Anti-Homosexuality Act 2024

Screenshot_7-4-2024_191737_www.monitor.co.ug.jpeg

Court upholds Anti-gay law, strikes out four sections

Constitutional Court judges during the reading of their ruling in a case challenging the the Anti-Homosexuality Act on April 3, 2024.

By Anthony Wesaka

What you need to know:

This law was enacted majorly to protect the children in schools who were being recruited into Homosexuality practices.2
Ever since the assent to this piece of legislation by President Museveni mid-last year, there has been backlash from the Western world with some countries like America cutting aid to Uganda.

ORGANISATION OVERVIEW

The Wave of Legacy Alliance Initiative (WALAI) is a nonprofit and non-government LGBTQ-led organization standing for the Sexual, Health and Human rights of marginalized persons in Uganda.

It was founded ideally in 2018 and registered on the 1st day of October 2019. WALAI is currently located in Buwaate, Kira Division, and Wakiso District.

A few years ago, we also opened a representative office for the European Union area, in Spain, and precisely in the Canary Islands.

Our office is currently managed by one of our collaborators, Gianfranco Maitilasso, voluntarily, and is located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, on the island of Gran Canaria.

The address is at Calle dos de Mayo, 18, 35010 Las Palmas.

Tel. +34 689 744 - Email: info@walai.org - gmaitila@gmail.com

Donations and payments to PayPal also report to this office.

We are currently planning to open a shop, also in Las Palmas, where we can sell handicrafts produced by our collaborators in Africa for charitable purposes and in support of the Organization.

Among our areas of focus are.

Access to Healthcare
Economic empowerment
Human rights awareness
Safe shelter for homeless LGBT persons
Psychosocial support
Promoting the talents of LGBT individual
MISSION: To enhance access to health care services for the marginalized as well as empower them economically and create human rights awareness among LGBT persons.
VISION: A world where there is the enjoyment of rights, a stigma-free society and equal opportunities in all aspects of life.

STATEMENT

WAVE OF LEGACY ALLIANCE INITIATIVE runs a safe shelter as stated in our programmatic areas and we have over 15 members residing in this shelter.

Much as these shelters are meant to be a safe space for rejuvenation healing and starting over, for some people shelters are a nightmare, where they are brutally arrested and dragged into police custody, bullied, sexually abused, or manipulated as reports have continued to arise from different minority shelters.

However, for some people these safe spaces have been a safe haven, a turning point and a new beginning due to the treatment they get while in the shelters.

It is from this background that WALAI found it so relevant to start a performing arts project/program for these people in shelters and other LGBT persons at large as a way of promoting their talents, and mental health, and making an income to live a better life. This program will in a way help change the narrative of how people think and view the LGBTQ community in Uganda.

WAVE OF LEGACY ALLIANCE INITIATIVE recognizes that exploring and promoting these people’s different God-given talents, guiding them towards stability and maintaining an accessible support system is crucial.

WALAI thus aims to foster a platform where Ugandan LGBTQ persons can showcase their talents and thrive in transitioning to self-sufficiency.

The primary goal of “ARTS TO SUCCESS PROGRAM” is to create career opportunities for LGBTQ persons in the mainstream Arts/Entertainment industry.

PROJECT TITLE : ARTS TO SUCCESS PROGRAM (ASP)

The “Arts to success” is the title which was given to this project because we believe that performing arts can turn our community members into successful individuals.

TARGET BENEFICIARIES

Our target beneficiaries are the Ugandan LGBTQ persons of 18-35 years of age and who are interested in performing arts and would love to make a career out of it.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Since its inception in 2018, WAVE OF LEGACY ALLIANCE INITIATIVE has always been driven by its strategic objectives and among these objectives is promoting the talents of LGBT persons in Uganda. We believe that the arts are one of the ways that the LGBTQ community can be recognized and accepted in the community without any prejudice.

Among our strategic goals for 2022, WAVE OF LEGACY ALLIANCE INITIATIVE as an organization came up with the idea of training members and equipping them with the relevant skills in the performing arts industry as well as organizing performing arts events in a way of fundraising for organizational work and either way, promoting the talents of our beneficiaries (LGBT persons).

This is the first of its kind in the LGBTQ community of Uganda and we believe that it will be a gateway to unite the LGBTQ community together for a common good. We believe that the arts have a powerful way of connecting different people through emotions and we believe that this program will help us achieve more than what has been done.

It is evident that there are very many people who did not get a chance or were denied a chance of going to school but they have become successful individuals because of their talents.

There are very many talented LGBT persons in Uganda, but they have nowhere to express themselves since they are pushed to the margins of society.

We intend to discover, train and equip them with knowledge on the various aspects of the entertainment industry to help them succeed and thrive in it without much hassle.

We shall also promote the different talents of these people through organizing shows/concerts in different regions of the country whereby they will perform in stage plays, cultural dances, poetry, and singing among others.

People coming through to watch these performances wherever organized are meant to pay a given fee as a way to fundraise for our organization's work and invest more in these people’s talents.

Away from fun and fundraising, it is a unifying program. We shall be organizing concerts, festivals, and exhibitions with different themes and in different regions.

The levels of unemployment in the LGBTQ community are high and the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and other challenges they encounter day in and day out. This is among the reasons for the creation of this project because we believe that if the talents of these people are nurtured/polished and managed well, they can turn out sources of income to sustain their livelihoods.

Apart from challenges, we also learned that LGBTQ involvement in Music, Dance and Drama programs can develop them from one level to another which builds them a good foundation for togetherness. Our main target geographical scope of this program is central Uganda for the start but with a plan of involving other regions in the project.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

To carry out talent searches amongst LGBTQ individuals, identify, nurture and develop them in performing arts, music, writing and dance.

To promote LGBTQ rights through arts and telling stories.
To organize LGBTQ talent shows for both entertainment and educational purposes to the stakeholders and community at large.
To facilitate capacity enhancement for nurturing and developing the talents of LGBTQ individuals.
To influence the practice of talent development of LGBTQ persons by creating partnerships with donors and other stakeholders with the same concern.
To encourage and support these talented LGBTQ persons’ participation in community service and awareness programs about risky behaviours and lifestyles including drug abuse, radicalization and risky sexual behaviours.
To empower the LBTQ persons with enough knowledge of the arts through training and helping them make a career out of their talents.
To encourage and support the exchange of relevant information; and cultural, social, and scientific innovations to foster LGBTQ talents.

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URGENCY OF INTERVENTION

LGBT persons experience stigma, discrimination, damaging assumptions and invisibility which means that they continue to face significant barriers when expressing themselves. These negative experiences have continued to be amplified in Uganda due to the homophobic laws.

Evidence shows that many LGBTQ persons do not feel safe accessing mainstream art spaces because of the attitudes, and bullies they may encounter from both fellow performers and audience.

Many people internalize societal stigma and negative attitudes to LGBT identities which affects their self-esteem and more generally how comfortable they feel with their identity. Crucially, this also affects their confidence.

Therefore, the Wave of Legacy Alliance initiative is seeking support to intervene by creating and identifying LGBTQ-friendly spaces where these talented individuals can freely showcase their talents.

PROPOSED INTERVENTION

WAVE OF LEGACY ALLIANCE INITIATIVE’s proposed intervention involves auditioning and identifying these talents.

Getting experienced personnel in the arts industry to train and nurture the LGBTQ community members in the program.

Creating a platform where members of the community can explore their performing arts talents and abilities.

Identify and hire LGBT-friendly security focal persons to ensure the security and safety of both performers and spectators.

PROBABLE OUTCOMES

Employment opportunities for the trainees
Good exposure for these LGBTQ persons
Building confidence of these LGBT persons
Creating awareness and tolerance of LGBTQ persons

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Documenting success stories: We believe that at the end of the training, many opportunities will be opened for the members in the entertainment sector, and it is on this background that we believe we shall document these success stories which we shall gladly share with the donors as well as on our media platforms and to other interested parties.

We shall also keep the sponsors and donors updated: We intend to keep donors updated on every stage of this project for due diligence purposes. This will be done through making reports and sending emails to the sponsors and donors as well as social media updates of the ongoing projects.

Financial Monitoring: Wave of Legacy Alliance initiative has a finance manager who keeps all financial records, receipts, acknowledgements, requisitions and all financial statements. The finance manager of the organization will be doing this financial monitoring for accountability, auditing, and bank reconciliation and to also make sure that funds are disbursed for their intended purposes. We shall welcome your auditors to come around our premises and take stock of what we have spent.

We are also open to having donors and sponsors attend some of the ongoing training sessions as planned and if possible, document for themselves if they so wish. We are open to these visits, and we would be privileged to have you around.

Carrying out beneficiary surveys: This will be done via Google Docs and questionnaires: We will carry out surveys which are intended to know the project's impacts on its beneficiaries and shortcomings such that we better our program as it progresses in the future.

We shall also use technology to leverage our activities. This will be through the use of social media updates and website information. Our communications team will be updating the fans of this project and other stakeholders on different social media platforms.

STRENGTH

Mobilization:

We have mobilization skills, we can, and we will mobilize many LGBTQ persons to take part in this program.

Numbers:

We have several people willing and ready to claim these spaces.

Experience:

We have done talent shows before and we believe we have gained some experience in this field like our two previous stage plays: “I’M HUMAN” and “FAITH SEEKING JUSTICE”

Communication:

We have good communication language, and this will help us in this project to keep good relations with our beneficiaries, donors and facilitators.

PROCESS WE INTEND TO UNDERTAKE TO START THE PROGRAM

Auditions: All participants will first undergo an audition as a process to find out about the participants and to demonstrate their performance skills in their respective talents. We shall have a panel of judges who will select the best who can be nurtured and trained in their area of interest.
Selection: After the auditions, there will be a selection of 12 participants (4 Music, 6 Drama and 2 dances) who will have gone through, and these will be taken to the next step of the project. Those participants who will have not gone through will have a chance to re-apply for the next training program.
Categorization: There are four areas which will be undertaken in this program which are music, dance, drama and poetry. After the selection part of the program, we will categorize these people into groups according to their respective showcased talents.
Signing contracts: To not waste resources and time, these people will sign contracts like consent forms and working contracts as this program is meant to enroll only interested and serious people.
Enrollment for training: After signing contracts, these people will be enrolled for further training. Yes, these people are talented, but these talents need to be polished with a little more training to be able to deliver the best and compete favourably with other artists internationally.
At the end of the training, there will be a concert where participants will showcase what they have been working on during the training and also award certificates.
We intend to establish a talent hub and management which can connect participants to available opportunities and endorsements.

SUSTAINABILITY

For future sustainability in case the funding for the program is not much, we intend to carry out in-house capacity building. We will consider hiring some of the trainees who have successfully mastered some skills to train other fellows. This will help us cut back on this project’s expenses to avoid deficits in the future.

Funds collected from all the events under this program will be reinvested in the project.

Also, there will be a need for joint planning to enhance the effective use of resources vouchsafed to us on a daily through a contribution program to sustain the program and involve other stakeholders to improve the quality of services and sustainability of the project.

SPONSORS

The only assistance we have now is from the HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS AND PROMOTION FORUM (HRAPF) which is ready and willing to provide free legal services to our Arts to Success program and its beneficiaries.

PROFILES OF THE TRAINERS

Due to the high expectations of the program, we searched and identified some top-notch experts in the fields that we are targeting. We have reached out to the following trainers, and they are willing and ready to be a part of this program.

Aganza Kisaka

Aganza Kisaka is an award-winning actress and poet. Her work intersects acting, producing, writing and directing for stage and film. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from New York University with a concentration in Psychology and went on to complete a master’s in education with UNICEF University where her research focused on the availability and adequacy of performing arts policies for tertiary education in Uganda.

In 2011 her poem “A Hand Swing of Disguised Depravity” won first prize in the Babishai Niwe Poetry Award under the theme of ‘Hope’ and was later published in “A Thousand Voices Rising Anthology”. In 2017 she won Best Actress at Pearl International Film Festival (PIFF) for playing the lead role of “Sanyu” in the feature film Faithful by Richard Nondo. In 2019 she won Best Supporting Actress at Uganda Film Festival (UFF) for the supporting role, “Rehema” in the feature film N.S.I.W.E by Roja Matelja.

Kisaka has produced and published some of her work. Black, is a 10-minute play on race, blackness and identity that was showcased at Kampala International Theatre Festival 2016 and served as her debut as a playwright. Operation: Mother’s Bruises, is a short story about depression published in “The Different Shades of the Feminine Mind” (2017) as part of the Afriwowri Literary Project. Autopoeisis, Entropy or Redundancy and Other Terms (2018), is a book that she co-curetted and co-wrote with participants of the School of Anxiety that was showcased at the 10th Berlin Biennale. Killing Time (2020) is a satirical play that has featured at the Lagos Theatre Festival (2021), Kenya International Theatre Festival (2021) The Kampala International Theatre Festival (2021), Goethe Zentrum Kampala and others. Last but not least, Vanilla (2021) is a short film on the stigma parents of children with mental disabilities receive.

In 2021, Kisaka founded Yenze Theatre Conservatoire which is geared towards training performing artists in acting, movement and voice for the stage and film while providing actor management. With a strong belief in the power of performance to mirror and transform real life through authenticity, Kisaka hopes that her work will serve a greater purpose to transform lives for the better by reflecting and revealing or unveiling life truths.

Bayimba Music Academy

Bayimba Academy is the arts education pillar of Bayimba which gives a range of practical training for visual and performing artists throughout the year. They have empowered many artists through creativity, innovation and collaboration with their curriculum, their training aims at introducing artists to new art disciplines, developing artistic skills, and promoting inter and intra-disciplinary artistic.

Bayimba Academy has been organizing many music festivals and one of them is the BAYIMBA MUSIC FESTIVAL which is the most attended music festival in Uganda.

SUMMARY

WAVE OF LEGACY ALLIANCE INITIATIVE re-echoes the need to find long-term and durable solutions to sustain this program.

Major support is needed along the lines of performing space, hiring of trainers, directors’ writers and other technical personnel, and also a little facilitation to our performers.

We are seeking your financial support, materialistic support and any other support for the success of this program is highly appreciated.

We shall provide our donors/funders with incredible opportunities to market their brands in our shows and productions. This may help them reach out to new clients/beneficiaries and also improve their public perception.

We shall have mentions of our sponsors at every event under this program, their names, companies or institutions will appear on all our posters, banners, brochures, t-shirts and any other publications or advertisement measures that will be put in place when carrying out events under this program.

By so doing, we believe this will give our donors/sponsors good exposure and boost their brand visibility. All the mentions and publicizing of our donors will be only done with their consent.