During Helsinki Pride Week LGBTIQA+ activists from the Global South will give their own perspectives of the situation in their countries. On Wednesday 28 June activists from Kenya and Sri Lanka will be live on Instagram. On Thursday 29 June there will be a live screening of the documentary Under the Kenyan Rainbow and a discussion with activists from different parts of Africa in Helsinki.
Welcome to the screening of Under the Kenyan Rainbow (2022), a documentary following Kenyan LGBTIQ+ people and activists living in a religious community.
After the documentary, activists from across Africa will share their own experiences. We hear from Milidzani Moyo from Zimbabwe, Sean Reggee from Zambia and Nate Brown from the umbrella organisation for African LGBTIQ+ organisations, Pan-African ILGA. We will also discuss how Finnish politicians, organisations and activists can act as allies and support LGBTIQ+ activists in Africa.
Documentary evening and discussion: LGBTIQA+ Activists in the Spotlight – What is the situation in different parts of Africa?
As part of Helsinki Pride week, we welcome you to watch the documentary Under the Kenyan Rainbow (2022). In Kenya, LGBTIQA+ people often have to choose between religion or their own identity. The documentary follows Kenyan LGBTIQA+ people and activists living in a religious community.
After the documentary, activists from different African countries give their own perspectives on the situation. We hear from Milidzani Moyo from Zimbabwe, Sean Reggee from Zambia, Ishmael Bahati from Kenya and Nate Brown from the umbrella organisation for African LGBTIQA+ organisations, Pan-African ILGA.
In Zambia and Zimbabwe, the situation for LGBTIQA+ people is dangerous, as the law prohibits same-sex sexual acts. The situation is the same in some 30 African countries. At the end of May, Uganda passed a new law that is considered one of the toughest in the world. Moreover, in Kenya, a similar law is being drafted that would also criminalise LGBTIQA+ organisations, their financial support and the communicating about LGBTIQA+ organisations, for example in the media.
Finally, we will discuss how Finnish politicians, organisations and activists can act as allies and support LGBTIQA+ activists in Africa. The matter will be discussed by MP Hanna Sarkkinen, Kasper Kivistö, Chair of Trasek ry, Elina Vuola, expert at the KIOS Foundation and Nate Brown, Executive Director of Pan-African ILGA.
The event will be moderated by Liselott Lindström, journalist and co-director of the documentary Under the Kenyan Rainbow.
The event will be held in English and it will be interpreted to Finnish sign language.
After the event, there will be an opportunity to stay and chat with the speakers until 20:00.
The event will follow the principles of the Safer Space Policy. You can read them before the event
here.
There will be a designated harassment contact person and you can also report inappropriate behavior and harassment anonymously using the online form.
The room is accessible. For further information on accessibility please visit the Helsinki Pride
website. An induction loop is available if requested beforehand.
The event is organised in cooperation with Väestöliitto, Seta, KIOS and Marttaliitto.
The European Union and LGBTIQA+ Rights in the Global South
What is the state of LGBTIQA+ rights in for example Kenya and Sri Lanka? And what can the European Union do about the rights? Come and listen to an interesting conversation on Instagram on Wednesday 28 June at 3 pm (EEST). Activists from LGBTIQA+ organisations funded by KIOS will give their views. Ishmael Bahati from PEMA Kenya and Thushara Manoj from Equité Sri Lanka will join the conversation! The event is in English.
You can listen to the conversation on the KIOS Instagram channel
