2023 in Review: Highs and Lows
The curtains finally close on 2023 today, and while it’s a time of celebration, it’s also an opportunity for deep reflection. In this Minority Roundup, I’ll highlight some significant stories from 2023 concerning minorities in Africa and around the world.
2023 came with its fair share of progress:
- Sheila Lumumba’s killer sentenced: In April 2022, Sheila Lumumba, who identified as a non-binary lesbian, was found murdered in their home. This harsh crime rightly sparked outrage from the LGBT community in Kenya and once again spotlighted the violence faced by queer people in Africa. Through independent efforts from Sheila’s family, CCTV footage was retrieved that showed Billington Mwathi with them on the night of the murder; he was arrested and eventually confessed to the crime. But, justice didn’t come until more than a year when a Nyeri court sentenced
Mwathi to a 30-year imprisonment.
- More countries legalize same-sex marriages: On January 31, 2023, Slovenia officially recognized same-sex marriage and became the first country in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Nepal followed suit in June, making it the first in South Asia and second in Asia after Taiwan. In November, Nepal registered its first same-sex marriage in Dordi rural municipality.
- Men take active roles against GBV: Northern Uganda has long been plagued by widespread gender-based violence, with the remnants of the Lord’s Resistance Army conflict leaving lasting scars on the social and psychological fabric of the region. But, there is a growing movement, currently consisting of 240 men spread across four districts, who are voluntarily working to bring an end to gender-based violence. You should read more about this here.
- Anyier Yuol wins the Les Murray Award: Anyier Yuol, a former South Sudanese refugee and footballer born in a UNHCR camp in Kenya, was awarded the 2023 Les Murray Award for Refugee Recognition. This award acknowledged her outstanding contributions to sports, women’s empowerment, and refugee advocacy.
- Ethiopian Immigrant Teen Wins Science Prize For Fighting Cancer: Heman Bekele immigrated to the US when he was four. Ten years later, he was awarded the prize for America’s Top Young Scientist for creating a soap that could potentially treat skin cancer. Learn more about his journey here.
However, it also had some low points:
- Uganda approves harsh anti-LGBTQ laws: On May 29, 2023, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world’s strictest anti-LGBTQ laws, which includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and a 20-year sentence for activities that promote homosexuality, such as financing, advertising, persuading or providing spaces. With this Uganda joined the list of African countries, i.e., Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, Niger, and Tanzania, who have taken steps to tighten their anti-homosexuality laws.
- No improvement on refugee crisis: In 2022, UNHCR data revealed that about 1.2% of the global population was displaced. Unfortunately, in 2023, these numbers worsened, with over 30.1 million refugees recorded by July. Syria continues to be the world’s largest refugee crisis, representing almost 25% of the total refugee population. In Africa, South Sudan has the largest refugee crisis, with over 4 million South Sudanese forced to leave their homes. You can read more about this situation here.
- Persistent gender-based violence targeting women and girls: violence against women and girls remained a widespread issue in 2023. The WHO disclosed that around 641 million women globally suffered violence from their intimate partners, while 50 countries still contain laws that encourage gender-based discrimination against women.
- Nigeria excludes its LGBTQ community from electoral polls: Nigeria’s 2023 elections were regarded by many as being the most crucial poll since 2015. Despite this, the Electoral Act failed in its provisions for vulnerable groups and was unable to recognize sexual minorities. This absence of acknowledgment contributed to political apathy and fear among the queer community during elections.
- The Taliban continues to disregard women’s rights in Afghanistan: two years after the Taliban takeover in May 2021, two-thirds of the population is now dependent on humanitarian aid. For women and girls, the situation has been challenging as, despite initial promises from the Taliban to respect women’s rights as provided under the Sharia law, there have been numerous laws to take away their fundamental human rights. Women activists report detentions, rapes, child marriages and suicides, and forced marriages.
Despite the small victories that came with 2023, we were constantly faced with stark reminders of the persistent struggles faced by minority groups. As we enter the new year, we mustn’t forget these stories and continue fighting for a future where fairness and equality win.
We’ve reached the end of this newsletter and I’ll wrap it up by sharing some of the stories we enjoyed reading in 2023.
Feel Good
Everyone talks about how good the Amala in Ibadan is, but nobody talks about how horrible the Grindr is. Yes, these two things are on separate ends of the conversation, but if one must praise something about a city, they might as well mention the way it falls short, too.
Minority Africa
A Rwandan afro-futurist musical constitutes dreaming as resistance.
Neptune Frost is an Afrofuturist musical film that follows coltan mine workers who escape and meet other outcasts to find a community in an abandoned village named Digitaria.
For marginalized communities, imagination is a solid and suitable tool of resistance against systems of oppression. Stacey A. Gibson explained this best when she wrote, “Often, imagining is an act of liberatory adventure, since it feels borderless, boundaryless, and free of the constructs that bind. To imagine is to transcend. The imaginer can time travel, hover, disappear, and multiple selves can be constructed, observed, and nurtured.”