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A Celebration of Courage: Felipa de Souza Award Recipient 1997—Sister Namibia
03/01/1997

Sister Namibia is a collective dedicated to protecting the human rights of women of all ages, races, and cultures. It publishes a multicultural feminist magazine, Sister Namibia, in three languages (English, Afrikaans, and Oshiwambo). The magazine is the first vehicle in Namibia which offers space for lesbians and gays to express their views. In a country where there are no publicly visible homosexual organizations, Sister Namibia is an important forum for dialogue on women's sexualities and the civil and political rights of homosexuals. The Sister Namibia Collective has established itself as a recognized and reliable source of information, and its dedication to feminist politics allows for the strategic joint interrogation of gender and sexuality.

In preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, Sister Namibia ensured that the issue of sexuality remained on the table in Namibia, informing women on Namibia's preparation for this event. The organization also has a small library and most likely the only public library in the country that has a lesbian shelf, stocking novels, analytical works, and periodicals.

In glaring similarity to Zimbabwe's President Mugabe in his disregard for the civil rights and even the humanity of lesbians and gay men, Namibia's President Nujoma declared in December 1996 that "all necessary steps must be taken to combat influences that are influencing [sic] us and our children in a negative way. Homosexuals must be condemned and rejected in our society."

The President's pronouncement was an echo of previous remarks by the Minister of Finance Helmut Angula ("Homosexuality is a mental disorder which can be cured") and by Deputy Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Minister Hadino Hishongwa ("Homosexuality is like cancer or AIDS..." and homosexuals should be "operated on to remove unnatural hormones in them").

Following this spate of homophobic public statements, Sister Namibia provided one of the few voices of reason, allowing for a serious point-by-point discussion of the issues, and for a debunking of the myths surrounding homosexuality and civil rights for gays and lesbians. Sister Namibia's response received wide coverage in the local media, in articles with titles such as "Sister Namibia Wants President to Apologise" (The Namibian, December 20, 1996).