Sudanese Queer Voices
Sudanese Queer Voices is project aim to document the oral history of the members of LGBTQI community in Sudan
Introduction:
The
Republic of the Sudan is located in north-eastern Africa between Egypt and
Eritrea, bordering the Red Sea in north east. It is bordered by Libya in north
west, by Chad in west, by the Central African Republic in south west, by South
Sudan in south and by Ethiopia in south east. Sudan has an area of about
1,882,000 million square kilometers, it is the second largest country in Africa.
Sudanese cultural heritage consist of a formations of local cultures and
imported ones over the centuries, which made a unique composition of a variety
of demographics and ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversities.
Sudan liberated
from the Egyptian British colonization on the first of January 1956 and burst
into civil war since before the Declaration of Independence until 2005-except
for intermittent periods of peace- as a result of deep conflicts between the
central government in the north of Sudan and armed political movements in the
south. civil war ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,
between the Government of Sudan and Sudan People's Liberation Movement, then
South Sudan became an independent state in 2011. Also in Darfur region of
western Sudan, which represents about a fifth of the area of Sudan an armed
conflict erupted since the beginning of February 2003, which has claimed thousands
of lives. also large numbers of Region's population suffered from displacement
and homelessness because of this ongoing war.
In recent
years, Sudan has witnessed political, economic, and social changes rooted in
the increasing public frustration at the deteriorating political situation, the
economic environment in which it does not provide jobs and decent living, and the
torn social climate because of civil wars and ethnic and tribal strife. Sudan Also
has one of the most outstanding human rights serious violations records in the
world. Supported by the country’s repressive security machinery and the
government’s legal framework which does not provide any protections for the
citizens. And these violations essentially include violations based on sexual
orientation and / or gender identity, where there is a massive violence and oppression
against sexual and gender minorities in the country; whether by the state or non-state
actors. The Sudanese State not only doesn’t provide any form of protection for LGBT
community members’ in Sudan, but instead it targeted members of these
communities by criminalizing homosexual acts, where Sudan's criminal law for
the year 1991 to criminalize consensus sexual acts between adults of the same
sex. Also Sudanese criminal panel code contains loose legal articles that
criminalize any behaviors or gender expressions that are not in line with the
mainstream of society.
On social
and legal level violence based on sexual orientation and / or gender identity
is extreme. What make it worse is the Islamization of all aspects of life with
more pressure on the traditional gender roles for both sexes in everyday life.
The Sudanese society has perceptions about concepts such as femininity and
masculinity. Almost anyone who doesn’t fit into these stereotyped perceptions has
seen as a threat to the security and safety of the society as a whole. Certainly
that allows the state more control over people and their everyday lives by
government agencies such as the national security agency and public order police.
Since the
Sudanese civil society is exposed and severely restricted, the government has
dried up most of its human and material resources; the groups or individuals
working on sexual and gender minorities issues are struggling to find safe and
sustainable spaces to continue their struggle to defend their rights. LGBTQ
activists might be subjected to harassment, intimidation and detention by
government authorities because of their struggle. Therefore,
the work on these issues do not receive proper attention and visibility in the
Sudanese arena.
On
societal level, the Islamic conservative culture, ignorance, and social
preconceptions about homosexuality and transsexuality make members of Sudanese
society a tool for persecution of sexual and gender minorities. They marginalize
their role in the society and exclude them from public and private spheres. It
is very trendy for Sudanese families to treat their sons and daughters harshly
because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identities, and the level of
harshness may reach a point where they
disown them sometimes.
While some
LGBTQ community members could leave the country in order to maintain their
security and their safety and to find a better life, but many were unable to
leave the country, and therefore they must withstand the physical, psychological,
and emotional abuse.
Given that
most Sudanese do not accept homosexuality and transsexuality and deny its
presence in Sudan, LGBTQ issues are not discussed in public or even private
spaces, therefore LGBTQ people in Sudan remain invisible, and their voices are
not heard.
In order
to fill the gap in the field of knowledge production on sexual orientation and
gender identity issues in Sudan, we have combined our efforts to document the
oral history of the members of LGBTQ community in Sudan by collecting their stories
and photography in a booklet documenting the past of this communities and
building its future.
This
booklet which contains a variety of stories about LGBTQ people in Sudan who
have found the courage and motivation to share their stories and their daily
struggles as a minority living in a country such as Sudan; this booklet will
play an important role in raising awareness about sexual orientation and gender
identity issues in Sudan and will work on documenting human rights violations
against LGBTQ communities in Sudan and make it available for sharing and
discussion for those who are interested in supporting and advocating for these
issues in the future.
