This statement by one of Trans and Intersex History Africa’s (TIHA) founders, Victor Mukasa, speaks to the rationale behind the TIHA project, the history of trans and intersex movements in Africa, and the importance of archiving our histories/herstories/theirstories.
“It is important that African trans and intersex people speak for ourselves because these are our experiences, these are our stories, these are our lives. It is our challenges, it is our joys, it is us. No other person can speak better for trans and intersex people than ourselves. And we have the ability and that is why we are doing it on the TIHA website because we can do this ourselves and we are able to collect our stories, with support. This is why we have to go back and look for all those that contributed, all those that experienced life in these identities. History gets distorted if those who experienced it are not the ones telling it. In order for us to get an authentic account of where we come from, we need to get it from the trans and intersex people themselves in Africa. When we do it ourselves then we own it because it is our life. We own it.“
“It is known worldwide that a movement without history that is documented and placed somewhere accessible, is a movement that works blindly. To have a vision we need to realise where we have come from. That is what gives us strength. The histories of trans and intersex people in Africa need to be documented and made accessible for this reason. That documentation is wealth to those who will come after us. That documentation, our histories, are the fuel that drives us. It is our pride, it is the torch that every time things get difficult we look back, see how far we have come, see what we did to come that far. It is important to show the resilience of people in Africa so that we have something that will energise those who come after. The pride they will have in their history will push them into preserving that and to fighting for every trans and intersex person who comes after.“
We document events and important moments in a visual timeline as experienced and remembered by activists on the African Continent and within the African Diaspora.
As is the case worldwide, the anti-gender, conservative, TERF rhetoric continues to gain strength and influences government policies, law and public sentiment, which impacts trans and intersex people’s lived realities and their fundamental human rights. We believe that the Trans and Intersex History in Africa (TIHA) project can contribute to the efforts of organisations, specifically those who cannot publicise their work due to threat of financial and legal consequences (which includes one of our founding partners), to ensure that trans and intersex existence is recorded. This record will play a part in ensuring the collaborative strength of the African movements in combating the anti-trans and anti-intersex sentiment on the continent and in the African diaspora.
The TIHA website acknowledges the existence of multiple movements, networks, groups and individuals and that the stories to be told are intersectional and carry various voices to form histories/herstories/theirstories. We are making a start with the information currently available but invite stories in whatever media to be submitted from across the continent and from the many places and voices not yet represented.
While we are in a continuous process of rethinking this important work, we invite you to engage with the information that the TIHA Timeline and Talk Shows present. Get involved! Reach out! You can list your organisation/group through the self-list platform, and can share your stories through the Talk Show, or get in touch with us directly. We particularly invite first person stories and can facilitate the sharing of these.
There are many African organisations. groups and individuals who over the years have contributed in invaluable ways to the stories of the Trans and Intersex movements who are not yet included in our timeline.
We want to acknowledge and include all verifiable contributions.
We are a group of African activists who have all been actively involved in the early years of the trans and intersex movements in Africa and the African Diaspora. We are committed to preserving the histories of the trans and intersex movements, communities, networks, organisations and individuals on the continent.
In March 2023 The Trans and Intersex History Africa website (TIHA) and Gender DynamiX (GDX) signed a memorandum of agreement to formalise a partnership of alliance.
As we develop our website we will include a library of media including podcasts, sound clips, live interviews and discussions such as this video where Victor Mukasa talks to transfeminist activist, Leigh Ann van der Merwe, about International Transgender Day of Visibility
