Senegal: LGBTI community condemned to silence

Audio 7:30 p.m.

By: William de Lesseux Follow

In Senegal, homosexuality is a crime. “Unnatural acts” as mentioned in the Penal Code are punishable by five years' imprisonment. Senegalese society, in its overwhelming majority, rejects those who are part of the LGBTI community, condemning them to silence and great precariousness. Reportage.

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Indifference or death threats. It is the daily life of Ibrahima within his family. The young man, 28, lives in Rufisque, not far from the capital, Dakar. Ibrahima was born and raised here. A decade ago, at the end of his adolescence, the student discovered his sexual orientation. First experiences, first encounters out of sight, and especially away from home. Until this unprotected relationship.

After carrying out analyzes in a hospital in the region, Ibrahima discovers that he is infected with HIV. He opens up to his brother: “  I was then very close to him. I trusted him. But he told my mom about it. This is where it all began.  ",he remembers. For his mother, there is no doubt about it: his son caught "  the disease of homosexuals. This is the term she used. She said to me : you are solely responsible for your actions. [...] I prefer to see a homosexual dead rather than in my family, tells Ibrahima, pressing in his hands a school notebook, in which he wrote this episode, "  to relieve me  ",he explains.

Without means and without prospects, Ibrahima has been forced for three years to live with those who rejected him. Antiretroviral treatment is given free of charge by the state to some 42,000 people with AIDS. But, the young man's savings pass into periodic blood tests, the equivalent of a hundred euros several times a year.

Others were able to choose silence and discretion. Samir lives in Thiès in eastern Senegal. He always hid his identity from his loved ones. A matter of survival. "  If they learned, it would be impossible, imagine this student. I would be beaten, beaten and persecuted. I have to hide, and I will continue to do so even if it is unbearable. I can no longer share anything true with my own father  ”,he regrets.

Underground activism

Discretion and silence are now an obligation for LGBTI activists who no longer really militate, sometimes exiled, sometimes reducing their activities to simple prevention actions with "  key populations  " - the term accepted by the state to refer to homosexuals, in particular in the fight against AIDS. The days of blows, or the time when civil society advocated for equality, seem to be over. Accused of promoting homosexuality by anti-LGBT people, traditionalist associations such as the NGO Jamra and its president, Mame Mactar Guèye, most of the associations targeting key populations did not wish to speak. The only word spoken in the local media is that which calls for the rejection of sexual minorities.

How to explain this silence? Djamil Bangoura, president of the association Prudence Plus, is one of those who still speaks. He had to go into exile many times to flee the persecution. “  Tolerance stops where homosexuality begins. I don't know if I will ever see a tolerance for homosexuals. It's a dream for me. He said, moved on the phone. “  The state is not the main problem. The main problem is civil society which has abandoned us. You can't make anyone aware. This is why the Senegalese continue to reject homosexuality.  ",he assures.

A society " not yet ready  "

Being homosexual means exposing yourself to being called Goordjiguen , a word literally meaning “man-woman” in Wolof, the most widely spoken language in the country. “  I remember an episode : one of my friends was to be buried in Thiès. Residents, accompanied by the imam, decided to dig it up 3 times. All because he was supposed to be homosexual,  ”says Djamil Bangoura.

The authorities are in any case determined to continue to penalize homosexuality. For Justice Minister Malick Sall, "  Senegalese society does not lend itself to such legalization. There is no question ! We do not govern against our people  ”.Senegal has been repeatedly urged by the United Nations Human Rights Committee to delete article 319 of the Criminal Code, which provides for 5 years in prison for " unnatural  " acts  . In its last report, the committee even urged the country to "  take concrete and urgent measures to attack the current campaign of hatred against people because of their sexual orientation  ". Without action by the authorities, the forced silence of activists and the community is likely to continue.

► In order to protect their identity, all the first names of the witnesses have been modified, with their agreement.

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• Senegal
• Human rights
• LGBT +

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