1. Canaries in the Coal Mines: An analysis of spaces for LGBTI activism in Malawi
- Author:
- Philip Browne
- Publication Date:
- 12-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- The Other Foundation
- Abstract:
- The question of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights continues to be a point of struggle and strife, extending from the depths of Malawi’s political history. Since its independence in 1964, the twenty eight- year dictatorship of Kamuzu Banda enforced a strict national Christian morality which has been sustained to the present day. The experiences and challenges facing LGBTI people in Malawi are shaped by laws, policies and practices that are informed by prevailing social, religious and cultural norms, that in turn shape public discourse around sexual minorities as contrary to Malawi’s culture and morality. The public debate on homosexuality has been complex, unpredictable and contested, and provides a snapshot of the difficulties LGBTI people face. Anti-homosexuality discourse has largely been driven by religious and cultural chauvinism.
- Topic:
- Human Rights, LGBT+, Exclusion, and Activism
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Malawi