LETTER FROM BUKAVU
Sasha (all the first names of the witnesses cited have been changed) has been living in a storage room for a little over six months. His mattress, placed on the muddy ground when the rain comes, is leaned against the lockers of Primus, the most popular beer in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A little brother “, bar owner, allowed her to move into the back room. “In exchange, I give a helping hand for the service, but I’m scared. I’m not safe here.” explains the young woman. The latest threats date back to early January. A greyed-out serviceman publicly yelled “You’re a lesbian, you can’t live here!” »
Seated at the back of the room where a dozen plastic chairs and tables are scattered, Sasha scrutinizes the comings and goings of customers. The TV volume is high and drowns out his voice from prying ears. “I tell you? », she asks in Swahili, the language commonly spoken in the region. The 30-year-old launches and does not omit any detail of the story that made her an activist for the homosexual cause in the DRC. Against his will.
The kiss too many
In remembrance of the sweet evening of Valentine’s Day 2022, “my girlfriend Nathalie posted a story about us on TikTok”, recounts the one who usually kept her love stories secret. In one of the videos, the two women kiss on the corner of the lips. It’s the kiss too much that ignites the Web. Quickly, the text messages or anonymous calls multiply and Sasha has to change the number. “Even my close friends have been insulted on social networks”she wonders.
But the nightmare does not end there. Several Congolese agents from the General Directorate of Migration take a dislike to the couple and begin what Sasha describes as ” bullying “. They first reveal the photos to his family, who knew nothing of his sexual orientation. “I was chased from my home and my neighborhood”details the waitress, originally from Bukavu, a Congolese town on the border with Rwanda.
Then, these same police officers attack Nathalie, of Rwandan nationality but living in the DRC. “One day, she crossed the border to visit her sister on the Rwandan side. When she wanted to return to the DRC, Congolese customs confiscated her documents and she had to turn back. She tried again to enter a few months later with new papers. But once again, it was impossible, because, they told him, homosexuality is forbidden in the DRC”continues Sasha.
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