Breaking the silence

Ana Halif is a media campaign aimed at advocating for the issues of sexual and gender diversities in Egypt and Sudan, to gain the support from allies, particularly among service providers. The campaign included a media content collection of documentation with individuals who identify themselves as allies to the queer communities and presented a simple guide as to what and how to be a good ally for queer individuals.

As queer persons we face on a daily basis many forms from violence, hate speech, and discrimination from different spaces including the work place, school, health care service provides, on the streets, at university, and even at home. The campaign aims to deliver multiple reasons from queer allies to other heterosexual individuals on why it is essential to support LGBTQIA+ individuals and to contribute in reducing the degree of violence and stigma against them in society.

The main goals of this project are:

– Create awareness among service providers on the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.

– Improve tolerance among services provided to the LGBTQIA+ community.

A collaborative consortium was made with 8 allies of the queer community from different backgrounds. The stories included individuals from governorates outside Cairo (the capital), and through various work fields: education, legal, employees, and profit-making bodies.

Ana Halif also documented the story of queer individuals within the presence of their family members. Eight individuals shared their experiences, starting with their initial contact with members of the queer community, and the social impact they feel on them being allies to the community.

The outcome of the documentation process was published in the form of stories extracted onto Mesahat’s website, along with related social media platforms, accompanied by a set of designs to attract the attention of readers. The campaign ended with a summarized video shared online.