thursday, 16th december 2021

––––Kumasi (Ghana) / Rome

It's our first meeting with Va-Bene, who is in Kumasi, with an unstable connection that comes and goes, forcing Va-Bene to constantly move to find a good network. Va-Bene is wearing a tank top, it's hot. sHit is enthusiastic about our proposal and laughs infectiously. Va-Bene tells us about sHits work and the space sHit created, a space of residency and production, but also a meeting place for the LGBTQ+ community of Kumasi.  In Ghana, sHit tells us, there are very strong colonial remains, especially in religious contexts - Christianity generates fear, panic, widespread paranoia, a sort of hypnosis.

Homophobia is everywhere and legitimised – the parliament is discussing an anti-LGBTQ+ law, promoted by religious groups and associations. Homosexuality is already illegal and punishable by imprisonment, but this new law would determine an actual criminalisation of gay, lesbian, trans, non-binary and queer people, with sentences up to 10 years. All non-heterosexual practices and sexual activities considered outside the norm (e.g., oral sex, anal sex, use of sex toys) would become illegal, as would public displays of affection, public festivities and initiatives. Medical transition procedures would be interrupted, and there would be "gender realigning" processes for intersex people. Since the beginning of March, when the parliament began drafting this law, violent attacks against LGBTQ+ people increased exponentially.

Va-Bene tells us that sHits works take shape in this environment while facing it. sHit know the religious context very well, as it's part of sHits background. Yet, Va-Bene tells us, unlike the Western representation of Africa as a uniform space, there are many ethnic groups celebrating homosexuality and different sexual identities - homophobia is an entirely colonial legacy. (After all, if we think about the violent persecution of queer people in England, which lasted well into the 20th century, the picture is clear.)

We also discuss translation. There are about 200 languages in Ghana, and Va-Bene is working with some universities on multiple translation projects.

And then she tells us the story of sHits name.