AfroQueer is the name of the first podcast of documentary series about the life of the LGBT community in Africa. A hot topic, as these minorities are often demonized on the continent. AfroQueer was created two years ago. Our correspondent in the region visited his studios in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. (Replay of December 22, 2020)
That morning, Tevin Sudi is working on the editing of the final episode of season 3 of AfroQueer. Tevin, himself a member of the LGBT community, was employed here a year ago. “The first time I came, I read this sentence in the laundry room that said, ‘these toilets have been freed from all gender norms.’ It’s great to be in such a place. You feel free, liberated and you can be yourself all the time! ”
AfroQueers studio is located somewhere in Nairobi. The place is kept secret for security reasons. To get there, a strict process has been introduced. “This is how we are at the studio door, which I open with my fingerprints. And then I enter my security code to unlock the alarm. The content we produce here is very sensitive and it is important to us that everyone who enters here is safe. ”
In addition to the LGBT community
Six people work for the podcast. The content is different: documentaries, interviews, reports. But for Tevin, AfroQueer is much more than that. Most people have never even had a conversation with a homosexual person. All they know are stereotypes and that’s it. Thanks to the stories it tells, this podcast makes it possible to start discussions. ”
Because listeners go far beyond the LGBT community. Today, each episode is listened to an average of 5,000 times, up to 10,000 for the most popular, and this in 44 countries.
Selly Thiam, an American-Senegalese, is the founder. Despite a law that still criminalizes homosexuality, she chose Kenya to start the studio. “In the region, Kenya is far ahead, compared to many of its neighbors in terms of the LGBT issue. The biggest challenge for us as a media has been strict censorship of LGBT content. They will never come to the studio and threaten us by asking us to stop. But the bureaucratic system is such that it is very complicated to produce this type of content. It is a way for the state to silence certain people ”.
AfroQueer plans to expand its content to include LGBT stories from North Africa.
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