Voices of Solidarity Podcast

The Power of Softness: Shishani on Art, Identity, and Connection

In the inaugural re-launch episode of Voices of Solidarity, host Alex Storer in London welcomes Shishani, Namibian-born singer, songwriter, producer, and activist from her home in Amsterdam. Together they explore identity, belonging, creativity, and the power of art to build connection across differences. Shishani reflects on growing up between cultures, using music as a form of healing and activism, and why softness may be one of the most powerful forces for change in a divided world. Topics include:• Art as activism• LGBTQIA+ community and solidarity• Identity and belonging• Colonial history and social justice• Building connection across differences Voices of Solidarity is a podcast celebrating the stories, ideas, and experiences that strengthen LGBTQIA+ communities and human rights movements around the world. Because every story is a thread. And together, we weave the tapestry. Learn more at OurPride.org [http://ourpride.org]. Get full access to Voices of Solidarity at ourpride.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpride.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Advocating for LGBTIQ+ Rights in Uganda

In this episode of Voices of Solidarity, Hans Senfuma, an online activist and campaigner from Uganda, delivers his presentation from the ILGA Pan-African Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Speaking from lived experience, Hans describes what it means to advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights in a country where existence itself is criminalized, digital expression is surveilled, and visibility carries real and immediate risk. His presentation traces the legal landscape shaped by Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, the increasing dangers faced by online activists, and the emotional toll of sustained digital harassment, doxxing, and state-enabled hostility. This episode is not an interview. It is a witness — a clear, courageous articulation of the realities facing queer Ugandans today, and a call for international solidarity, accountability, and sustained support. What You’ll Hear in This Episode * The criminalization of LGBTIQ+ identity and expression in Uganda * How digital platforms have become both lifelines and danger zones * Platform suppression, shadow-banning, and content removal targeting queer advocates * The mental health cost of constant surveillance and harassment * Why activists persist — even when isolated * A call to repeal the Anti-Homosexuality Act and support grassroots resistance Content Note This episode includes discussion of criminalization, state violence, online harassment, and mental health impacts related to LGBTIQ+ persecution. Call to Action * Share this episode to amplify Hans’s voice * Support grassroots LGBTIQ+ organizations in Uganda * Advocate for accountability from governments and tech platforms * Stand in solidarity — transform one voice into a chorus About the Speaker Hans Senfuma is a Ugandan online activist and human rights campaigner whose work focuses on digital advocacy, visibility, and protection for LGBTIQ+ communities living under criminalization. His activism centers the lived realities of queer Ugandans navigating hostile legal, political, and digital environments. About This Podcast Voices of Solidarity is a mission-driven audio podcast produced by Rainbow Advocacy. The series centers lived experience as expertise, amplifying voices from communities most affected by injustice, displacement, and systemic harm. These are not conversations for performance — they are acts of listening, documentation, and solidarity. Content Note This episode includes discussion of criminalization, state violence, online harassment, and mental health impacts related to LGBTIQ+ persecution . Get full access to Voices of Solidarity at ourpride.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpride.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Gay Poems for Red States

OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest [http://ourpride.org] partner organization, the international Charter for Compassion [http://charterforcompassion.org], featured an interview with author Willie Edward Taylor Carter, Jr. in their Global Reads series hosted by Felipe Zurita Quintana. Months after being named 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. made a heartbreaking choice—he walked away from the classroom. I can’t stop thinking about his story. Willie spent more than a decade teaching high school English, giving everything he had to his students. But the same courage that made him a great teacher also made him a target. Early in his career, an administrator told him flat-out: “Don’t talk about being gay. No one will protect you—including me.” For a while, a new administration gave him some breathing room. But eventually, that first warning came true. School officials looked the other way as LGBTQ+ students were harassed. They looked the other way when Willie himself was harassed. He testified before Congress to shine a light on what’s happening in our schools, but by then the damage was done. He loved teaching—but no one should have to teach under threat just for being who they are. Willie’s response? He didn’t go silent. Instead, he wrote Gay Poems for Red States—a book that’s part memoir, part love letter to Appalachia, and entirely full of hope. It’s not just poetry. It’s a reminder that even in hostile places, beauty and pride can take root. Reading his story, I feel a mix of anger and admiration. Anger that we’re still here, fighting the same old battles. Admiration because Willie refuses to let hate define him—or his students. His words are a lifeline to every LGBTQ+ kid who’s searching for a home in a place that doesn’t always welcome them. This isn’t just his story. It’s all of ours. Check it out on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/States-Willie-Edward-Taylor-Carver/dp/0813198127] Get full access to Voices of Solidarity at ourpride.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpride.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Tanzania Trilogy Wins 2025 OUR PRIDE Shorts Fest

Los Angeles-based Rainbow Advocacy [http://rainbowadvocacy.org], producer of the 2025 OUR PRIDE Short Film Festival [http://ourpride.org], has announced the winner of Best Short Film Series: "We're Not Criminals," a trilogy of poetry short films that boldly call for dignity, visibility and equal rights for those pushed to the margins. It is a creation of "Unmute," a spoken word project created by Omary Baajun [https://www.instagram.com/baajun_poet/] and filmmaker Brother Zaheed. The project challenges prejudice and celebrates the power of poetry to reclaim identity and belonging. An Official WorldPride [http://worldpridedc.org] 2025 Partner Event, the 2025 OUR PRIDE Short Film Festival was hosted by and in partnership with the Charter for Compassion [http://charterforcompassion.org]. Omary Baajun is an award-winning poet, writer, editor, publisher, and ambassador of peace and human rights. The trilogy is rooted in Baajun's work as the founder and executive director of GenDAR Initiative, a grassroots organization based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. GenDAR utilizes arts, education, and research to amplify human rights, particularly for the LGBTIA+ community. The poems in “We’re Not Criminals” directly address the experiences and struggles of the queer community in Tanzania and Africa at large UKIWA / The TragedyA reflection on love, loss and the quiet struggles faced in a society that resists difference -- and justifies hate, selfishness, violence, and silence. HOPEThe poem gives voice to the quiet pain of hiding, the weight of fear, and the grief of love denied. But within that darkness, it also honors strength, love and resistance that continue to grow. A tribute to queer lives across Africa, where being queer often means facing criminalization, violence, and deep social rejection. The poem gives voice to the quiet pain of hiding, the weight of fear, and the grief of love denied. But within that darkness, it also honors the strength, love, and resistance that continue to grow. “HOPE” is a reminder that even where freedom is denied, the human spirit endures—and that hope, however fragile, still exists. ALIVE The poem reclaims voice and identity. It speaks for those buried in silence, erased by family, and judged by society, and executed by the law -- but still standing strong. ALIVE is resistance, truth, and the demand to be seen as fully human. It reminds the world that being a human must not be a crime. A defiant declaration of queer existence in a world that often denies it. Rooted in the harsh realities of rejection, misrepresentation, and spiritual violence, especially within traditional African communities, the poem reclaims voice and identity. It speaks for those buried in silence, erased by family, and judged by society, and executed by the law—but still standing. “ALIVE” is not just survival; it is resistance, truth, and the demand to be seen as fully human. It reminds the world that being a human must not be a crime. Omary Baajun is a multi-award-winning poet, writer, editor, storyteller, researcher, curator, environmentalist, and certified ambassador for peace and human rights. He proudly identifies as non-binary and queer. His involvement in diplomacy includes serving as a Young African Diplomat and a member of the U.S. Department of State’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), as well as participating in other notable programs such as Tanzania International Model United Nations (TIMUN), Business Scouts for Development, and The Dream Academy. These efforts earned him the WLFPH International Ambassador of Peace Award, conferred by the World Literary Forum for Peace and Human Rights in 2022 (South Asia), and the WAOW Global Humanitarian Award in 2023 (India). In the artistic realm, Baajun is known for his dynamic poetry performances, theatre work, and his band. He also curates youth art programs and has been involved in projects such as Kwetu ni Kwetu, City Pride, Unmute, The Pitching Lab, among others. A significant aspect of his work is advocacy and activism — he uses his platform to champion human rights, peace, and justice. Baajun is the founder of GenDar Hub Tanzania [http://givebutter.com/gendar], a creative space in Dar es Salaam that utilizes arts, education, and research to promote gender equality, inclusion, and human rights. He is also the CEO of Kwetu Publishers, a small publishing firm dedicated to empowering marginalized voices. Additionally, he serves as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Tanzania Writers Association, Chairman of the Queer Creatives Tanzania Network, and Country Ambassador for both the World Association of Women Warriors and Our Pride Tanzania. Selected Awards and Honors: • Honorary Award for Swahili Literature • AWT Creative Luminary of the Year 2025 (Nigeria) • TAMEYA Special Ability Award 2024 (Tanzania) • UNI Awards: Best Performance Poet & Author 2023 (Tanzania) • AfriCAN Honoree Authors’ Award 2023 (South Africa) • Kwanzaa Award 2022 (USA) • Mulher Forte African Literature Award 2022 (Botswana) “For decades, our stories, creativity, innovations, music, literature, and art have been denied the chance to be showcased and celebrated in art spaces, cultural centers, and innovation hubs across Tanzania. This is why we are raising funds to create our own space — a place where we belong. A place where LGBTQ people can thrive as artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs. A space where our ideas are welcomed, our talents are celebrated, and our community can build a future on our own terms. With your support [http://givebutter.com/gendar], through this hub, we will create opportunities to generate income, create jobs, and empower each other through our work.”- Omary Baajun Get full access to Voices of Solidarity at ourpride.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpride.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Our Motherland Africa

I made this video to reclaim what was erased and to speak directly to the motherland from a place of truth, pain and pride. Blending poetry, music, and a bold face, the piece reclaims erased queer histories and speaks directly to the African continent. Both personal and political, the work is a call to remember, resist, and re-root in the fullness of African identity. Ato Kwamina HasfordGHANA Get full access to Voices of Solidarity at ourpride.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpride.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]