Hundreds bravely gathered to celebrate Pride despite living in a country that banned their sexuality.
It has been illegal to be gay in the Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, since the British colonized the African nation in the 1800s.
Campaigner Mangaliso Mndzebele told Metro.co.uk that the country, one of three monarchies left on the continent, has historically regarded LGBTQ + people as ‘satanic’.
Former Prime Minister Maphevu Dlamini said in 2018: “Being gay is an abnormality and a disease.”
Most LGBTQ + people in Eswatini still live in the closet, local activists said.
British common law criminalizes sodomy between two men and, although it does not specify anything about women, it is seen as a general prohibition on same-sex relationships.
The law has not been enforced by police or courts for decades, but LGBTQ + communities say they still ‘face human rights violations’ in their daily lives.
This is because the community fears that they will lose their jobs, be separated from their loved ones and experience prejudice.
Despite all this, more than 300 people gathered last Saturday to celebrate who they are.
“It brings hope. “Every time we have a Pride event, it brings hope,” said one of the Pride organizers, Sisanda Mavimbela.
Sisanda explained how crowds in previous years, when Pride was not limited by the Covid-19 pandemic, would grow at night because people only felt safe to celebrate when their identities were hidden by the dark.
But this year, many more people were ‘out and proud’ during the day, Sisanda said.
Maxwell Gumbi went to Pride for the first time last weekend and enjoys it so much that he now thinks it ‘should happen twice a year’.
He said the day made him ‘proud to stand up for his rights’.
Eswatini had his first pride ever in 2018, when international pressure helped ensure the community was given permission and protection to march through the streets.
But that has not happened since then, leaving charities and activists to plan and fund any Pride events since then.
Sisanda’s organization Eswatini Sexual & Gender Minorities has joined forces with seven other NGOs this year to create a ‘safe space’ for LGBTQ + people.
They rented an outdoor club in the city of Manzini, paid for private security, organized entertainment and invited their allies in the business world and government to show their support.
The Ministry of Health was apparently the only state department there.
Metro.co.uk contacted Eswatini’s parliament for comment.
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Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride
This year is 50 years of Pride, so it just seems fitting that Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ + support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates everything Pride celebrates, but also shares stories, time take to reflect and cultivate community awareness this Pride month.
And we have some amazing names on board to help us too. From a list of well-known guest editors who take over the site for a week that includes roof rinder, Nicholas Adams, Peter Tatchell, Kimberly Hart Simpson, John White, Anna Richardson and Dr Ranjas well as keeping Sir Ian McKellen a Drag Race stars The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Tannie Kofi to offer their insights.
During Pride Month, which runs from 1 – 30 June, Metro.co.uk will also support Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity that is forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ + community during times of conflict, and the Youth Homelessness Charity AKT. To find out more about their work, and what you can do to support them, click here.
For Metro.co.uk‘s latest Pride coverage, click here.