Cameroon IDAHO report 2013

One year after a violent mob attacked a peaceful commemoration, Cameroon saw one of the largest mobilisations in the African continent, for May 17 this year.LGBT organisations Humanity First Cameroon, Affirmative Action and Camfaids Droits De L’homme rolled out a special IDAHO programme, spread over an entire week.

Rainbow Flashmob – Cameroon Style. Source.

The commemorations featured:

• A series of thematic film screenings, followed by debates on the role of religion and the determinants of coming out in the Cameroonian context.
• A football match opposing a team of MSM (men who have sex with men) to a team of heteroseuxal men. The MSM team wore T-shirts bearing the slogan ‘Everyone has rights. So do we” and the IDAHO logo. The game was followed by speeches from both team captains on the role of sports in fighting homophobia.
• A thematic conference on LGBT discrimination. The debates focused on the issues of Human Rights violations against LGBTI people, but also on the positive contribution of Sexual and Gender minorities to society.
• A festive evening, including the elections of ‘Miss and Mister IDAHO’ ! The 300-strong party was joined by the members of the heterosexual football team which had played against the MSM team. For the first time, the police agreed to ensure the security of the event and were present during the entire time of the event, which was held in a private home in a residential suburb. The evening was also an opportunity to reinforce the community by awarding prices for the best peer-educator, best community leader, best academic performance, best professional achievement, most gay-friendly space, etc…
• A Flashmob, as part of the Global IDAHO 2013 initiative. This activity was organised to close the thematic conference. Participants gathered on a main traffic crossing and staged a choreography before releasing balloons with anti-homophobia messages written on them. The event was not announced publicly and went on without incident.

Eric O. Lembembe reports on the blog 76 Crimes:

‘Time: around 6 p.m., May 17. Location: The Bastos Roundabout residential area of Yaounde, where most embassies are located, within walking distance of the Presidential Palace.
Dressed in many colors, a group of young men and young women get out of a minibus. Excited and happy, they dance, shout and run in all directions, waving a rainbow flag made especially for the occasion. Cameras flash. After a few minutes of dancing, the small group vanishes, leaving behind some balloons with LGBT-friendly messages written on them. This unusual scene arouses the curiosity of some passersby, one of whom takes a few snapshots. Many other observers have little idea what’s going on.
“In a Cameroonian society that is increasingly hostile to the gay issue, we fear what would have happened if they had understood what it was about,” says one of the protesters, who is pleased that the event came and went without unpleasantness.
This was probably the first “Rainbow Flag Flash Mob” in the history of the LGBT movement in Cameroon. It was organized to mark International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) by three advocacy groups that promote the rights of sexual minorities — Humanity First Cameroon, the Cameroonian Foundation For Aids (Camfaids) and Affirmative Action.’

For more information please see:

• 76 Crimes: ‘Peaceful celebration in Cameroon a year after mob attack‘