NAIROBI, Sept 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Inside a dimly-lit recording studio in downtown Nairobi, a man wearing headphones reads animatedly from a script into a microphone as a female producer nods encouragingly through a small window between them.
The scene is one found in most recording studios across the world but the stories being told by this Kenya-based production company are ones that most Africans would never dare to tell.
Meet None on Record, the media house behind "AfroQueer" - Africa's first documentary podcast series providing a rare glimpse into the hidden lives of sexual minorities on a continent where they are widely demonised.
From gay marriage pictures that went viral in Nigeria to the homophobic religious leaders in Kenya who had a change of heart, the bi-weekly eight-part series features stories of how LGBT+ Africans struggle, but also how they flourish.
"We are basically taking our stories and putting them on the record because I think a lot of the times when we are talking about African queers, it's like we don't exist," said Selly Thiam, 38, founder and executive director of None on Record. Read more via Reuters
AfroQueer is a podcast from None On Record telling the stories of Queer Africans from across the continent and diaspora.
Our podcast celebrates queer love, and explores the laws affecting our lives, migration, media, race, class, censorship, family and sex (obviously). Along the way, we also share some bitter truths of what it means to be Queer and African, but also spotlight individuals shifting the landscape of African queerness.
In Season One, we travel to South Africa to unpack race, class and geography at Africa’s oldest Pride; investigate the decades old murder of lesbian activist FannyAnn Eddy in Sierra Leone; talk to gay men blackmailed while using Grindr in Kenya; hear from couples about to get married; and listen in on some of your coming out stories.
Season One of the AfroQueer Podcast is made possible with the support of the British Council.