P15 – And Still We Rise
Nancy Nicol . York University
This panel and film screening will focus on the experiences of Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights working with Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) to document through film the lives, experiences and human rights work of SMUG and the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Uganda as they responded to the Anti Homosexuality Act in Uganda. Audiences will hear directly from activists who will share their strategies for international solidarity; discuss resistance to the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda; and share their insights on participatory documentary as a strategy for activism and social change. The panel will screen the documentary, And Still We Rise (68 minutes, 2015) created by Envisioning in partnership with SMUG. And Still We Rise is a stirring story of resistance and resilience in the face of hate and lies. The documentary follows Richard Lusimbo as he documents the impact of the Anti Homosexuality Act in Uganda and gives an inside look at resistance by civil society, linking this issue to broader human rights and civil liberties in Uganda. Nicholas Opiyo (Chapter Four Uganda) examines this issue in the context of the post 9/11 assault on civil liberties; Dr. Sylvia Tamali (Law, Makerere University) deconstructs the myth that ‘homosexuality is Un-African’. Dr. Frank Mugisha (SMUG), Adrian Jjuuko (Human Rights and Awareness Promotion Forum), and others describe the personal and organizational impacts of the Act.
