Film exposes role of Ugandan newspapers in persecution of LGBTQ community
Queer Ugandan filmmaker lives in fear for his life, but is determined to keep telling stories from one of the most dangerous countries in the world for the LGBT community.
By Jessica Ross for the Ryerson Journalism Research Centre
Queer Ugandan filmmaker Kamoga Hassan lives in fear for his life, but says he is determined to keep telling stories from one of the most dangerous countries in the world for people who are part of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.
Hassan spoke with Andrea Houston, a freelance journalist and instructor for the Ryerson School of Journalism’s Queer Media course, following a Sept. 20 screening of his 2014 film Outed: The Painful Reality. The movie is a drama based on the true story of what happened after a Ugandan newspaper printed an article that outed the “top 200 homosexuals” in the country. The article listed photos, names and phone numbers and resulted in the arrest, exile and in some cases murder of many of those who were named.
“There are times when I’m really afraid,” said Hassan of making the film and being a queer man in Uganda. “I can seek asylum if I wanted, but if we all run away from Uganda, no one is there to tell these kinds of stories.”
His feature film recounts the true story of how one of the men identified in the newspaper story was tortured by police and killed by a mob. Hassan said he originally wanted to make a documentary about the man’s death, but the victim’s family refused to participate.
“The media is an extension of the government,” said Hassan. “The government uses the media to assert their laws and ideals.”
He said that in Uganda, homosexuality is considered a choice and that he would not want to be queer if it were a choice that he could make.
“I don’t think Canadians truly understand what it’s like to live in fear everyday. Fear for your life, fear for your friends, your lovers, your family,” Houston told students, faculty and others who attended the event organized by the Ryerson Journalism Research Centre.
Read this story on the Ryerson Journalism Research Center website, where it was first published.
