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piqer for: Global finds
Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
Gay In Africa -– The Struggle Continues
My continent is still a long way from considering LGBTI rights to be human rights. Homosexuality is outlawed in more than half of the countries on the continent and crimes against LGBTI people are common, under-reported and particularly gruesome. The only way most LGBTI people on the continent are able to survive is by never disclosing their sexuality. South Africa, one of the few countries in which LGBTI people are protected by the constitution (even though this may not protect them on the streets) is still wary of supporting LGBTI rights on a larger African platform.
Despite what seems to be a constant uphill battle, there are allies to be found on the continent, though.
South Africa broke ranks with the African bloc and made its position very clear to the world. Jerry Matjila, the South African ambassador said, “We will fight discrimination, everywhere, every time. We cannot discriminate against people because of their own lifestyle or intention. That we cannot do in South Africa.”
Previously such public declarations of support for the LGBTI community would have been difficult to make. People shy away from being called out for being LGBTI or supporters of LGBTI people, but the fact that people are reporting hate crimes against them means that there are some pockets of empathy even in a society that continues to call homosexuality, "Un-African", "An export from the West", "An act against nature," "Unnatural" etc.His words give me hope. And back home in Nigeria I am filled with hope when a leading Nigerian online publication, Pulse.ng, calls out Nollywood, our robust film industry, opining that the ‘representation of homosexuality in most Nollywood movies is at best a caricature attempt at bad comedy.’
Nigerian gay men and women may not be having pride marches, but their friends and neighbours are actually starting to see them, and see the quiet dignity many of us display in the face of constant onslaught.
