Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

Illegal Love Being Gay in Africa

Illegal Love Being Gay in Africa Being homosexual in certain African countries means your relationship is illegal, gay-rights activism is unlawful, and prison sentences or worse could be lawfully carried-out by family, neighbors, the police and even strangers.
Gay Pride Picnic 2013 Johannesburg South Africa

Illegal Love Being Gay in Africa

Being Gay in Africa, the severe suppression on homosexual relationships is not restricted to Nigeria, The Gambia, Uganda, and Kenya. Numerous African countries criminalize homosexual relationships, with penalties ranging from misdemeanors to death sentences. 

Currently, there are two countries in Africa where being homosexual could legally carry a death sentence. One African country allows legal same-sex marriages and civil unions, South Africa but life is still difficult if you are gay

Junior Mayema was enrolled in law school and hiding his sexual orientation in his hometown Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 

Mayema’s mother publicly denounced him as evil and tried to kill him plotting to inject him with gasoline. Heavyhearted Mayema decided to seek asylum in South Africa since he was facing a daily threat from his family and the fact homosexuality is a crime in DRC.

An activist at Uganda's first gay pride parade in Kampala this August. Photograph: Rachel Adams/EPA

Mayema appeared in the film From the Same Soil that documented refugees in Cape Town and experiences being openly gay. However, his new life in South Africa was full of disappointments since he was not accepted as being openly gay. 

When Mayema turned to the police for help, the police only offered physical and verbal abuse. Mayema left Cape Town November 2014 to start a new life in the San Francisco California USA thanks to the help of The UN Refugee Agency and thousands of well-wishers.

South African traditional gay wedding

Homosexual acts are illegal in Kenya, however Kenyan author, journalist and winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2002, Binyavanga Wainaina has come out to say he is gay.

Wainaina says he knew he was homosexual since he was five years old and part of his reason for coming out was the Nigerian anti-gay law and the senseless violence surrounding the new law.

Wainaina says he was also inspired to come out by the deaths of his father and a gay friend. He announced in an essay that he called “the lost chapter” of his memoir, that he was gay. Wainaina ends his “the lost chapter”
I am five when I close my self into a vague happiness that asks for nothing much from anybody. Absent-minded. Sweet. I am grateful for all love. I give it more than I receive it, often. I can be selfish. I masturbate a lot, and never allow myself to crack and grow my heart. I touch no men. I read books. I love my dad so much, my heart is learning to stretch. I am a homosexual.

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
  2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
  3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
  4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
  5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
  6. About African Night Running


Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

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Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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