34 of 54 recognized African states have laws that prohibit homosexuality. Art and activism intersect in LGBTQ+ social movements in various regions of the African diaspora to challenge ideas of queerness as being foreign to African cultures. This topic is explored through the lenses of gender, love, and resilience.

Through the documentation of queer individuals, three artists, Eric Gyamfi, Zanele Muholi and Mikael Owunna, are challenging the narrative that frequents the African diaspora: that being African and being queer are mutually exclusive identifiers of an individual. The oppression and the struggle to share one’s preferred gender is not the focus of these photographs, but the pride in defying boundaries of gender identities are emphasized. These photographs help write new narratives of the experiences of navigating life being queer and African.

Varied networks of support exist among queer Africans and their loved ones that offer respite in the face of widespread hostility and marginalization by many African societies. Featuring the works of various photographers like Owunna, Gyamfi, Muholi, and Sabelo Mlangeni, we highlight the joy and love present in the queer African community despite the many hardships it faces. In the end, love conquers all.

Resilience and resistance are essential to LGBTQ+ communities and social movements. Artists like Adejoke Tugbiyele use sculpture to evoke the challenges faced by queer Africans and to advance the narrative of their struggle and their resilience. Michael Christopher Brown and Daniel Obasi use portrait photography to put faces to these movements, directly contradicting the idea that “queer” and “African” are antithetical identities.

Through these themes, this section of the exhibition seeks to highlight an often-underrepresented side of the LGBTQ+ community in Africa: the positive actions, art, and activism of queer Africans that push back against their repressive social and political conditions.