Uganda
The reggae singer taking on Uganda’s strongman president
‘We can change our destiny’ — Bobi Wine spent more than a decade singing about social justice issues in his native Uganda. This year, the ‘Ghetto President’ was elected to parliament, and now he’s trying to change the system from the inside.
Written by: Julian Hattem
Ugandan trans woman Cleo Kambugu Kentaro is fighting for her right to love
Moving beyond the binary — As a trans woman, Cleopatra Kambugu Kentaro was set to face more challenges in her life than many. But being born in Uganda, where homophobic laws see trans people targeted, her struggle at times looked insurmountable. In the run up to the passing of Uganda’s 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, she found herself “exposed” in a popular tabloid. Forced to flee her hometown for safety, Cleo made her way across the Kenyan border to Nairobi, where she works today supporting East African LGBT movements. She is now the subject of the documentary The Pearl of Africa.
Written by: Michael Segalov