Behind the Mask is a website that reports on lesbian and gay affairs in Africa. "We do that through collecting and researching stories", says Musa Ngubane. "We cannot rely on mainstream media resources and have had to build our own network of correspondents and contacts to generate our own information." Ngubane reports what’s 'behind the mask'.

Unmasked

"Our daily routine consists of research and preparation of articles for the site using ICT (Information Communication Technology). We also keep in touch with other LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered) organisations in Africa and extend our services to them. We mainstream LGBT issues and respond to the negative media coverage.

In September 2002, a press briefing by Behind the Mask on hate crimes against black lesbians in South African townships resulted in articles, interviews, radio interviews and tv talkshows. The issue is on the agenda of the local and provincial governments as well as human rights and gender organisations.

Hate crime In September 2002, a press briefing by Behind the Mask on hate crimes against black lesbians in South African townships resulted in articles, interviews, radio interviews and tv talkshows. The issue is on the agenda of the local and provincial governments as well as human rights and gender organisations. Behind the Mask facilitated meetings between victims and the South African Police Service.

At the same time, we serve as a referral service for other institutions and individuals and liase with our correspondents. Each member of the editorial team supervises a section of the site but also a number of African countries.We advise Human Rights organisations on how to take a stand regarding the negativity that’s often encountered by gay people (hate crimes and stigmatisation). We also have networking alliances with them. We furthermore assist researchers with projects associated with media, law and society. Most importantly our focus is on Africa and we cover a lot of news that mainstream media does not look into.

We run empowerment programmes like computer and journalism training. We have close relationships with other organisations like FEW (Forum for the Empowerment of Women) and their anti-hate crimes campaign The Rose Has Thorns, as well as the IAJ (Institute for Advancement of Journalism).

A computer for Sierra Leone

The main obstacles we face in our work is a lack of LGBT data in Africa because of homophobia, religious and state-sponsored prejudice; a general lack of resources and communication technology on the continent and the sparse existence of LGBT groups.

We counter the lack of infrastructure and computer literacy through our work, our training programmes and through initiating groups on the Net like the Ethiopian group and the Link. Recently we donated a computer and printer to the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association.

We will conduct writing and media workshops during 2004 in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, as well as assist the TRP (The Rainbow Project, Namibia) in setting up their own website. This will not only help the groups and individuals involved with these issues, but will also help to strengthen our access to information in those countries.

Blackmail 'You cannot imagine how relieved I am just because I had an opportunity to share my story with you', a Zambian subscriber wrote to Behind the Mask. Subsequently, the organisation was instrumental in connecting the visitor and GALZ. As a result of that the subscriber successfully countered efforts to blackmail him by a local policeman.

Our influence in Africa is widespread, we have encouraged groups in various countries to organise themselves. Through our stories people have managed to get funding for their organisations. We encourage online activism; we provide information for activists, service providers and asylum seekers.

We also have influence in the media and have ensured that there is some reporting about the hate crime issue in South Africa. TV directors have contacted us for guidance on how they should portray gay characters and we highlight queer artists.

Tanzania

Recently we hosted The All Africa Symposium on hiv/aids and Human Rights. The conference was supposed to be held in Tanzania but because of the state of affairs in Tanzania regarding homosexuals the mainstream providers of Tanzania didn’t like to deal with LGBT issues. During the outbreak of the war in Iraq, the Muslim fundamentalists had some kind of control over the domestic affairs in Tanzania. Almost at the same time, Zanzibar legislation had forbidden homosexuality. Also the mainstream providers dealing with hiv/aids didn’t want to link themselves to anything that had to do with homosexuals. In that homophobic atmosphere it proved to be impossible to hold a symposium.

At a later stage it was identified that it would be cheaper too to have the conference in South Africa. About 70 participants from seventeen African states attended the conference and a few others from outside Africa.

On the run Soon after its launch in May 2000, Behind the Mask was informed about police raids targeting a gay/lesbian organisation in Kampala, Uganda. The exposure of the arrest, detention and torture of five activists and their subsequent flight into a neighbouring country alarmed other African lgbt-groups, international media, politicians and human rights organisations.

The symposium was on strengthening groups, addressing the issue of hiv/aids in the African LGBT community, developing advocacy and lobbying structures for hiv/aids. For example, most hiv/aids organisations are home care based and counselling organisations. The idea behind the symposium was to highlight issues, share ideas, mobilise the groups, educate African LGBT communities on hiv/aids, and strengthen relationships with other NGO’s that deal with related matters.

Galz (‘Gays and lesbians of Zimbabwe’) prepared a manual on how to operate in a hostile environment, which was presented at the conference.

One voice

The response was highly positive, at the end of the conference twelve people were elected to the AARI (All Africa Rights Initiative) committee; they’re bound to work in the committee for the next two years, preparing the relevant documents in aiding the formalisation of AARI.

The committee of AARI has representatives from African countries that were present at the All Africa symposium. This committee is to put together ideas, issues and group work that was done by the delegates into one list of issues and solutions for the LGBT community in the African region. One view one voice."

Musa Ngubane is an editorial assistant for Behind the Mask currently living in South Africa, Gauteng. "I write about most things that concern the African LGBT community but mostly the lesbians."

Four-year old Behind the Mask attracts many visitors; 12.000 hits each day and 2500 à 3000 pageviews a day. Especially the latter is significant. Of all the identified hits, 15 to 20% are from Africa.