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LGBTQ+ people across Africa are facing worsening conditions, driven by the legacies of colonial-era laws and a growing rollback of hard-won rights. Hostile legislation and homophobic discourse, fuelled in part by the far-right in the West, are making life harder for LGBTQ+ communities across the continent.
In January, to mark LGBTQ+ History Month, Hub Cymru Africa hosted a panel of African LGBTQ+ activists to bring these issues to light, amplify their voices and achievements, and explore what people in Wales can do to stand in solidarity with them.
The panel featured four activists and community organisers from Namibia, Kenya, and Nigeria.
Friedel is one of Namibia’s most significant LGBTQ+ advocates. In 2024, he successfully challenged the country’s colonial-era law criminalising same-sex relations, making the case that it was unconstitutional and discriminatory. He is also a prominent figure at the Kaleidoscope Trust’s Global LGBTI+ Rights Commission and has produced a documentary on the LGBTQ+ struggle in Namibia.
Friedel acknowledged that Namibia’s constitution has shifted since independence over 30 years ago, and that new values of non-discrimination have given activists more ground to stand on. But he was clear that true equality is far from achieved. Discriminatory attitudes remain deeply embedded in institutions like marriage, family and the workplace.
He also raised the resurgence of anti-queer rhetoric from far-right leaders in the West and evangelical communities in Namibia. Conservative politicians have used openly homophobic language in parliament, framing queer people in ways that have contributed to a climate of violence. This has led to several recent murders in Namibia, none of which have been prosecuted as hate crimes. Friedel noted with frustration the silence of Namibia’s new president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, on LGBTQ+ rights, and the continued struggle for funding and healthcare access, particularly for those living with HIV.
Despite all of this, Friedel is hopeful. He sees the fight for LGBTQ+ liberation as inseparable from wider struggles against poverty, war and oppression, and sees Wales as a meaningful partner for dialogue and international solidarity.
Omar is co-founder of Equal Namibia, the largest civil rights movement in the country. His advocacy was central to the 2023 Supreme Court ruling recognising same-sex marriages conducted abroad, and to Friedel’s 2024 challenge to the sodomy laws. He was named one of the Guardian’s Most Inspiring Persons of 2023 and won the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize in 2024.
Omar was born into Namibia’s post-independence and apartheid ‘born-free’ generation, but he is clear that the promise of freedom has not extended to LGBTQ+ Namibians. While politicians and religious extremists stir up culture wars, the interconnected issues of poverty, gender-based violence and inadequate housing go unaddressed. Omar’s work is about holding a mirror up to Namibia’s leaders and showing that the fight for equal rights did not end in 1990.
Omar urges that as allies, we must amplify LGBTQ+ voices rather than speak for them. This means supporting queer-led African organisations directly, not intermediaries that reframe their work. And it means pushing Western governments, including our own, to uphold human rights consistently in foreign policy and aid.
Alpha is an economist, intersectional feminist, and founder of Nadharia Kenya, a community-based organisation advancing queer economic empowerment and creative expression. Their work includes a queer vocational college, a community shelter, and BELOWCLOUD97, a gender-neutral fashion brand.
Alpha described the range of discrimination facing LGBTQ+ people in Kenya today: overt sexualisation, lack of gender-inclusive workplaces, harassment on public transport and cyberbullying. LGBTQ+ people are frequently scapegoated, their talents overlooked, their mental health pushed to crisis point by conditions many cannot afford to treat.
But Alpha also spoke about the energy and creativity of LGBTQ+ advocacy in Kenya, visible in social media campaigns, gender-neutral clothing, the arts, sports tournaments and even agriculture. There is progress in the legal space too, as evidenced in the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights’ latest annual report. The challenge is moving from boardroom acknowledgement to tangible action on the ground.
Kim is a trans woman from Nigeria, founder of Arewahotsauce Kitchen, a model, content creator, and activist pushing for trans visibility and acceptance.
She spoke honestly about the reality facing trans people in Nigeria: voices going unheard, limited financial security, and a lack of safe housing. Kim herself has had to relocate due to safety concerns. But she is determined and hopeful, pointing to a growing community fighting back through events like drag shows and new queer-led media such as the African Queer Archive.
The Sankofa Movement film was also highlighted during the discussion as a useful resource for understanding queer African identity and history.
If you want to support the organisations and activists featured in this discussion:
