Call Me Kuchu: New documentary about Uganda’s LGBT community

Two documentary filmmakers traveled to Uganda last year to help tell the story of Uganda’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community — a community that is besieged by a hostile administration, media, and culture. Their film, Call Me Kuchu (“kuchu” is a slang term for Ugandan LGBTs), centers largely on David Kato, one of Uganda’s most outspoken LGBT activists.

The story behind the film shifted abruptly after Kato was murdered this January. The filmmakers returned to Kampala to document the impact of this loss; the resulting film both celebrates the courage of Kato and the LGBT community and mourns his death. The official description:

Call Me Kuchu examines the astounding courage and determination required not only to battle an oppressive government, but also to maintain religious conviction in the face of the contradicting rhetoric of a powerful national church. As we paint a rare portrait of an activist community and its antagonists, our key question explores the concept of democracy: In a country where a judiciary increasingly recognizes the rights of individual kuchus, yet a popular vote and daily violence threaten to eradicate their rights altogether, can this small but spirited group bring about the political and religious change it seeks?

The filmmakers are looking for funding to help edit the film on Kickstarter. If you’re able to donate — even $1 — please do.

4 thoughts on “Call Me Kuchu: New documentary about Uganda’s LGBT community”

  1. Ah, white people! At the risk of sounding bigoted, which I’m not, I’ll offer a simple piece of advice: these hostile and relentless attempts to push a lifestyle that’s repugnant to most Ugandans into the limelight, with hopes that they’ll gradually come to accept it, will backfire. As the society develops and traditional (or Christian: it’s not coincidental that homosexuality is acceptable in western societies) norms and beliefs are eroded, people will gradually see it as less distasteful, sinful and foreign.

    Otherwise, it suspiciously looks like a foreign attack with the aim of making us abandon our cultures and religion. That’s a strategy that’ll win you few friends.

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