On Saturday, May 14th, we were welcomed to a rainbow room with murals of smiling faces and mottos adorning the walls, and traditional wooden crafts carefully laid out on the floor. This was the community art and music room for the Arquivo de Identidade Angolano (AIA), a non-profit run by a group of queer, feminist Angolan women to support LGBT+ people and change the mindset around sexuality and gender in Angola. Their project “No Cubico” is a safe space for people to not only seek basic necessities like shelter, food, and psychological support services, but is also a place for people to unite, enrich themselves, and generate discussion; they partake in the arts, debate, and games; receive professional training to get back on their feet; and have meetings about issues they face due to their identity. Not only this, but their “Kutanga” project aims to create an online and physical library archiving literary works on queer gender and sexuality in an Angolan context and perspectives.
Our own CAS project involved a donation drive that ran from the 21st of February to the 11th of March. With the support of the NALL LGBT Club, and thanks to the generosity of students, parents and staff, here at LIS, we collected food (pantry staples like pasta, rice, beans, canned goods, milk, sugar, and oil) and toiletries (toothpaste, soap, toothbrushes, toilet paper) for the AIA to stock their dormitories and kitchen. It was a humbling and fulfilling experience to see that our efforts would go towards a team that changes the lives of vulnerable people and pave the way for a more positive, inclusive future.
Mi Thuta & Owen, Year 12
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