South Africa hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup, and on 9 February 2003. During the Parade of Nations and as part of the opening ceremony, the event’s organisers appointed models to walk in the parade, holding banners to represent each participating country. Senegalese-born model, Barbara Diop, had done modelling work in South Africa (she moved …
Featured in international film festivals in 1998, the documentary, Woubi Chéri, directed by Laurent Bocahut and Philip Brooks, focused on the lives of Woubis*, Yossis**, and other members of the Branché*** community in Ivory Coast. The award-winning documentary was featured globally in various film festivals and on a number of documentary platforms. The film won Best …
In the Ivory Coast, the Travesti* was a prominent group, recognised and documented from the early 1990s, but they were most likely active before the 90s**. They formed L’association des Travestis de Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast Transvestites Association), under the leadership of Barbara (full name withheld for safety reasons). The first record of the group …
1994 — First Printed Media Reference to The Travesti, Côte d’Ivoire / Ivory Coast Read More »
In the early 1970s, Mozambique was still under colonial rule. In April 1974, political upheaval in Lisbon, Portugal resulted in a coup within the Portuguese military and the dictatorship in Portugal was overthrown. This had a ripple effect on the colonies, including Angola and Mozambique. The Lusaka Accord was signed in September of that same …
1975 — Military Coup Ends Carnival Festival, Mozambique Read More »
While cross-dressing, queerness, homosexuality, and all forms of LGBTIQ+ identities as known today were not widely accepted in day-to-day life in Mozambique, during the 1950s through to the mid-1970s, the annual Carnival provided an opportunity for ‘male’ femininity, cross-dressing, and queer performances. There was no explicit link to what we now recognise as trans or …
