Queer Books: Love, Trouble Chronicles African Queer Activism

Taboom Media and GALA Queer Archive have launched Love, Trouble, the fourth volume in their acclaimed Queer Activism in Africa anthology series.

In Love, Trouble, 22 human rights defenders from across the continent share powerful origin stories and chronicle their journeys as activists.

Through intimate and inspiring testimonies, these individuals reveal both strength and vulnerability, capturing the ongoing struggle for LGBTQI+ equality across Africa.

Each story is available in both English and French, providing wide accessibility to these voices and their impactful messages.

Queer and ally artists bring these narratives to life with original illustrations that vividly portray the resilience, challenges, and triumphs of a diverse movement.

The result is a vibrant anthology celebrating resistance, endurance, and self-empowerment within African LGBTQI+ activism.

The stories span a variety of countries, including Ethiopia, Togo, Kenya, Egypt, Mozambique, Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Cameroon, Lesotho, Namibia, The Gambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Gabon, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Angola.

Together, they offer a rare look at the unbreakable spirit and solidarity of African queer activism across the continent.

Following its predecessors, Hopes and Dreams That Sound Like Yours (2021), Courage to Share (2022), and Whispers and Shouts (2023), Love, Trouble was born from a Media Advocacy for LGBTQI+ Equality workshop that Taboom Media hosted in May 2024 with activists from nearly 20 African countries.

In a poignant introduction to the anthology, teacher, author, and activist Unoma Azuah highlights recurring themes of suffering and rebirth in the stories featured in Love, Trouble.

She writes, “Activism is often birthed through epiphanies and personal awakenings. For people to truly believe in who they are and audaciously assert their existence in a world that tries to erase them, some must almost lose themselves before finding clarity.”

Azuah adds: “Much of the world, enabled by dirty politics and biased laws, fails to appreciate gender and sexual diversity. Yet despite the horrors and injustices inflicted upon us, queer people are fighting back.”

Love, Trouble is available as a free download on the Taboom Media website here.