LEGABIBO partners with Gaborone Pride
There is a lot more that we need to do for our communities to continue enjoying the freedoms that come with the decriminalisation case, says Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) CEO, Thato Moruti. He was speaking during a press conference in Gaborone this week.
“LEGABIBO is partnering with Gaborone Pride and Butterfly Rainbow Awards.
These two partnerships are just but a part of our organisational intention to impact change that is community-led for the community. Our partnerships with community-led organisations assisted us to advance access to health services for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) communities including strengthening partnerships with organisations such as USAID, PEPFAR, the Ministry of Health on HIV/ AIDS prevention and monitoring,” he said.
Moruti further explained that such partnerships assisted them to establish stronger support groups for LGBTIQ persons across the country adding that it also helped the organisation to monitor the needs of the LGBTIQ communities. He added that partnerships also enabled them to hold dialogues with local community leaders such as chiefs and religious leaders in the country. So far, he said they engaged over 35 community leaders and created allies especially in the rural areas setting a new tone for same sex relationships in the country.
He explained that partnering with Gaborone Pride, they would be solidifying the promotion of self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) peoples of Botswana. He added that the partnership would see LEGABIBO supporting the Gaborone Pride with the uplifting of LGBTQ voices, celebration of LGBTQ culture and the support of LGBTQ rights.
“The awards will be an occasion of joy for all of us as we will come together to celebrate those members of the community who are doing well and are impacting different communities with their talents and their work.
This goes without saying that awards ceremonies are amongst the most treasured occasions to provide our communities with the opportunity to reflect on the preceding years, address the whole community and share our achievements, success and plans to further impact our societies for the days to come.”
“Both the two partnerships are our efforts in pushing our strategic intent of strengthening communities beyond decriminalisation and building relationships with not just the LGBTIQ+ community but allies. While we have made significant inroads into addressing the more obvious forms of discrimination that LGBTIQ people face with the very little funding support, more needs to be done for sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics to become entirely consequential in terms of perception, treatment, access, movement and progress in the society,” Moruti explained.
For her part, Olivia Maswikiti from Gaborone Pride said the imagery associated with celebrating pride was not only of brightly coloured festivities of people marching down the streets of Gaborone. She explained that pride is where people feel safe to be completely themselves.
She added that Gaborone Pride was also about remembering their sacrifices recognising that they still had a long way to go. She pointed out that since 2019 they have been seeking to ensure that they also help the movement to advance the rights and welfare of the LGBTIQ communities in the country.
“It is therefore, that when COVID-19 hit us, we started a long process of ensuring that we begin to prepare how we are going to reach more people especially those who will also become allies of the LGBTIQ movement. COVID-19 also afforded an opportunity to understand the needs of the LGBTIQ communities and how we can better serve them when celebrating ‘Pride.’ COVID showed us that LGBTIQ movement is more than just a movement; we are a family strengthened by our experiences that have seen more of people reportedly spending over 50% of their working and personal life covering their true identities.”
“Gaborone Pride helps to close these gaps to help encourage Botswana in fostering inclusive work and personal spaces that are safer and conducive for the LGBTIQ.
The Gaborone LGBT Pride also seeks to teach audiences the value of inclusion, the benefits of which are ev
ident through better community cohesion and workplace productivity,” she said. Maswikiti pointed out that their partnership with LEGABIBO will strengthen their efforts towards raising awareness of the importance of pride, support for the LGBTIQ community and assist them in impacting real change beyond decriminalisation. She further explained that
through the partnership, they will be hosting some festivities that would give the LGBTIQ community the exposure they deserve.
On October 1, 2022 they will kick start the day with a walk believed to raise alarming statement and later a festival at the Three Dikgosi Monument. There will be two activation events at the Main Mall and Riverwalk Mall before the main festival that will be held at Tashy’s Garden in Boatle. According to Karabo Mokgware from Butterfly Rainbow Awards, a rainbow is often a sign of hope and the beauty after the storm.
He explained that a rainbow carries a personal symbolic meaning, representing inclusivity and diversity, an all-embracing image of love and friendship hence the birth of the awards to represent a new dawn, the beauty after the storm that was the decriminalisation.
“The purpose of the awards is to liberate, honour and celebrate the people of the diverse community that have made not just decriminalise a reality but continue to promote, protect and defend our community. The tentative date for the awards will be December 2, 2022. This is a day after the World AIDS Day and this date is significant because the LGBTIQ+ community has triumphed over a lot of things including the HIV/AIDS,” he said.