No kissing, no petting. As gay bars go, this one is pretty
well-behaved. But the crowd packing the Abidjan venue is relaxed and
happy to be part of this haven of tolerance on a hostile continent.
“In
a gay club, we are much freer than in straight places,” 22-year-old
student Jacques tells AFP, looking on as three men sway their hips to
Ivorian music on the dance floor.
“We get no strange looks. Here we can unwind, feel at ease and let ourselves go.”
One
man gently strokes his companion’s neck but displays of affection stop
there. The strict social codes prevailing in Ivory Coast apply here too.
The
patrons include several transvestites, one a 20-year-old teacher who
goes by the name Malika, and who has been living as a woman by night and
a man by day for the past three years.
“I live with a friend. Out
of respect for his other friends and his job, I live as a man under his
roof,” said Malika, wearing discreet makeup with a short wig and clad
in an elegant patterned dress.
“But when I go about my own business, I am the way I want to be.”
With
bars catering for lesbians, gays and transsexuals, the west African
country stands out for its tolerance on a continent where homophobia is
not just common but widely enshrined into law.
Some 30 African
countries have declared homosexuality illegal. The parliaments of
Nigeria and Uganda recently passed laws to punish gays with long prison
terms — although Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni blocked the harsh
legislation.
In Mauritania, homosexuality is punishable by death.
“It’s no paradise here, but it’s a lot better than in other countries,” Malika said.
The
picture is far from rosy, though: one of her transsexual friends found
it difficult to get hospital treatment after she was stabbed in the
chest.
And late last month dozens of homophobic protesters attacked the
Abidjan offices of gay rights group Alternative Cote d’Ivoire, bashing
in the doors and looting equipment.
Moussa, who manages one of the
three gay bars in Ivory Coast’s economic capital, told of insults from
passers-by and threats from the owner of the premises to withdraw the
lease.
No ‘homophobic acts by lawmakers’
And yet, in
Abidjan, it remains possible to be gay — making it something of an El
Dorado for gays from elsewhere in Africa, in Malika’s words.
That
was certainly the case for Marinette, a bisexual woman who felt
“threatened” in her hometown in Cameroon after several lesbian
relationships, and came to Abidjan to sample the freedom of the city.
“This
is nothing like my country, where one of my friends was threatened with
rape because she had never slept with a guy,” said the young woman in
her 30s, in a body-hugging red dress.
What makes Ivory Coast so
much more tolerant than neighbouring countries, where homosexuality is
often perceived as deviant and shameful?
“Because we have not yet
been subjected to homophobic legislation,” argued Fabrice, 26, who
handles judicial affairs for Alternative Cote d’Ivoire.
A
government official suggested that Ivory Coast, which is recovering from
a bloody political and military crisis that ended in 2011, had more
pressing matters to address than its citizens’ sexual orientation.
“There
is considerable unemployment, and organised crime on a large scale. At
the end of the day, homosexuality is a minor issue,” agreed Fabrice.
Even in country villages, where tradition reigns strong, homosexuality is “stigmatised without going too far”, he said.
“There can be criticism, and verbal abuse, but it’s hardly sharia law.”
Yet
for all that gays, lesbians and transsexuals lay claim to a degree of
freedom in Ivory Coast, many still choose to keep their sexuality under
wraps.
“Tonight, everybody is gay,” said Armand, a 32-year-old
waiter at the bar. “But tomorrow morning, we’ll pretend we don’t know
one another. Everyone hides who they are.”
AFP
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