Pride Month this year really did leave me with a lot of reflections. Firstly, seeing more local brands show up for the pride flag was impressive, but also knowing that the same brands have done nothing for the queer movement in Botswana, was such a hard pill to swallow as I scrolled through most of those Pride Month posts on the socials.
Don’t get me wrong, the whole purpose of this piece is not to ridicule anyone or expose, or even worse yet, cancel anyone, but to remind you, the reader, about the importance of true ally ship. Gone are the days where performative activism is praised in boardrooms. NGO’s and movements really depend on your funds to continue challenging the system and bringing about positive change to the lives of marginalized people in our local communities.
Never stop learning about the history and current issues faced by queer people. This knowledge will only make you a person who knows how to respect and understand other people’s boundaries. Also, understand this, in your journey to adapting to this new world, you will make mistakes, e.g. forgetting to use the correct pronoun, but this shouldn’t stop you from learning from your mistakes, apologize and change your behavior going forward.
Also, stay engaged! The next time Banana Club hosts one of their dialogue sessions for queer people living in Botswana, show up, learn and show your support. We all have a part to play and stopping at just the pride flag will never be enough. Lastly, OPEN YOUR PURSE.
About Writer: Brilliant Kodie is a 26 year old Creative Entrepreneur from Kalkfontein Botswana, who currently is based in Gaborone running THOSE GUYS, a social marketing agency, which has functioning branches in Gaborone and Maun & a virtual branch in Francistown.
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