On 5 February 2014 former BBC journalist Kevin Mwachiro launched Kenya's first-ever compilation of stories from the LGBTI community. I use that term even though Mwachiro, in the foreword, explicitly takes issue with it, describing it as an "NGO term". Some of the contributions are chronological accounts, some poems, some letters, but all describe each person's becoming aware of their "different" sexual orientation and what it was like to come out in a society that is still so intolerant of difference. These are stories of humbling courage. One in particular, "Letter to Mum and Dad", moved me to tears. At the launch I perceived what felt to me like a collective sigh of relief, a gratitude and a feeling that finally, the community has a voice in the public sphere and, with it, a new confidence. An important work. An essential read for anyone thirsty for an alternative perspective.
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| Prof Tom Odhiambo led the panel discussion |
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| Mwachiro autographs copies of Invisible |
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