".

Azu is not the first gay African to apply for asylum here. Wendy Isaack, Legal Advisor at the National Coalition for Gay & Lesbian Equality, has processed around ten similar cases in the past few years. They have included nationals from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While nine have been successful as asylum seekers, only one has actually been granted refugee status so far.

In October 2001, Azu was summoned for an adjudicators' hearing at Home Affairs. Four months later, he received a letter of response. His application had been declined. Home Affairs had not accepted his claims of persecution. They also stated that he was able to take legal action against antagonists back home - though the fact that Nigeria's legal system runs against the liberal tenets of our constitution was ignored. The implication - and one that I, as a gay man, find offensive - was that he should return to Nigeria and simply live in the closet. Understandably, Home Affairs is in a difficult position.

There are more than six hundred million people on this continent. At least half of them live in countries where human rights abuses occur and the modern liberties we have become accustomed to are but a dream. Toss in the needs of our own indigent population and the hordes of economic migrants creeping desperately over our borders and it is clear that the refugee question is one of the major challenges facing this country.

Furthermore, as Bhamjee points out, during the Apartheid years African countries offered residence to exiled South African activists and helped them mobilise against the regime. Surely, given Thabo Mbeki's grand NEPAD drive, there is room for some reciprocity? In the nine years that have passed since democracy however, South Africa has been less than generous in its stance towards those who are fleeing. We have accepted around 70 000 asylum seekers, of which 18-20 000 have been granted refugee status.

While this may sound like a large number, it compares feebly with much poorer countries like Tanzania, which have camps housing up to a million people at a time. In South Africa, we have no refugee camps. Asylum seekers are housed in urban areas and are offered very little support from the government. Furthermore, while refugees are legally entitled to apply for citizenship after five years in a country, according to Abeeda Bhamjee, "to my knowledge, none has been granted."

While Home Affairs protest that a high workload prevents them from processing cases quickly, Bhamjee says the amount of time most asylum seekers wait for judgement is unreasonable. Indeed, there have also been various allegations of bribery at Home Affairs - specifically that asylum seekers are required to pay bribes to renew their permits. When they are granted refugee status however, they do not require renewals, and this alleged under-the-counter income dries up. If this is true, it is in the interests of corrupt Home Affairs officials to prolong the process. In March 2002, Avida Bhamjee launched an internal appeal at Home Affairs.

If this fails, Azu could take his case to the High Court at a minimal cost of around R15 000. If that fails, Azu may need to return to Nigeria, where he may be in greater danger after having lodged such a public appeal. Indeed, other clients of Bhamjee`s have decided against lodging applications based on sexual orientation for fear of rejection from their communities. Whether or not Azu is entitled to refugee status remains a very tricky ethical question.

When I discuss his experience of harassment with a black, gay, local friend, he exclaims, "Well, who wasn't? The guy should go home and fight for gay civil rights in Nigeria. They need him." For me, however, the ultimate reckoning lies neither in the degree of persecution Azu could suffer back home nor in the unlikeness of his finding protection. For me, the mere fact that Azu cannot be who is in Nigeria is a gross violation of a basic human right to individuality and self-expression and should, alone, be grounds for asylum. It is clear from their correspondence that Home Affairs has little experience in dealing with such cases. The fact that adjudicators asked Azu to "prove" he is gay displays an insensitivity to the complex issues of sexuality. Ultimately, whether or not Azubike Udogo is granted refuge, the onus lies on brave gays and lesbians here and throughout this continent to stand up, roll up their sleeves, toss their fists in the air and state, "It`s not right!"