My Gay Brother Was Condemned to Three Years of Imprisonment
by Sybille Ngo Nyeck

Sybille Ngo Nyeck: Hello, Florence.

Florence Monevondo: Hello, Sybille.

SNN: Florence Monevondo, you are a Cameroonian who has been living in Europe for many years now. Before leaving Cameroon, had you ever heard about homosexuality in this country? If the answer is yes, what do you think about this sexual orientation?

FM: Of course, I had heard about homosexuality in Cameroon. My thinking concerning this sexual orientation is simple. I think everyone is free to run their life so that making our own freedom is not a stumbling block for others. I believe it’s wrong to judge people on the basis of their sexual orientation rather than taking into consideration their contribution to human welfare.

I don’t think homosexuality is unknown to our African cultures. We were just afraid to talk about it. This sexual orientation is as old as the world itself.

SNN: In the name of this freedom, there are some journalists in Cameroon who are decrying homosexuality as a perversion. Some call it a form of "sexual terrorism"; one of the multitude heritages of colonialism. Is homosexuality totally unknown to African traditions?

FM: (laughing…) I don’t think homosexuality is unknown to our African cultures. We were just afraid to talk about it. This sexual orientation is as old as the world itself. You have surely heard about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. I think it’s ignorance that make some folks view homosexuality as a perversion. What do we reject? Is it the very sexual act or the fact that this is taking place between same-sex partners? Homosexual’s phantasms are common to heterosexuals. Oral or anal sex is well practiced by both heterosexuals and homosexuals. To come back to your question, homosexuality exists in our societies and usually in the harems. Women in these harems used to spend long periods of time far from their common husband. This situation facilitated "special friendships" between women. In our modern day, the cult of harems still flourishes in some parts of Africa. So, it is ignorance that makes us connect homosexuality to witchcraft.

SNN: You seem to know more about the gay and lesbian world in your home country. Please could you give us a glimpse of what it looks like? Are there things that worry you?

FM: As in all societies, the gay world in my country is diversified. There are gays who openly advertise their preference for same-sex partners, but not without risking their lives, since homosexuality is unlawful in Cameroon. These open gays lack stability and long-term relationships.

There are also closeted gays and lesbians: people who live their love stories in discretion and silence. All social classes are represented in this category. In sum, I feel like it still difficult for the majority to move past the big obstacles that prevent them from coming out.

There also some "occasional bisexuals," who in reality depend on their same-sex partner because of financial interests.

For some gays, it would be understandable to justify their invisibility just based on fear, but I think the Judeo-Christian education creates a culpability towards God.

SNN: The instability in relationships, the fear to be open — are they not attempts to protect oneself against a society that gives no security to gays? What is your experience about violence against homosexuals in your country?

FM: For some gays, it would be understandable to justify their invisibility just based on fear, but I think the Judeo-Christian education creates a culpability towards God. The hatred of the body, as well as the lack of unbiased information, make the homosexual’s life difficult. Gays have little support when facing difficulties and this situation makes them depressive.

Concerning homophobic violence, I have to mention that my gay brother was condemned to three years of imprisonment with probation and to pay a fine of 150,000FCFA. The sentence could have been worse.

Another reality is that gays and lesbians are often raped by those whom claim to be the "heterosexual norm’s defenders." Moreover, AIDS persecutes the whole society. Still there is currently no information or prevention program that takes this issue of sexual orientation into consideration.

SNN: How did you and your family react during and after your brother’s trial?

FM: I have always been supportive of my brother. Coming from a polygamous family, we’ve suffered from mockery and insults from my father’s other wives. One of our cousins, who at that time was publishing in CE SOIR magazine, wrote a virulent article against my brother.

Today, things are changing. My brother is successful in his professional life and this bestows to him some respect in our family, even though to make it he was force to go into exile.

SNN: Is your choice of the Buddha religion a way to exorcise yourself and your family of the demons of intolerance that you said shadow the Christian message?

FM: Buddhism has helped me to free myself from the sufferings that were caused by the judgement of others. This philosophy has enabled me to understand the real meaning of life. I think religion has been used to make people happy and slaves. Religion should be used to serve us and not the contrary. I offer a quote from the Buddhist teachings: "If the human heart is not pure, their soil is not pure too; if the heart is pure, the soil is pure too. So, there are two soils pure and not pure in themselves. There is purity or impurity of our lives." This means that the causes of suffering can be found by searching within us and we can face them and transform them into joy. Our environment reflects our true state of life.

SNN: If it is true that the causes of suffering can be found within the sufferers what could be the role of gays and lesbians in homophobia?

FM: Unfortunately, there are a lot of homophobic homosexuals. Things will not change if gays and lesbians continue to feed guilty feelings towards their sexuality. Revolution always requires courage as well as good and coordinated action according to the problems that need solutions.

SNN: Thank you, Florence, for your guidance.

FM: You’re welcome.

Sybille Ngo Nyeck is a regular contributor to A Globe of Witnesses. Her monthly column is Colors of Conscience. Sybille can be emailed at sybeck77@yahoo.fr