ilga’s conference of growing skills

By Nthateng Mhlambiso (BTM Senior Reporter)

March 30, 2007: Financial and fundraising skills, and gender awareness within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisations in Africa, seem to be priorities for the coming International Lesbian and Gay Association’s (ILGA) conference to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, between 5 and 8 May this year.

This is ILGA’s first regional conference in Africa, and it targets a large number of LGBTI activists and their work.

As it allows decision making, ILGA invites groups and individuals to decide on their mandates and possibly draft own constitutions.

“The conference has come at the right time because there are many young organisations in Africa that need experience, and usually most conferences held are too big for them”, said Juliet Victor Mukasa of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), and ILGA representative.

She continued making a point that the conference is not confined within specific groups and organisations.

Dissolutions of small organisations in Africa due to dearth of financial management skills is some of major problems that Mukasa pointed out. “Other things we need to put on the agenda are writing proposals as well as dealing with the press. SMUG once fell prey of wrong representation by journalists who misused the information we gave them”, she further explained.

The Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) will also be part of the regional conference, and according to its director, Fikile Vilakazi, it is a very important conference. “We are hoping to put feminism and gender within the LGBTI sector on the agenda and the role of LGBTI movements in working and supporting countries that criminalise homosexuality in the African continent”, she asserted.

She added that CAL is presently working with the African Commission to help countries in Africa that criminalise homosexuality. “It (the conference) will establish a particular structure where LGBTI movements can meet and discuss issues that affecting them.”

With over 560 member groups, ILGA is the only worldwide federation of groups working to achieve equal rights for homosexuals.

For more information about ILGA’s first regional conference go to: http://Africa.ilga.org