Elsewhere in Africa

Have to remind myself that it is not only Uganda.

Not a great thought for a very beautiful morning. And it is a very beautiful morning.

Yesterday, Sunday, it rained. Drizzled, actually. It has been a very dry spell for the last few months and the dust is everywhere. Dry, dusty, windy. And cold at night.

The drizzle dampened the air, removed much of the excess dust, and tied it down to earth. So the morning is realy fresh and lovely. Sun is as golden as ever. Yesterday we went out man watching. Strictly eye candy stuff.

Got across this story from Senegal. It is not nice, at all! But there, it happened. It seems to be significantly different from a similar one earlier in the year.

SHOCK AS GAY MAN IS EXHUMED FROM A “STRAIGHT ONLY” CEMETERY

Last Updated: July 7, 2009

By Jerina Chendze Messie (BTM French Reporter)

SENEGAL – 07 July 2009: The Senegalese gay community was shocked beyond words as the body of a gay man was exhumed from the local cemetery of Thiès, 70 km East of Dakar, dragged in the streets before being dropped in the courtyard of his family home by an angry mob who vowed that they will not have a gay man buried in their graveyard.

The corpse of Madièye Diallo, a gay man whose sexual orientation was well known in the area was, according to sources, exhumed for the second time by alleged homophobic community members who asked his family to bury him elsewhere.

Diallo’s friend who chose to remain anonymous said Diallo was an active member in the local branch of And Legeey, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisation well known in the country and that he was in charge of organising events and meetings.

He added that the family does not want to say where they eventually buried Diallo for fear of more harassment.

The friend further explained that Diallo was an icon of gay people in Senegal after his photograph was largely disseminated by the media following an alleged gay marriage, which received huge media coverage.

Fearing for his life, he left the country and sought refuge in Mali.

He eventually came back, living between the two countries until he got sick and died.

“I spoke to his family and now they just want things to calm down before deciding what to do” the said.

Meanwhile four gay men have been arrested in Touba, 194 km East of Dakar, during the first week of June.

Just after their arrest, one of the most prominent religious leaders was heard on a local radio station saying that they [religious authorities] will do their own justice.

While no one knows the exact details of the men's arrests, a source known to Behind the Mask said people don’t want to get involved because they fear the power of religious leaders in that predominantly Muslim area.

And, this one is from Cameroon. Truly not only in Uganda

FREE EWANE! – GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

Last Updated: July 3, 2009

By Jerina Chendze Messie (BTM French Reporter)

CAMEROON – 03 July 2009: A gay rights group in Cameroon is calling on the justice department to immediately drop charges against and release Yves Noe Ewane, arrested in May this year, allegedly for being gay.

Ewane was charged under sections 74 for criminal intention, 346 for gross indecency and 347 for homosexual conduct under the Cameroonian Penal Code, following a complaint filed against him by the mother of a supposed minor who accused Ewane of having sexual relations with his son.

Summoned to appear in court on 21 June the plaintiff and his mother did not pitch and the medical examination failed to prove that the boy was sodomised as alleged by his mother.

Alice Nkom, president of Association pour la Defense des Homosexuels (ADEFHO), an organisation that defends the rights of homosexuals in Cameroon, who is also representing Ewane says that the judge has everything he needs to close the drop the charges since “it appears that there is no witness or plaintiff.

In the absence of complainants, Ewane argued his innocence saying he had never had sexual relations with the boy.

Sebastien Mandeng, vice president of ADEFHO says Ewane is just a victim of stigmatisation since he was arrested last year for homosexual conduct and remanded in custody for six months at Douala New Bell Prison before being released.

“He has never been tried nor convicted and the case was dismissed for lack of evidence. He is a very sociable man who likes to entertain people at home but every time he is seen with somebody there are allegations of homosexuality. Just because he was accused once and although he was cleared, his neighbors still stigmatize him”, he said.

Ewane was sent to Douala New Bell Prison on the 19 May 2009 after being kept on police custody for three weeks at Douala Bonanjo Police Station. If found guilty, he will face a prison sentence of six months to five years and/or a fine of $50 to $500.