This August 2023 I got the chance to be part of an event called AfroYanga. Now I know what you're thinking, it's November and what is AfroYanga? 

Earlier in the year I partook in an exhibition in south London at the homegrown arts festival and got to meet other black creatives, pumped up from that one experience, I was eager to experience that sense of community again and this event was the perfect opportunity. Having a chance to connect with artists and other African people in a Western environment is something extremely important to me and often it can be alienating, especially in artistic spaces that don’t allow a lot of room for intersectional identities to exist let alone. So that wish for connectivity and community with people who have had similar experiences is something crucial and enriching once found and AfroYanga gave me a taste of that.

By Chanda Mwamba

The event took place on an unassuming Friday 1st of August just before Black UK pride ( which I found out at the event) if I had known I would have planned for the whole weekend! 

Sponsored by Living free UK, an organisation that supports Africans and people of colour as part of the LGBTQ+ fitting very well with the types of groups present at the event named AfroYanga meaning “African Pride”, with this year's theme being “A touch of Africa”.

I was nervous about making a good impression and making a solo trip to London but my fears were quickly dispelled as I was surrounded by so many people in such different industries but welcoming and friendly. From advertising agencies like to support groups for refugees and asylum seekers there was a whole range of groups for anyone looking for a place of support. Diverse might seem like an overused word but rings very true. I was astounded by just how diverse it was and seeing queer people thrive and find community with each other. For example, Black and brown rainbow a peer-led grassroots organisation, a freephone service for black and brown LGBTQI people with informative posts and the African Queer Collective a collective that supports black and queer artists based in the Uk invited me to this wonderful event.

It was my first time after moving to the UK being surrounded by so many queer people of colour and it was a treat being part of the African queer collective who invited me to the event. My nerves were blown away by how super accommodative everyone was and by meeting other creatives with so many types of initiatives; groups to help refugees, aid initiatives and groups for black women it was so moving to see everyone co-existing in such a positive way

It was also a great chance to network and talk to many professionals in different industries and opened my eyes to the way one can exist in the working world 

Also great is seeing London’s Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard who was a guest speaker, talk and recognise the importance of queer people and how it contributes to the ecosystem of the Uk specifically London in this case. And having someone in some position of power acknowledging the diversity or the importance of queer people in a is crucial I believe to having more queer people get the roses that their due

The evening had many festivities with good karaoke- honestly, can it be karaoke if people sound way too good lol and food ( jollof rice that I had to eat on the bus ride back home but was good nonetheless!).

But the biggest highlight was having people share various works and performances in the evening. They were a couple of very poignant and meaningful works but the one that stuck with me the most was 14 years and a day. A short film that was shot in one day and directed by Uyaledu Ikpe-Etim and Ayo Lawson, two Nigerian filmmakers and directors. The work follows A queer woman who’s been in a relationship for 14 years navigating what being in a queer relationship in Nigeria would be like and the real human emotions it consists of like any relationship.

Its title alludes to the sentence given to those part of the lgbtq are given in Nigeria (the 14 years) but also in most African countries. But instead of it focusing on the fear of being queer in such spaces it appreciates how beautiful life could be and the joys of being true to yourself- the wonder of what can happen in one day. I also feel like there’s a lovely takeaway of how important lgbtq+ safe spaces are integral to any space. The real highlight was the reactions of everyone in the room audibly gasping and laughing, reacting so emotionally to the work(and we all know how top-tier African reactions are!). 

An electric performance by Wesley Dykes- a drag king whose rendition of classic man should become official in my opinion. The workshops also helped with sharing our stories and perspectives and faith things that can be limited home but here are given a second life. It felt fulfilling and wonderful even as I went back knowing I would want to be part of this again and knowing that I wasn’t alone.