More than a thousand LGBTIQ activists gather in Cape Town for the largest gathering of sexual diversity activists.
The ILGA World Conference is the most important gathering of LGBT activists globally. It takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, from November 11th to 15th. And we will be participating from Presentes.
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From November 11 to 15, 2024, Cape Town will transform into a world capital of sexual diversity. The ILGA World is the most important gathering of LGBT activists globally.
It brings together more than 1,200 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) human rights defenders from around the world. For five days , they exchange knowledge, share agendas, forge alliances, and discuss current issues. Activists, officials, lawyers, government representatives, researchers, communicators, and strategic allies from more than 100 countries outline strategies to strengthen the defense of human rights in a complex global context.
Together and in unity: Kwa umoja we rise!
Cape Town was chosen as the venue in 2022, in Long Beach (Los Angeles), at the conclusion of the 30th ILGA ( International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) World Conference. After 25 years, the Conference is being held in Africa, with the support of two local host organizations: Iranti and Gender DynamiX.
Iranti is based in Johannesburg and works for the rights of LBQTI people in Africa, through research and multimedia narratives focused on lesbian, trans, gender non-conforming and intersex people in Africa.
Gender DynamiX is the first public trans organization in Africa. Since 2005, it has played a crucial role in the trans and gender-diverse movements in South Africa and across the continent.
The 2024 slogan is "Kwa umoja, we rise!" In Swahili—the most widely spoken language in Africa, spoken by more than 200 million people— "Kwa umoja" means "Together" or "In unity. " "This is a powerful call for solidarity within movements (including our own) in times of adversity ," said ILGA World.
This appeal, they explained, was developed in collaboration with South African activists. “ From ILGA World, we recognize and offer our respect to the Khoe-San/Khoisan tribes as the original inhabitants of the lands where we will be during the conference. We invite you to learn about their traditions and experiences.”
How to change the future
“The only way to change the future is to dream of a better future,” said Tuisina Ymania Brown, co-secretary general of ILGA World, at the press conference held this week to announce the Conference. “Our ancestors did it right. I am here as co-secretary general, the first trans woman in that role, and I stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before me. My shoulders will be the shoulders on which someone else will stand; this is how we make change as a movement, this is how we change the world,” said Tuisina, who shares the role with Luz Elena Aranda.
“All this momentum we’re seeing now is because we’ve been talking about human rights. We can’t fight divided; we have to be united,” she said. She called for putting the concept of intersectionality into practice. Participants in the conference included Julia Ehrt, Executive Director of ILGA; Liberty Matthyse of Gender DynamiX; Lentsu Nchabeleng and Ntuthuzo Ndzomo of Iranti; Jeffrey O’Malley, UNDP Senior Advisor on LGBTI Inclusion for Africa; and Daniele Paletta, ILGA World Communications Manager.
“Building the strategies for this new era”
The ILGA World Conference will take place at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. This venue hosted the first Global Feminist Conference of LBQ* Women in 2019.
Among the participants is a long list of activists fighting for crucial advances in LGBT rights. They include UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Graeme Reid, Brazil's National Secretary for LGBTQIA+ Rights Symmy Larrat, Reverend and activist Mpho Tutu van Furth , the director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Alvaro Bermejo ; intersex human rights advocate Jeff Cagandahan , and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Deputy General Secretary Jordan Ureña Lora , among other speakers at the 31st ILGA World Conference .
Also Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju , advocates who fought in court to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual acts in India.
“This World Conference has a very special significance because it returns to the African continent after twenty years. And it is a great opportunity for our movement to truly embrace an anti-racist agenda from the peripheries,” said Darío Arias, regional co-secretary of ILGALAC, the ILGA chapter for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The region will have an important presence and we will bring our voice, our experience and our strength to build the strategies that this new time requires,” Arias, who is also a leader of the National Pride and Struggle Front of Argentina, told Presentes.
The Trans Memory Archive at the Conference
From Argentina, the Trans Memory Archive will have a prominent presence throughout the five days of the Conference. They will offer daily guided tours of the special exhibition led by members of the archive.
Presentes, media partner of the ILGA World Conference in South Africa
Agencia Presentes will also be in South Africa to cover the Conference and participate in the Communicators' pre-conference on the first day. At ILGA World Conferences, thematic pre-conferences—including those focused on Women, Trade Unions, and Intersex—are dedicated to this purpose, as well as regional meetings.
At the Communications pre-conference on Monday morning, Agencia Presentes will be participating in a session co-organized by ILGA Mundo and The Engine Room. Moderated by Daniele Paletta of ILGA Mundo, the session will feature research on how the digital divide affects LGBTI communities.
There will be a panel featuring Olivia Johnson from The Engine Room, Sandra Kwikiriza from HER Internet, Renae Green from TransWave Jamaica, Lucy Middleton from Context/Thomson Reuters Foundation, and María Eugenia Ludueña from Agencia Presentes. There will also be workshops to collectively envision a connected and secure digital future for everyone.
The program includes a diverse agenda addressing current challenges. Throughout the ILGA World Conference, other events are also taking place, such as the inaugural ceremony of the International Pride Awards , a joint project of ILGA World and UNDP, and a strategic summit for intersectional and inclusive democracies.
The next host city will be decided at the end of the Conference. In recent days, ILGA announced that Tel Aviv's bid had been withdrawn, " as it was deemed to violate ILGA World's goals and objectives as set out in our Constitution."
You can follow the coverage of all these days from Cape Town, by Agustina Ramos and María Eugenia Ludueña, special correspondents who will be reporting on social media and on our agency's website.
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