Per le italianofile cliccate qui per la traduzione
A very special meeting with some very brave women which are fighting with the courage of lionesses.It is very difficult to find the words to describe such an intense experience like the one I've just lived during my last visit to Uganda, especially if you think that I am not such a good writer. I want to try, though, particularly because not doing this I would miss a special opportunity to let other people know something about gays and even more about lesbians in Uganda, whose situation I could not even imagine before going there and get to know very directly.
In the past Uganda became unfortunately famous for some fierce dictatorship, but during my trip I have felt a human warmth that deeply touched me inside. In the 'Pearl of Africa' - as this Country is commonly named - a real persecution against LGBT people is currently in action.
The legislation is very strict and the 'carnal knowledge against nature' is punished with imprisonment from a minimum of 10 years until all life.The life of Lesbians, Gays, Trans is made even more complicate by the continuous verbal but not only attacks coming from president Museveni and his ministers who, supported by the strong anglican church, give a strong contribution to reinforce the stigma, the symbol of infamy. Homosexuality is considered as an illness imported by white people,which must absolutely be uprooted.
A few weeks before leaving home, pushed by the curiosity to know something more about Gays and Lesbians in the country where I was about to go, I discovered - power of technology - the presence of quite an articulate Movement and also of a very active group of Lesbians in Kampala.
I immediately tried to contact them by email and - even if with some initial difficulties - I got in touch with them. Once in Uganda we managed to arrange a meeting just on the very last day of my stay. Considering the delicacy of this situation I asked them if I could be accompanied by two very special Ugandan friends of mine. They are so special to deserve some words of introduction:
Fred is the Priest who hosted me. He is very intelligent with a special sensibility and he was interested in meeting this Lesbian group at least as much as I wanted it. He told me that he was going to wear civilian clothes so that in case something would happen we could justify ourselves by saying that we were engaged!
Juliet is a young and sparkling woman with whom I had a very strong exchange. Through her eyes I had the possibility to know a lot about Uganda and she also could see her country through my eyes. I also had to face an unexpected 'coming out' with her, but luckily this made our relationship even more stronger.
And so we arrive at the meeting.
I do not know much about my expectations, but I must admit that forsure I did not expect to find what I actually found.
We were welcomed by five women: Kasha, the President, Diana, Goretti, Biggie and Naomi. Their office is nice and wide, with a pc (pay a visit to their beautiful website at www.faruganda.org), books, videos. The name of their organisation is 'Freedom and Roam Uganda'. It was founded in 2003 and is economically supported by an American Lesbian association.
We talk about a lot of different things. They tell me about some lesbians - or women suspected as lesbians -being raped by members of their families and they explain that this is one of the reasons why a lot of lesbians have children. Gays generally prefer having a double life with wife and children and -quite strange for us - there are more lesbian groups and associations than gay ones, and they are also more active.The situation is difficult but during the last months a sentence which gave great hope was pronounced. For the very first time the goverment was condemned to compensate two women for the damage they had to suffer from a police raid while they were at home during the night.They were raped and arrested just because they were suspected to beactivists inside the movement.
I tell them something about the situation in Italy, about our 'problem' called Vatican (with Fred nodding next to me), about the activities of the Pianeta Viola, but I feel very uncomfortable because my life and social condition cannot even be slightly compared to theirs. They are heroes and I - coming from my comfortable world -feel almost ashamed.
Fred is very interested, he makes a lot of questions to the five women and they make a lof of questions to him. They exchange phone numbers. Before leaving their office they give me some material that I will be able to read only during the following days and thanks to which I have come to know about all their international cooperations and about a strong 'awareness' campaign carried out in 2007 all over the Ugandan territory.They are really great!
We closed our meeting dining outside in an Italian restaurant. I usually hate having Italian food when I am abroad, but this time I felt I had some very good reasons. However the (fairly good) Italian food was a success and also Juliet - who during the afternoon was almost fainting as she did not have any lunch - felt better and took part in the conversation.
Kasha told me that because of her full visibility her face has appeared a lot of times on the local newpapers and television and it has become quite risky and dangerous for herself to walk along the streets at anytime. On some occasions she has been physically attacked, once she was even asked to get off the taxi and hit in front of it. Kasha has been travelling a lot. She visited Europe thanks to some cooperations with Spain and Sweden. In 2008 she took part in the Europride in Stockolm where she spoke - very excited - in front of almost one million people.
It is not easy to describe what I felt around that table in an Italian restaurant in Kampala while Fred, Juliet, Kasha, the other girls from Farug and myself were talking and discussing in front of a pizza or some pasta. I feel like sayig - please allow me this expression as I cannot find another one - that I 'felt alive.
After dinner we had to depart but I feel that we will meet soon.
Manuela Fazia
