This project explores how ideas about gender in African contexts were shaped by colonial history, and how African communities have always held gender identities and expressions that go far beyond the colonial categories of ‘man’ and ‘woman’. The archive brings together objects, stories, and perspectives that show the long presence of queer, non-binary, trans, inter, feminist/womanist, and other alternative gender expressions in African histories.
The project team will support contributors throughout the process and help turn their material — text, audio, visual, or mixed — into an archive entry. Final contributions may take the form of short essays, object analyses, artistic responses, interviews, or multimodal pieces. Contributions may focus on a museum artefact and its queer history, or on objects, image, or video connected to contemporary queer life on the continent and the diaspora — including themes of remembrance, community, queer ancestry, visibility, healing, spirituality, healthcare, body politics, or social inequalities.
The project welcomes cultural experts, artists, researchers, heritage communities, organisations, museums, activists, and others interested in contributing. Contributors may be based anywhere. Submissions can only be accepted in English. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
Contributors will also have opportunities to meet and exchange with each other. A follow-up project is planned. The project offers a one-time honorarium of 600 EUR.
