Botswana, Africa

Intro: Peaceful Botswana in southern Africa is both modern-urban and simple-rural, rich and poor, prosperous and challenged, with both an anti-gay law and a playful assertive gay community the breathes freely. It’s a huge country with elephants, deserts, paved roads, a tolerant President and intolerant churches, a big university and various gay-friendly venues and lots of out, young, bold LGBTs. By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com March 2011 By coincidence I arrived in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, on a quiet yet historic day of human rights in Botswana: for the first time ever a law suit was filed against the government of Botswana claiming that the existing law criminalizing homosexual behavior (not ‘being’ homosexual) is unconstitutional. (photo right, parliament building). The suit was jointly filed by LeGaBiBo gay organization (Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana) and a Botswana human rights organization, Bonela (Botswana Network on Ethics, Laws and HIV/AIDS)who have been

Botswana Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp), in Botswana, is the world’s largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea. Each year approximately 11 cubic kilometres of water irrigate the 15,000 km² area and some flood-waters drain into Lake Ngami. Posted North-West, Botswana.

Botswana Capital City of Gaborone Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 195,000, about ten percent of the total population. (Botswana is a mostly rural country with only six cities.) Because the Gaborone had no major tribal affiliation, in ‘neutral territory,’ and was close to the fresh water in the Notwane River the city was planned to be the capital in the mid-1960s when the Bechuanaland Protectorate became the independent nation of Botswana from England. (It had been a British territory since 1885. Independence happened without warfare or a tyrant taking over.) The city is the economic and political hub of the country. It’s marked by a variety of architectural styles, from art nouveau to Bauhaus to colonial to sleek modern and has several modern shopping malls in the suburbs. Posted Gaborone, South-East, Botswana.

From wild animals to city streets, the two day drive from the Okavango Delta east to Francistown (2nd largest city) then south to the capital of Gaborone is a contrast in landscape, habitat and roadside attractions. It’s a long drive filled with a variety of animal and plant life in swamps, grass veld on and off paved/tarred roads. Posted North-West, Botswana.

A first-person assessment of gay Botswana travel in the African nation, and a view of the LGBT community, economy and rights issues.

Intro: Posted here are some excerpts from various sources of information about the LGBT struggle for rights and recognition in Botswana, It is a frustrating effort with government blockages and homophobia along the way. However, despite much difficult news there are a couple of good recent stories posted here at the end: love conquers all. January 2011 Being homosexual in Botswana As in many African countries, it’s not easy here–but it’s not awful. Homosexuality is regarded as wrong and sinful by conseratives and it’s technically a crime punishable with a possible jail sentence if convicted.  Section 164 Penal Code defines it as “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature…, carnal knowledge of animal or permits carnal knowledge of him/her against the order of nature…” However, the law is virtualy never enforced and there are no goon squads out looking for gays to bash. Nevertheless LGBTI people of

Westhampton, MA – October 13, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Yesterday I received the very sad news about the death of LGBT leader Keith Goddard, director of GALZ (Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe). GlobalGayz was privileged to meet and interview with Keith in the spring of 2009. He was comfortable to be with, witty and thoughtful–and he was a force for change and human rights. We spent much of the day together including a ‘deluxe’ lunch at the nearby 40 Cork Road Cafe where we reminisced about our youthful coming out days (before Mugabe) and compared them to today’s society. Keith was given a frail body but a strong mind and was unruffled about the oppression from the corrupt Zimbabwe government, having eluded serious persecution for nearly 20 years. He knew well how to steer GALZ out of harm’s way and still get the job done of health education all