Sister Namibia

Sister Namibia, formerly known as the Sister Namibia Collective, is a feminist nonpartisan non-governmental organization (NGO) located in Windhoek, Namibia. The organization was established in 1989 on the eve of the Namibia's independence from South Africa. Sister Namibia advocates for women's rights and engages in activities that promote full gender equality in a world free from violence, discrimination, and oppression.

From its inception, the organization's main function has been to produce Sister Namibia Magazine. In the 1990s Sister Namibia expanded its operations to include educational programs, research, activism, media engagement, and cultural activities in support of women's rights.

LGBTIQ

In 1993 the Sister Namibia Collective broadened its advocacy aims to become the first Namibian organization to actively defend the rights of lesbian and gay people. Sister Namibia Magazine began to include stories about the lives and struggles of lesbians and bisexual women while the Collective became an outspoken challenger of homophobia in the news. Homosexuality had not been an issue of public debate in the early years of Namibia's independence, but after Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s denouncement of homosexuals as “lower than pigs and dogs” and “un-African” in 1995 became widely publicized, Namibian officials followed suit. In October 1995 Hadino Hishongwa, Namibia's Deputy Minister for Lands, Resettlement, and Rehabilitation, told a reporter that homosexuality was akin to “cancer or AIDS” and recommended that homosexuals be “operated on to remove unnatural hormones.” Sister Namibia issued a response backed by Namibia's constitution: “We believe that gays and lesbians should have the same rights as heterosexuals in all spheres of life.” In December 1996 at the third South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) Women's Congress in Gobabis, Namibian President Sam Nujoma went off script from his prepared speech and warned that homosexual elements were exploiting Namibia's democracy and declared that “all necessary steps must be taken to combat influences that are influencing us and our children in a negative way. Homosexuals must be condemned and rejected in our society.” Sister Namibia demanded that Nujoma apologize and called for Namibians to “stand up together now and speak out against this or any other kind of hate speech and oppression against any member of our communities.” For its resolve in standing up to government officials in defense of sexual minority rights, and for its inclusion of lesbian and bisexual voices in Sister Namibia Magazine, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) awarded Sister Namibia with the 1997 Felipa de Souza Award. In early 1997, in reaction to alleged homophobic remarks made by President Sam Nujoma, Sister Namibia provided meeting space and helped found The Rainbow Project, an advocacy and support network for lesbians and gay men in Namibia.

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