AfroQueer

On this episode, AfroQueer Podcast rebroadcasts an episode of Podcasting Smarter featuring Selly Thiam. Selly is the founder of AfroQueer podcast and AQ Studios. She is a Senegalese-American journalist who has worked with NPR, the New York Times, and StoryCorps, and is passionate about documenting and sharing the stories and training others on documenting the stories of African LGBTQIA++ people. "...

Get ready for an exciting new season of AfroQueer! Season 5 is just around the corner, and we're thrilled to invite you to be a part of it. We're on the lookout for compelling, thought-provoking pitches that celebrate the diversity of the queer African experience. Whether you're a storyteller, a journalist, an artist, or simply an everyday hero with a powerful narrative to share, AfroQueer Podcast...

About 20 years ago, Marshall Ngwa moved from Cameroon to the US. He followed his instincts and became one of the country’s hottest drag artists, BeBe Zahara Benet.  BeBe’s first-ever performance was with Cyndi Lauper and in 2009 he won the first-ever RuPaul’s Drag Race. His extraordinary journey to that point and beyond has been captured in a documentary called ‘Being BeBe’. It was made by Emily B...

In this episode, we’ve collaborated with Logan February and turned their essay into an audio short story. We first heard the Nigerian non-binary poet and songwriter Logan February read this essay during AfroQueer’s online festival in 2020. It's a beautiful, intriguing and very personal piece of writing that explores one of their queer experiences in Nigeria. And explores the experience of being gh...

In this episode, we feature a feed drop trade with a podcast we really love, S***hole Country, an audio memoir set in Ghana during the 2017 holiday season. It's produced Radiotopia presents, a podcast feed debuting limited-run, artist-owned series from new and original voices. The narrator Afia, a middle-aged woman living in California, has spent the past few weeks visiting her family in Ghana. Sh...

In 2019, a young lesbian singer-songwriter from Uganda was struggling financially after breaking up with her partner of 6 years. With a child to support, Shivanah was desperate to make ends meet. And so when a former backup dancer told her that an agent could get her work performing in a club in Dubai, she jumped at the chance. This is truly a story of survival. A warning: in some parts, the detai...

Over the past few years, African films - documentaries, features, and animations - have started to attract international attention and are being celebrated by audiences abroad. But at home they are causing a stir in a different way - and they are running into trouble with film classification and censorship boards. Many LGBTQ films have been banned. This episode goes behind the scenes of groundbrea...

2021 has been a really rough year for Ghana’s LGBTQI people. Police raided and shut down a queer community center in Accra; 21 people attending a paralegal workshop in the city of Ho were arrested and locked up for 21 days before the case was dropped; and eight MPs have come up with draft legislation that, if adopted, makes it a crime just to be queer or a queer ally. But the LGBT community are fi...

In 2008, after moving to the port city of Kisumu in western Kenya, Paula Abuor decided to open up her house to other LGBTQ people. Meeting in bars and parks was just too risky - and, as one of Kenya’s LGBTQ ‘elders’, she really wanted young Kenyans setting out on their queer journeys to have a safe space where they could be themselves, embraced by love when their families and friends wouldn’t acce...

The year is 1884. The Kingdom of Buganda has a new King, Kabaka Mwanga II. He is a teenager and everybody’s talking about him, his sexuality, and the young men in his court. Religions are being introduced to the Kingdom, and the British are keeping a watchful eye. This is a story of murder, colonialism and Christianity, and the last pre-colonial King of Buganda. AfroQueer Podcast is produced by AQ...

In 2016 two women meet and fall in love, online. They live on different continents, and the choices they make will bring them together or force them apart. This is a story about truth and lies, and what happens when everything unravels. This episode features music from Tetu Shani and Jumadi. Click the links below to listen. https://soundcloud.com/tetushani/we-know https://soundcloud.com/atienoz/iw...

Coming out to a parent can be tough. In this episode AfroQueer shares a slice of queer African fiction, to bring you courage. You'll hear Kevin Mwachiro read 'I am a homosexual, Mum' a short story by the late Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina. Listen in as Aida Holly-Nambi speaks with Kevin on the impact Binyavanga had on his life, and what this story did for queer Kenyans. AfroQueer Podcast is pr...

One night in Marrakech, a woman called Manal crashes her car, and when the police are called to the scene, they do everything but help her. In this episode, we take you to Morocco and introduce you to two Moroccan trans women, one trying to find her community and one who - inexplicably - vilifies it. This is a story about how celebrity, online influencers, and transphobia collide, one night in Mar...

In this episode, we tell you a bit about why we do what we do! We are excited to bring you this rebroadcast from an interview with our host, Selly Thiam, on the podcast HowSound. HowSound tells the backstory to great audio storytelling, and in this episode, Rob Rosenthal interviews Selly and does a deep-dive into some of our favorite episodes. We'll also give you an update on season three! Set you...

We are back! In this episode, we investigate how the Ugandan government has been using fear around the pandemic to target the LGBTQ community. We ask, in Sweden, are immigrants and people of color more at risk? We hear from our community in West Africa on how COVID is affecting their lives and their work. And we go to Boston where we speak with one of AfroQueer’s favourite couples about how self-q...

“Closets are for clothes.” Yet we say that a queer person who hasn’t come out is in the proverbial closet. In this episode, we share African coming out stories entrusted to us. This is the high we all need as we go on break. Do share your coming out stories with us in the comment section. :) AfroQueer Podcast is produced by None on Record at AQ Studios and Edited on Hindenburg Systems. This episod...

A queer woman named K travels to visit family in Somalia. After a few weeks, she disappears. Her friends back home in Minneapolis feared the worst and set out to find her and bring her home. This is an episode about friendship, acceptance, and hope when all seems lost. AfroQueer Podcast is produced by None on Record at AQ Studios and Edited on Hindenburg Systems. This episode was reported by Selly...

It all began with a call for pitches on the AfroQueer social media pages which turned into a full-blown quest to find the filmmaker behind one of the first feature-length LGBTQI films ever made in West Africa. We found the filmmaker, Mohammed Camara and talked about his film, Dakan. This episode was reported by SellyThiam and Maimouna Jallow. Produced by Selly Thiam, Maeve Frances and Aida Holly-N...

Ostracized by his family in Uganda for being gay, a lonely Gibson leaves for Kenya after he survives an attempted acid attack. After arriving in Nairobi, he is sent to Kakuma Refugee Camp where he comes up with a bold plan to host the first ever Gay Pride Event at a refugee camp. Here is how it went... AfroQueer Podcast is produced by None on Record at AQ Studios and Edited on Hindenburg Systems....

Tshepho Ricki Kgositau is a well known name in the global LGBTQ+ activism community. What many people don't know is that she started her activism at a young age. In this episode we journey with her through her experience of gender transitioning that led to her finally living fully in her true identity. AfroQueer Podcast is produced by None on Record at AQ Studios and Edited on Hindenburg Systems....

What happens when our own truths are subjected to constant medical tests and public scrutiny? Female athletes singled out for sex testing and the unnecessary testosterone therapy stay defiant and we love it! This episode was reported by Aida Holly-Nambi and Selly Thiam. Produced by Selly Thiam, Aida Holly-Nambi and Maeve Frances. Sound design by Tevin Sudi. Rachel Wamoto is AfroQueer's social medi...

We’re back! Season 2 of AfroQueer drops on September 26th and we’re excited to bring you great stories from around the world. These stories will make you smile, cry, sigh and give you insight into the lives of our guests. Here’s a sneak peek into what we have in store. Engage with us on- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afroqueerpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Afroqueerpod Youtube: https...

On Friday May 24 the High Court of Kenya ruled on repealing laws that criminalize homosexuality in Kenya. In this episode host Selly Thiam investigates where these laws came from and why Kenyan activists and lawyers are fighting harder than ever to get them struck down. This episode was produced and edited by Selly Thiam, Aida Holly-Nambi, Maeve Frances and Maimouna Jallow. Rachel Wamoto is AfroQu...

We are about to head into our summer break and in this final episode, we reflect on the moments that surprised us and moments we loved in Season One. We hear from listeners around the world and answer your questions. As we wrap this first season, we also talk about what you can look forward to hearing in Season Two. This episode was reported by Selly Thiam and Aida Holly-Nambi. Produced by Selly T...

Scrolling across Instagram, a shocking photo captures the eye of a young Kenyan lesbian, Rachel. Follow her journey to Johannesburg where she tries to make sense of the phenomenon of people being raped and killed for looking just like her - masculine. Content warning: Sexual assault and gender-based violence. This episode was reported by Rachel Wamoto, who is also AfroQueer's social media manager,...