Fun Fast Facts:
Updated: 10 Feb 2014 (Mugabe, AIDS and hope)
- Male same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Zimbabwe under sodomy laws left over from British colonial rule.
- The Censorship and Entertainments Control Act which prohibits the distribution of materials “harmful to public morals” has been used to harass LGBTIQ people and activists.
- Laws passed in 2006 criminalise any actions perceived as homosexual. The Zimbabwean government has made it a criminal offence for two people of the same sex to hold hands, hug, or kiss.
- Under Robert Mugabe, laws were broadened beyond just same-sex sexual activity to prohibit any “act involving contact between two males that would be regarded by a reasonable person as an indecent act.”.
- Homosexuality is highly taboo in the socially conservative country and Mugabe’s anti-gay stance resonates with many Zimbabweans.
- In some Shona tribes, there is a belief that a man having sex with another man, particularly a younger one, can bring good fortune to the senior partner.
- HIV and AIDS has plagued the population of Zimbabwe, and many cannot afford antiretroviral drugs.
Updated: 27 Aug 2012 (Police raid GALZ headquarters)
- Police on manhunt for 44 LGBT activists in Zimbabwe.
- Police raided the GALZ headquarters, they were reportedly drunk and beat GALZ members with batons.
- Laws are written specifically targeting LGBT community.
- Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe since 1987, has spoken out in public against homosexuality.
- Growing tolerance amongst younger people in urban areas.
Mugabe, AIDS and hope
Broadcast: 10 Feb 2014
LGBTIQ-friendly organisation: Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)
- Founded in 1990 to serve the needs and interests of LGBTIQ people in Zimbabwe and advocate for social tolerance of sexual minorities and the repeal of homophobic legislation.
- GALZ was one of the first organisations in Zimbabwe to start HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and it remains unique in that it is the only organisation in the country specifically working with people who engage in same-sex sexual activity.
- Originally a small social club of mostly middle-class professionals, the association has grown over the years and now truly represents the broader LGBTIQ community in ten centres throughout Zimbabwe.
- GALZ rose to prominence in the mid 1990s when it challenged illegal bans by government on its participation at the annual Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF). Since then, the association has been involved in a number of high-profile campaigns.
- The GALZ Resource Centre in Harare provides professional counselling, entertainment, educational activities for members, human rights campaigning in the fight for access to affordable treatment for all people living with HIV or AIDS.
W3JOY interviewed: Sarah, Zimbabwean now living in Melbourne
“I grew up not seeing colour at all and I only really noticed the race issue of Zimbabwe when Mugabe started saying the white person was wrong and we’d stolen all the land and we were the enemy. Then I really felt like people started looking at me funny and different. I remember once after Mugabe had done a particularly rousing speech about ‘we’re gonna get the land back’ to the black Zimbabweans, that I felt for the first time like a foreigner in my own land.”
“Zimbabweans are incredibly friendly, warm smiling people. We chat to everyone. It doesn’t matter what your colour is.”
“Nothing grows in Zimbabwe any more. The problem was that Mugabe didn’t give the land to war veterans who fought in the war, he gave it majority wise to his homies, to his friends, like ‘you’re a mate of mine – have a farm’. If I got given a farm I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”
“They don’t like him. Mugabe has control of the media in the whole of Zimbabwe. There is no freedom of speech. Homosexuality is illegal there – you can’t be gay. So he’s got this amazing power hold on everything. He controls the military, he controls the police and he makes sure they are well paid and well fed, so that they’re happy.”
“To be honest, what I’m kind of hoping for is if he passes away there will be absolute chaos, possibly a civil war and someone who’s amazing and inspirational and can lead the country forward will step up. But I don’t think it’s going to happen peacefully. I do think it’s going to be a complete and total mess for a while.”
“Zimbabweans are very passive. They don’t want stress, they don’t want anger and they’re not angry people. The typical Zimbabwean expression is ‘we’ll make a plan’ – which is like ‘ok that sucks that we haven’t had water for two days because the water cuts have happened or we’re waiting 48 hours in a petrol queue because there’s a petrol shortage. And you make a plan.”
Listen to the podcast
Police raid GALZ headquarters
Broadcast: 27 Aug 2012
LGBTIQ-friendly organisation: Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)
- GALZ was officially launched in September 1990.
- Membership grew to more than 500 in 2000. Recently, numbers have dropped to around 300, as many members have left the country to seek asylum.
- The Zimbabwean constitution provides for freedom of association.
- Government would have to resort to illegal means to close down GALZ.
W3JOY interviewed: Audrey Gaughran, Director of Global Issues at Amnesty International
“What we’ve been expressing serious concern about is both the original detention of the activists and the subsequent actions of the police.”
“This is not the only example of the police interfering with the right to peaceful association…it is unfortunately a frequent occurrence.”
“The people being detained by the police have reported being assaulted by police while they were in custody.”
“In the context of human rights…sadly, there continues significant repression of these human rights and human rights activists who speak out continue to be at serious risk.”