The LGBTQIA+ community in Africa faces significant challenges and systemic discrimination, rooted in historical colonial legacies and reinforced by cultural norms and religious beliefs. In seeking foreign aid to safeguard our rights, the LGBTQIA+ community isn’t surrendering to neocolonialism but rather engaging in an anti-colonial struggle for justice and equality.
November 15, 2024, will mark exactly 140 years since the Berlin conference was held leaving a lasting imprint on Africa’s societal structures and norms. Colonial powers imposed their values, including rigid notions of gender and sexuality, often through punitive laws criminalizing non-heteronormative expressions. Many post-colonial African countries inherited these laws, with colonial-era legislation like the Criminal Offences Act of 1960 in Ghana criminalizing same-sex relations.
Does seeking aid perpetuate neo-colonial dependencies?
Critics might argue that seeking foreign aid by the LGBTQIA+ community in Africa perpetuates neo-colonial dependencies. However, this perspective oversimplifies the complexities of the situation. The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) focused on working for the rights and wellbeing of queer people in Africa are not seeking aid to reinforce colonial structures but to challenge them. Foreign aid serves as a tool to amplify the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, empower grassroots movements, and push back against oppressive laws and societal attitudes inherited from colonialism. Now even more important as we are witnessing the introduction of even harsher anti-LGBTQIA+ legislations across the continent.
It is particularly important to address the argument that foreign aid undermines national sovereignty and self-determination. This is parroted by many African politicians who believe the west impose their beliefs through aid. Although I share similar sentiments, I find it hypocritical for African politicians to bring this to the fore only when the rights of LGBTQIA+ people are mentioned. I also, however, believe sovereignty isn’t an absolute concept divorced from the realities of power imbalances and systemic oppression. For marginalized communities like the LGBTQIA+ population in Africa, sovereignty must include the ability to challenge oppressive laws and societal norms that deny their humanity and dignity.
LGBTQIA+ Civil Society Organizations challenge colonial structures
Foreign aid should not be a means of imposing western values but a form of solidarity with marginalized and minoritized communities fighting for self-determination and autonomy. It should support local initiatives, provide resources for healthcare and community support services that are often inaccessible due to governmental neglect or active repression. A prime example is the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda that carries the death penalty. LGBTQIA+ CSOs and CBOs are now forced to find alternative ways to serve the community while fighting oppressive and punitive laws and this comes at a huge financial cost which calls for ethical partnerships based on equality, where both parties have an equal say in the planning and implementation of projects.
LGBTQIA+ movements intersect with other social justice movements
The struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights intersects with broader movements for social justice. It’s crucial to recognize that the LGBTQIA+ community in Africa isn’t isolated in its fight; it intersects with movements for gender equality, human rights, and decolonization. Solidarity across these movements strengthens the anti-colonial struggle by challenging systems of oppression at their roots. This calls for a decolonized approach to seeking and receiving aid. Civil societies and development agencies in the west must recognize the importance of decolonizing their approach to providing aid starting with the eligibility criteria to access said aid. Decolonizing the approach to accessing aid by LGBTQIA+ CSOs and CBOs in Africa involves ensuring that these organizations can access resources and support in a way that respects their autonomy, acknowledges their expertise, and centers their perspectives and needs.
Decisions need to be made by those who are directly impacted
Funders and aid providers in the west must ensure that aid decisions are made by those who are directly impacted. They should support initiatives led by local LGBTQIA+ leaders who understand their communities’ specific needs and contexts as well as provide resources to strengthen the capacities of local organizations to manage and implement projects independently, rather than imposing external agendas. On many platforms and forums with several state agencies and aid providers in the west, I have recommended and pushed for the availability of flexible and long-term funding. This unrestricted funding will allow organizations to use resources as they see fit, rather than tying funds to specific projects or outcomes. Providing long-term, multi-year funding to enable sustainable development will reduce the burden of constantly seeking new grants as well as remove any interruptions to empowering projects and programs.
We need a decolonized approach of seeking and receiving aid
The feedback I get from this suggestion is mostly about accountability as these funds are public funds. Even so, I believe in mutual accountability where grantmaking involves local LGBTQIA+ communities in the decision-making process regarding how funds are allocated and used. Establishing mechanisms for continuous feedback from grantees will ensure that the aid is meeting their needs and adapting to any changes in their circumstances. It is crucial to also focus on learning and improvement rather than solely on accountability to funders.
The quest for foreign aid by the LGBTQIA+ community in Africa isn’t a surrender to neocolonial forces but a bold assertion of our anti-colonial struggle for justice and equality. We challenge colonial legacies, demand recognition of the rights of the LGBTQIA+ persons in Africa and assert our agency in shaping a more inclusive and equitable society by seeking support from the global community. Foreign aid, when wielded in solidarity and with respect for local autonomy, becomes a powerful tool in the fight against oppression and for the realization of human rights for all.
Abdul-wadud Mohammed
Abdul-wadud Mohammed is a notable queer rights activist, currently holds the position of Deputy Director at LGBT+ Rights Ghana, an organization he co-founded in 2018. He also sits on the current advisory board for Minority Africa – a digital publication using data-driven multimedia journalism to tell minority stories from across Africa.
This article is part of the project “Cultures and Colonialism ‒ The struggle for LGBTIQ+ human rights in light of the decolonization debate” from the Hirschfeld-Eddy Foundation.
