In Namibia sodomy is still a crime. Gay relationships are stigmatized against. Young gay men often live in the closet and have hidden relationships. This is worst when gay men live with HIV. This project will work directly with young gay men to produce the first Namibian gay love story that will address positively issues young men face and how to deal with them.
Young Gay Namibian men don't have positive narrative to relate to. There are LGBTI organisations they can refer to. But when back in the community, when dealing with the complexity of starting a relationship in a country that still criminalises same sex relationships, they have no role models. It doesn't help addressing HIV testing and treatment nor motivate those on treatment to adhere to their treatment. They fear nobody will want to date them if it is discovered they are living with the virus
The Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO) uses Arts to create social awareness. When discussing with young gay men in the country, it is clear that an unmet need is that they don't have positive Namibian stories to relate to. The aim of this project is to produce with young Namibian gay men the first ever Namibian gay love story short film. We will empower young gay men while educating the wider population. This project is partly funded by Positive Action for MSM&T.
With the final product (DVD) we want to reach at least 500 gay men and 4,000 people from the wider community. We want to engage the public in discussion around stigma and discrimination, encourage HIV testing among MSM, inform MSM about PrEP and encourage the wider population to become engaged, sign petition to decriminalize same sex relationships and help create safe spaces for all Namibians.
