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.