Behind the Mask

BEHIND THE MASK a website on gay and lesbian affairs in Africa

rwanda

about rwanda
official name: Rwandese Republic
capital: Kigali
head of state: President Maj. Gen. Paul Kagame
state: multi party
population: 8.4 million
independence: from belgium in 1962
languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili)
religion: Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 24%, Adventist 10.4%, Muslim 1.9%, indigenous beliefs and other 6.5%, none 4.5% (1996)
currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)
media: NA
legal wise
status of homosexuality: legal
age of consent: 18
laws covering homosexual activity: No specific regulations concerning homosexuality. Section 362 Penal Code prohibits sexual relations with a person under the age of 18 with a penalty of 2 months to 3 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 10.000 F.Rw.
background information and government attitudes: The year 2004 marked the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, in which more than half a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were slaughtered and Rwanda was devastated in just three months. Rwanda has since made enormous progress in bringing stability and development to the country. Nevertheless, the regime remains repressive, allowing very little space for independent voices. [Because] … in practice, power remains concentrated in the hands of a small inner-circle of military and civilian elites known as the akazu. Critical voices in civil society and the media have been silenced.
From Freedom House's Countries at the Crossroads: 2005 A Survey of Democratic Governance www.freedomhouse.org/research/crossroads/2005/rwanda2005.pdf
communication
mainline telephones: 15,000 (1995)
cellular telephones: NA
internet country code: .rw
internet service providers: 1 (2000)
internet users: 1 (2000)
links and contacts
NA

rwandan gay and lesbian people are short-changed due to a repressive environment
June 27, 2005: A Rwandan gay man visiting Johannesburg on business chats to a BtM reporter about the loneliness of using marriage to mask his true sexuality in his home country. More...

trapped in a man's body
April 17, 2004: At first glance, Tamara cuts the figure of a striking African woman. She is tall and slender with dark ebony skin. Long black tresses fall to her shoulders, and a lipstick-coated cigarette dangles from fingers coated with nail varnish. More...

anglican bishop calls for expulsion of pro-gay bishops
March 18, 2000: According to Ecumenical News International a Rwandan bishop attending the Lambeth Conference has made a public call for more than 70 US bishops - who have signed a document supporting recognition of homosexual relations - to be expelled from the Anglican Communion. More...