The drag night at the heart of LGBTQ rights in Namibia
It’s Drag Night in Namibia and loft for you, the venue in the country’s central capital Windhoek, is filled with revelers. A diverse crowd that varies widely in age, race, sexual and gender expression greedily seeps through the doors. As soon as they pass the flags of various intersectoral Pride and civil rights groups, they are awed by a group of charismatic performers. Between sultry, shimmering performances exploding with strange joy, activist Omar van Reenen takes the stage.
“What we are doing here today is great,” they say. Behind them hangs a rainbow flag with the word “Peace”. The site is almost full. The crowd, which is the largest to attend Drag Night Namibia since its inception in 2020, is electrified. “Taking a place in birth-free Namibia,” Omar continues. “This is what our liberators fought for. Because their blood waters our freedom too!” The crowd erupts in enthusiastic applause.
TV presenter Aina-Raiza Kweio attended on behalf of the Namibian reproductive rights organization Voices For Choices and Rights Coalition. The LGBTQ+ movement in Namibia is distinctly cross-sectoral, with partial support and participation in various civil rights groups.
In the growing LGBTQ+ civil rights movement active participation and leadership from young Namibians.
The audience enjoys the performance. “In Namibia, when I was growing up, there were so few queer spaces. To see him change and become so visible, to have a thriving and vibrant queer community where you can find and identify yourself… man, what a joy, what a thrill!” reflects Sven-Erik, who performed at Drag Night Namibia.
Anyone familiar with drag scenes from virtually anywhere in the world would feel Omar’s words. Throughout its history, drag art has been associated with subversive queer politics that challenge heteropatriarchal systems of power and advocate for LGBTQ+ equality through radical and often playful subversion of gender norms. For decades, the drag club has been a natural home for activists.
“At its core, a drag character is a political statement,” says Rodelio Lewis, founder and CEO of Drag Night Namibia, who also hosts events as Ms. Mavis Dash’s drag persona. “It’s very satirical at times, but most of our performers take it very seriously. It’s a political statement every time they go on stage or wear clothes.”
“When you experience it, you feel on top of the world, as if whatever you think creatively can be reality. And the best thing is that there are people celebrating it with you,” says Rodelio Lewis, who hosted the second anniversary show of Drag Night Namibia, as drag character Miss Mavis Dash, mother of Dom Dash.
Gigi arrived from the House of Arrivals and Miss Mavis from the House of Dash take the stage at Drag Night Namibia.
Selena Dash of The House of Dash interacts with viewers. “It’s something very beautiful when people see someone in their most vulnerable and true self, and vice versa. For someone who demonstrates this and receives such love and respect, this is a very rewarding experience for building a community,” says Rodelio Lewis.
This is especially true in Namibia, where the civil rights struggle of the LGBTQ+ community has intensified significantly over the past few years. For a country with such a small population (only 2.5 million), the number of lawsuits against state-sanctioned homophobia is astounding. In fact, the evening event takes place between two Supreme Court hearings on advancing LGBTQ+ civil rights that have been in the making for years.
On March 3, the court heard a complaint about the state’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other countries, thereby depriving families with foreign-born queer Namibian spouses of the right to claim a place to live and work. A few days later, on March 6, the Supreme Court heard a case about the parental rights of same-sex families. The outcome of these cases will make a huge difference to queer Namibians and their families for generations to come.
Selena Dash of The House of Dash performing at Drag Night Namibia.
Koko takes the stage with a live belly dance number.
Audience member Wilzan Gelderbloom was invited to the stage at Drag Night Namibia. Non-performing guests were brought onto the stage at various points in the show to strut around to rapturous applause.
The spectator Jameson Clazen was invited to the stage.
A small but determined civil rights movement in the country, led mostly by young people, has rallied not only around these legal issues, but also around spaces like Drag Night that cater to other sides of the queer experience—joy, community, and celebration. . As Rodelio reflects, “This is one piece of the puzzle of this fantastic collaboration between queer organizations and allies in the movement for equality and inclusion.”
For many of those present, especially those involved in activism, this is a meaningful experience. “With all the painful things that are going on in this fight, it’s good to be in a safe place with our people,” says Daniel Digasu, who is a party to the previously mentioned marriage recognition case. “I broke down a few times because it’s so special,” he continues. “I feel like we deserve it, this piece of happiness.”
Despite centuries of heritage, drag continues to provide LGBTQ+ people with an opportunity to experiment and express their gender, and to mobilize them to meet the ongoing need to fight for civil rights in Namibia and around the world.
Koko and Miss Shai Dash bow.
Miss Shai Dash works with the crowd.
Omar van Rienen, founder of Equal Namibia and a key organiser in Namibia’s fight for LGBTQ+ rights, stands in front of a hall-lit pride flag at the entrance to Drag Night.
Visitors reveled in the various Pride flags hung around the venue. “Drag night is such a breath of fresh air to see happy gay people in one place as a collective,” says Danielle Digashu, a participant in an LGBTQ+ civil rights lawsuit over the recognition of same-sex marriage that was heard in the Supreme Court. Judgment the day before.
Adriano Vizaghi (center) enjoys the show. Visagi is a prominent Namibian gay mediator.
Ms. Mavis Dash is grateful to Deyonce Cleopatra Chanikwa Naris (or “Mamma D” as she is affectionately known), a trans woman and executive director of the Transgender, Intersex and Androgynous Movement of Namibia (TIAMON) and chairperson of the South African Trans Forum. “Under the joy and the dance, when you hug someone, you just wonder what they are going through,” says Daniel Digashu.
Activists and allies at the Positive Vibes Trust table enjoy the show. Daniel Digasu, a participant in the same-sex marriage recognition trial, sits in the middle (wearing a blue collared shirt). “Drag night is such a breath of fresh air,” Daniel reflects. “Seeing happy gays in one place as a collective. The amount of joy despite all the painful things that go on in combat, it’s good to be in a safe place with an LGBT group.”
