“Queerness is African!” – Challenging Myths & Misconceptions
This blog attempts to initiate a discussion around some of the history and ongoing realities of LGBTQ+ identities within African diasporas, and how colonial-era laws and beliefs may have shaped attitudes toward queerness. It highlights efforts to challenge common myths through education, storytelling and community work.
The Ongoing Reality of Homophobia in Africa
Homophobia continues to be a significant issue across Africa, with over half of its countries maintaining laws which criminalise homosexuality. These laws often reflect deep-seated societal biases and, in many cases, are enforced with severe penalties including imprisonment and, in some instances, death.
These laws are rooted in colonialist-era dogma (17th-20th centuries) introduced by European powers and sustained through contemporary political and religious agendas. Today, legislation in countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Gambia continues to criminalise LGBTQ+ identities, often under the guise of religious morality or cultural preservation.
The damaging rhetoric of figures like former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who denounced homosexuals as “worse than dogs and pigs”[1] reinforces the false belief that queerness is un-African – a myth with harmful consequences for LGBTQ+ Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.
As part of LGBT History Month, Black Queer and Thriving, in collaboration with its LGBT Working Group and Black Queers Connect, are working to challenge these misconceptions. Together, we’re highlighting the long histories of gender and sexual diversity in Africa through storytelling, education and dialogue.
This blog isn’t intended as a critical analysis of the history of colonial legislation and influence regarding homosexuality in Africa. Rather, it’s – a way to spark conversation, curiosity and celebration. Our blog is intended for anyone curious to learn more about LGBTQ+ experiences in African diasporas – and we hope it inspires deeper reflection, learning and solidarity.
Special thanks to contextual expert Adjoa-Sinead Ntifo (Black Queers Connect) for helping shape this work with insight, expertise and compassion.
Reframing the Narrative: Queerness Has Always Existed in Africa
The idea that LGBTQ+ identities have no cultural roots to Africa is both historically inaccurate and deeply damaging. This belief ignores the continent’s rich ethnic and cultural diversity. It is home to thousands of groups, many of which have long embraced and distinct understandings of gender and sexuality. Here are just some of the many possible examples that illustrate this:
In precolonial societies in what is known today as Uganda , particularly among the Langi, Teso and Karamojan peoples, the mudoko dako (also known as mudoko daka or dano mulokere) were effeminate males recognised as a distinct gender. This was documented in 1923 by anthropologist Jack Herbert Driberg in his work The Lango: A Nilotic Tribe of Uganda,2 mudoko dako, who were observed adopting women’s clothing, traditional roles and, in some instances, even simulated menstruation.[2]
Among the Akan people, women were permitted to form same-sex partnerships and in some cases, even marry each other for social, economic or lineage The practice of “female husbands” allowed women to take on male roles within their marriages and these unions were openly recognised by Akan society.[3] A similar practice also took place among the Nigerian Igbo people.[4]
Among the Wodaabe people (a subgroup of the Fulani in Central Africa), precolonial sexual and gender norms were fluid and included same-sex relationships, particular among women. These practices were rooted in older Fulani traditions that embraced polygamy, sexual openness and flexible gender roles. However, increased criticism from other Fulani groups who viewed the Wodaabe as “wild” and “uncivilised” led to a shift in attitude. As more conservative norms emerged, the Wodaabe shifted their focus on male-female courtships (ie, the Guérewol festival)[5], emphasising heterosexual expressions of masculinity and femininity. This shift mirrored broader post-colonial changes in African societies, where colonial influences and societal expectations reinforced traditional gender roles, marginalising same-sex relationships.[6]
The San people of Southern Africa offer compelling evidence to change this myth. Cave paintings near Guruve in Zimbabwe, dating back thousands of years, have been found, which depict intimate scenes that some scholars interpret as evidence of same-sex relations, suggesting they may have been recognised and even integrated into the social fabric of San society, long before colonial influence.
Cave painting, documented as ‘The San Orgy’ in Guruve, Zimbabwe (circa 8000 BCE)
Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep were two high officials in Ancient Egypt (circa 2400 BCE) during the reign of Pharoah Niuserre. They shared not only important roles in the Pharoah’s court – both served as royal manicurists – but also a joint tomb at Saqqara, a rare honour typically reserved for spouses. Inside the tomb, discovered in 1964, they are depicted in a number of intimate scenes: standing nose-to-nose (a gesture symbolising a kiss in Egyptian iconography), embracing and entwined in ways that some scholars interpret as mirroring heterosexual marital depictions of the time.
Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep nose-to-nose and embracing in the tomb (Saqqara, Egypt; circa 2400 BCE).
On the East African Coast, the identities of mashoga and mabasha and magei reflect locally rooted understandings of gender and sexuality. Mashoga were biologically male individuals who adopted traditionally female roles and expressions. Their masculine partners, known as mabasha, may engage in sexual relationships with mashoga but still identify as heterosexual. Magei refers to men perceived as sexually passive or overly feminine, often carrying a more negative social stigma. These roles, as documented by Deborah P. Amory[6]in her study of coastal Easten African societies demonstrate that diverse expressions of genders and sexuality have long existed on the continent.
Gender Beyond the Binary
In pre-colonial Ghana, among the Dagaaba people, gender was understood not as a fixed biological trait, but as a fluid expression of spiritual energy. This belief, rooted in indigenous cosmology, framed individuals as embodying masculine and/or feminine energies regardless of anatomical sex. While modern influences like Christianity and Western education have introduced new perspectives, this and other traditional beliefs remain integral in many Dagaaba communities.
“Among the Dagara people, gender has very little to do with anatomy. It is purely energetic… Anatomic differences are simply there to determine who contributes what for the continuity of the tribe.”8
In the pre-colonial kingdom of Ndongo (present day Angola), the Quimbanda (or chibados) were considered as a third gender. These were individuals assigned male at birth who lived as women and often held important roles as spiritual leaders, healers and diviners. Their unique position in society was tied to their ability to communicate with spirits – skills often acquired through illness or possession. The existence of a third gender was deeply significant as it reflected a broader understand of gender as a fluid multifaced concept. The Quimbanda – like many other gender diverse cultures whose histories have been lost – embodied a more expansive perception of gender. This fluid identity was believed to strengthen their spiritual to the divine.[7]
Would it be possible to reflect on some of the shifts that colonialism entailed after the examples are given. So at the end? So you can move this section down?
Among the Lugbara people of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, spiritual ceremonies have long included transgender priests. As notes by the historian Leslie Feinberg, both female-to-male (agule) and male-to-female (okule) shamans held respected positions within Lugbara These roles were not marginal – they were central to spiritual life, revealing that gender fluidity and trans identity were embedded within the sacred structure of Lugbara culture and held in high regard.[8]
From the ancient tombs of Egypt to the spiritual ceremonies of the Lugbara, gender and sexual diversity have always been a part of Africa’s story. The imposition and maintenance of colonial systems, as evidenced here, appear to be the main drivers for its criminalisation and persecution.
Why the Working Group Feedback Matters
As we challenge the harmful myths about queerness in African history and culture, it’s essential that Black queer voices are at the centre of this work. The Black Queer and Thriving Working Group is comprised of Black LGBTQ+ individuals from Lambeth and Southwark, who were invited to share their perspectives on this project, helping to shape the content with insight, care and cultural relevance. Their role reminds us how important it is to include the voices of those directly impacted by discrimination, prejudice, stigma and historical distortion.
What do Black Queer and Thriving Working Group have to say?
By confronting these myths, we take an important step towards reclaiming Africa’s rich and diverse histories of queerness and gender fluidity. Understanding this truth helps us move beyond colonial narratives and creates space for future generations of queer Africans – both on the continent and in the diaspora – to live freely and fully.
We invite you to check out our African LGBTQ+ identity videos now available on Black Thrive Lambeth’s and Black Queers Connect’s social media platforms.
Glossary of Terms (using Oxford English Dictionary definitions)
Cisgender (adj.) – a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth.
Colonialism (n.) – The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
Diaspora (n.) – The dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland; often used to refer to communities living outside their ancestral countries while maintaining cultural connections
Gender binary (n.) – The classification of gender into two distinct, opposite and disconnected forms of masculine and feminine, typically based on biological sex.
Non-binary (n.) – In terms of gender, a term used to define those identifying as neither exclusively male nor female
Third gender (n.) – A category of people who do not identify as either male or female, often officially recognised in some cultures and societies.
Queer (adj.) Originally meaning strange or odd, the term has been reclaimed by members of the LGBTQ+ community as an umbrella term for sexual and gender identities that are not heterosexual or cisgender
Bibliography
- Amadiume, I., 1987. Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society. London: Zed Books.
- Amory, D 1997. Mashoga, Mabasha, and Magai: “Homosexuality” on the East African Coast in Murray, S. and Roscoe, W. Boy Wives and Female Husbands Studies in African homosexualities. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
- Driberg, J.H., 1923. The Lango: A Nilotic Tribe of Uganda. London: T. Fisher Unwin
- Feinberg, L., 1996. Transgender warriors: Making history from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Murray, S. and Roscoe, W. (eds.), 1998. Boy wives and female husbands: Studies in African homosexualities. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
- Nwoko, K.C., 2012. ‘Female Husbands in Igbo Land: Southeast Nigeria’, Journal of Pan African Studies, 5(1). [online] Available at: https://www.jpanafrican.org/docs/vol5no1/5.1Female.pdf [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
- Somé, M.P., 1994. The Healing Wisdom of Africa: Finding Life Purpose Through Nature, Ritual, and Community. New York: Tarcher/Putnam.
- Tamale, S. (2015) Homosexuality is not un-African. Heinrich Böll Stiftung. Available at: https://www.boell.de/en/2015/03/20/homosexuality–is–not–un–african (Accessed: 15 April 2025).
- Tamale, S., 2013. Confronting the politics of nonconforming sexualities in Africa. African Studies Review, 56(2), pp.31–45. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43904926 [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
About the Author
Erykah Williams-McIntosh (she/her) is a passionate advocate and Project Officer for the Black Queer & Thriving Programme. As a Black, LGBTQ+, and disabled woman, Erykah uses her platform to amplify voices and share stories that often go unheard. Erykah believes in the power of storytelling to create inclusive spaces and spark change, one post at a time.
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