illiberal attitudes

October 18, 2004: Djibouti gained independence from France in 1977 but unlike most former French colonies the attitudes of the public and the laws relating to homosexuality are far from liberal, which may be due to the influence of Islamic law. Horn of Africa correspondent, Faro interviews a Djiboutian.

Djibouti is a small country in east Africa. It lies at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and has boarders with Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. The population is about 60% Somali and 35% afar and 3% Arab, but all groups are Muslim, and the country is a member of the Arab League. Official languages are Arabic and French.

According to Kasdil (names have been changed) a man from Djibouti, there are many gay and lesbian people living in the country but they have little by way of a social life. "We are living undercover, unconfident and in fear."

Kasdil is 32, I first met him when he visited Addis Ababa a short while ago. "Our biggest problem is from our nation and government who believes in Islamic law and culture. We don't have a plan to make normal life. I think our future will be death if we can't fight for human rights."

So it may seem impossible to meet and interact, but Kasdil and other gay men in Djibouti find a way to communicate and meet. "It is difficult to meet each other.
If we want to meet each other, we will go out in bush when it is night; we do not rent the houses or have bars, because it is very difficult to be open there.

"We have so many problems from our families and national government. Even though we don't get a great number of queers to speak out, I know there are lots of queers but to get to them is very difficult because everybody lives in fear of each other."

In the face of such a situation, does he want to leave Djibouti?

"I wish, but if I leave my country, there is no guarantee that for me, I will be safer than I am right now. I know many queer of us who went outside the country and now still have problems.

"Our general situation is very dangerous because we do not have an association which can represent us in a legal fight; we don't have much Internet, we don't have any services for health, education or fun. We look to worldwide organizations of human rights for helping us.

"We have government, which has a constitution - but they do not follow it, they are following Islamic religious law and culture that will bring for us death.

"We wish for freedom for us."