PAI Board

Meet the New Pan Africa ILGA Executive Board (2022-2023)

 

Barbara Wangare (Co-Chair), Kenya

Barbra Wangare (She/Her) is a passionate African queer & trans feminist and gender minority rights activist from Kenya, East Africa. She is the Executive Director of EATHAN – East Africa Trans Health & Advocacy Network; a network of trans & gender diverse activists and organizations in East Africa. Her role at EATHAN is instrumental in representing and advocating for the voices of 26 trans & gender diverse organizations and activists in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, towards the realization of legal, medical & social gender recognition in East Africa. She has over 10 years of experience in SOGIESC and trans & gender diverse advocacy in Africa & globally and has been instrumental in the growth of the TGD movement in Africa. She sits on the Steering Committee of the International Trans Fund, on the Executive Board of Pan Africa ILGA (PAI) as well as the Alternate Co-Secretary General of the ILGA World Board. She is also a 2021 OutRight Action International United Nations Religion Fellow. She also sits on the Interim Governing Body of the African Trans Network (ATN), a network that brings together sub-regional TGD networks and organizations to collectively amplify the voices of trans & gender diverse Africans continentally and globally.

Star Rugori (Co-Chair), Burundi

Star Rugori is the Executive Director of Mouvement pour les Libertés Individuelles (MOLI), the leading advocacy and peer-to-peer movement-building organization in Central and Francophone East Africa. He has a decade-long experience in bolstering nascent organizations’ capacities and initiating collaborative and community-led initiatives that uphold human rights and dignity using both regional and international human rights frameworks. He is a specialist in formulating adaptative strategies for organizations led by and supporting sexual and gender minorities and understands their objectives and needs. Star has been serving the Egides – Alliance Internationale Francophone pour l’Égalité et les Diversités Board of Directors since July 2019, where he plays a leading part in increasing resources to Francophone LGBT movement internationally. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Economy from the University of Burundi and served as a Human Rights Advocate Fellow at Columbia University in 2017.

Marline Oluchi (Secretary), Nigeria

Marline Oluchi is a Communications Strategist and Gender/Inclusion Specialist, with proven engagement in global development, LBQTI + rights, policy influencing and advocacy communications.  As the Advocacy and Communications Officer for WISE, Nigeria, her work cuts across communities through an intersectional lens as the bedrock of inclusion. With a focus on gender and sexual minorities, she partners with mainstream women’s rights organizing and human rights bodies for inclusion in their programming. She also runs Kemjey Creatives, a writing and ideation firm in Africa, and serves as an Advisor on Facebook’s Sub-Saharan Africa Women’s Rights Working Group, providing input into policy and product development, as well as feedback on existing policies shaping Facebook’s applications from the vantage point of women’s rights and of members’ constituencies.

Brice Tchuenguia (Treasurer), Cameroon

Brice TCHUENGUIA is happy to be part of the Pan Africa ILGA and has been PAI’s representative to the ILGA Word Bi Steering Committee board member for 2019. Brice is a graduate of the Douala Teachers’ College and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Douala. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Development at the University of Buea.

Brice comes to the Board with extensive leadership experience in the non-governmental and non-profit sector. He is currently the Director of Programmes and Finance for a non-profit organisation in Cameroon, where he provides strategic advice and assistance to LGBTIQA++ people and association governance from an equity and social justice perspective. He is involved with many associations in his country and in Africa to increase the perception and deconstruction of morals towards LGBTIQ people. 
Before starting his activism in 2012, Brice served as a peer educator with SID’ADO and as a volunteer administrative coordinator with Alternatives Cameroon for sexual and reproductive health education for key populations and sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. He became Alternative Cameroon’s focal point and strategist on gender-based violence in 2016. In February 2016, he co-founded WORKING FOR OUR WELLBEING where he served as Project Director and since January 2019, he has been the Director of Programmes and Finance.

With a passion and great commitment to the community where he serves his people for better mental health and integration of the gender and sexual minority person in the society of Africa and Cameroon in particular. Brice remains an unflappable person.

Líria de Castro (Alternate Co-Chair), Angola

Líria de Castro, graduated in International Relations from the Institute of Social Sciences and International Relations since 2017, African Youth Charter Ambassador in Angola 2020-2022, LGBTIQ+ Feminist Activist with 5 years of professional experience, is passionate about her area of acting. Always looking for new and better ways to do routine tasks, her attitude is guided by prudence and security, dynamism and solidarity. Líria de Castro currently works as Director General of the Angolan Identity Archive (AIA), the first LBTIQ+ feminist organization in Angola to defend the rights of lesbian, bisexual, intersex, trans and queer women. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, reading a book, chatting with friends and resting.

Isaac Mugisha Rukundo (Alternate Co-Chair), Uganda

Isaac Mugisha Rukundo is a celebrated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) rights activist. He has dedicated his life to ensure LGBTI activists have access to essential services, justice and information in Uganda. He has proactively taken part in key events and milestones in the LGBTI space in Uganda. Isaac’s vision is to live in a world that respects Human Rights for All.

Isaac is currently the Director of Communications and Advocacy at Spectrum Uganda Initiatives (SUI).  He has previously worked as a Grants Intern with UHAI-EASHRI, Sex Workers Desk and Executive Assistant with SUI and a Campus Coordinator with Sexual Health and Rights for Youth (SHARRY). Since 2016, Isaac assumed leadership as Coordinator of Pride Uganda, a role he continues to diligently serve todate. Under his leadership of Pride Uganda, effective coordination and community participation has increased even when police continued to interrupt the Pride organising.

Julia Makuala (Member), Democratic Republic of Congo

Aged 36, Radiologist by training, graduated from the Higher Institute of Medical Techniques (ISTM / Kinshasa); Human rights and conflict resolution activist Julia Makuala is a young Congolese (DRC) activist and LBT Afro-feminist activist.  An educated woman, she is the LBT voice that resonates in the Congolese national associative landscape. Julia is dedicated to the promotion and defence of women’s rights as well as the recognition by Congo Kinshasa of the citizenship of the sexual minority person as recommended by the international treaties and conventions that the DRC has signed and ratified.  With her specific non-profit organization “OASIS RD Congo”, she is part of the line of great feminist figures from here and elsewhere in the fight against violence and femicide against girls and women. It works for the emergence of an egalitarian and inclusive society where the acceptance of the other with his difference constitutes the basis of social cohesion.

Michael Chigozie Amalumilo (Member), Nigeria

Michael is an open feminist and a gay man well versed and grounded in gender, sexual health, sexuality and human rights issues and committed to learning and imbibing healthy and positive masculinity both in his life and the lives of the young males within his purview of influence. He is a qualified social worker with over 10 years of experience in providing high quality care and support to people who are socially excluded or who are experiencing problems in their lives. Having a consistent track record of working successfully with individuals, families and groups, all within a variety of settings.  A well-mannered, articulate and conscientious person who is able to converse in a polite and courteous manner. Having an empathetic attitude and able to listen attentively at all times. Michael can contribute extensively to team work and always displaying a willing and helpful manner. Possessing excellent inter-personal and communication skills and is approachable, cheerful and friendly. He is fully aware of the needs of a contemporary and diverse / multicultural society. Easy going by nature and able to get along with both colleagues and senior managers. Michael is a graduate of Public Administration, Banking and Finance from University of Nigeria and he is currently doing a master’s program in Public Health from the same university. 

Sandra Kwikiriza (Member), Uganda

Sandra Kwikiriza is a feminist who has several years of experience in Human rights advocacy and activism, specifically focusing on LGBTQ and Women’s rights. She is a digital security trainer and also holds certificates in Campaign Training, Media and Documentation and leadership certificates directly related to her activism for LGBTQ rights and has attended the African Women Leaders’ Institute.  As a result of her expertise, community-mapping and research, Sandra identified issues and gaps affecting (W)HRDs and the need for spaces and resources to promote the digital rights, safety and security needs of LBQ womxn and female sex workers, thus founding HER Internet. HER Internet is a womxn-led feminist organisation that advocates for the digital rights and internet freedoms of women focusing on LBQ (lesbians, bisexual and queer) womxn and female sex workers. HER Internet has responded to high levels of cybercrime, increased surveillance by state and non-state actors, and online violence directed at womxn and LBTQ movements. Their programs focus on creating and providing safe spaces, rights-based training and advocacy through digital and in-person space-holding. Their ways of working reflect strong organization and accountability among their small team and a solid commitment to building connectively across digital feminist movements. HER Internet is working within the Feminist Principles of the Internet to advocate for development and use of technologies that challenge sexism and discrimination on the bases of self-determination and as influenced by feminist principles and queer theory. With their expertise in feminist and queer movement-building, HER Internet is working specifically on the rights of queer women to freedom of expression, privacy, data protection and Internet access, given their experiences of erosion of safe spaces and increasing restrictions and rights violations in Uganda specifically.

Yahia Zaidi (Member), Algeria and Belgium

Yahia Zaidi is a committed human rights activist and a specialist with extensive experience on LGBTI, HIV, Refugee issues. He has undertaken international advocacy, community building, strategy development, research, services and training at the local (Algeria and Morocco), regional (Middle East and Africa) and international levels.   Yahia Zaidi revived Abu-Nawas, an Algerian group for LGBT Rights. In 2005, together with other activists, Yahia established an HIV/AIDS prevention project for Men Having Sex with Men in Algeria. In 2007, he became the UNAIDS Focal Point on MSM issues. Zaidi has given some consultancy and advice on funding and implementation strategy to several regional and international NGOs, including COC, Inter-LGBTI, IDAHO, RFSL, and FRI. He rebuilt Pan Africa ILGA (PAI), and served as Co-Chair of its Executive Board 2012-2016. During that time PAI was registered and established as an NPO in South Africa. During his tenure, 2 regional LGBTI conferences were hosted in Africa. PAI continues to thrive and he remains a valuable member and contributor. Through his co-chairmanship of PAI he has been able to represent the Africa region on the ILGA World Board and served as Co-Secretary General Alternate on ILGA’s World Executive Board. Yahia Co-founded MantiQitna Network, the only regional LGBTI-led advocacy organization from the MENA region. He was at the forefront of UN advocacy toward the adoption of resolutions on SOGI in 2014, 2016 and 2019 representing both PAI and MantiQitna, and twice collected the largest number of signatories to civil society joint statements in the history of the Human Rights Council. Yahia also worked as a social worker in the area of asylum. In Belgium, where he now lives, he co-founded OMNIA, an association of immigrants from the MENA region living in Belgium who fight against homophobia among migrants from the MENA region. His latest position was the Manager of the MENA regional platform on communication and coordination created by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and hosted by civil society in order to insure an effective participation of key populations at all levels of national responses to HIV/Tuberculosis and Malaria.