Gay bar yaounde

You have to know someone who will guide you to the address -- off a busy street in Cameroon's capital, down a dingy alley to a door with the unwelcoming message in chalk: "No entry. Inside is a rectangular room, dark and humid. The flickering light of a video screen illuminates faces of young men sitting on benches -- members of a video club catering exclusively for gay men, a haven in a society where it is perilous to be same-sex attracted.

Secret video club gives respite to gay men in Cameroon

Maxime, 30, and his companion come several times a week. When his gay rejected him, Maxime found refuge at Jean-Pierre's club. On another bench, a young man is sleeping peacefully, a sheet drawn over his body and part of his face. A few feet away, two men openly flirt. In Cameroon, having sexual bar with another man is a crime punishable with up to five years in prison.

The premises have been raided at least four times this year, Jean-Pierre says, adding that he had recently been held for two weeks at a police station, where bar said he was tortured. Criminals claiming to be plain-clothes police sometimes show up to extort gays, Jean-Pierre says. Between films, he will often instruct the audience "what to do in case of arrest, to know their rights.

One night Maxime endured a terrifying experience. In1, cases of violence and violations of the rights of LGBTI people were recorded in the central African country, according to a report by two non-governmental organisations, Yaounde First and Alternatives Cameroun. The club also exists to help gays aware of the risk of HIV, which flourishes wherever there is stigma.

The prevalence of HIV among adults in Cameroon in was 4. But the rate soars among high-risk groups such as gays, rising to In a corner of the video club, three gay men are sitting on a battered sofa, looking tense and waiting for their names to be called. One of them gets up to go through a narrow door into an antechamber, where he is greeted by two men in white coats.

Roughly once a week, teams from Humanity First visit the premises to undertake HIV tests, provide advice and condoms. In the video club, "the rate of HIV prevalence is very high. The aim is to get those who need it into treatment and to prevent the virus from spreading," Enama said. Jean-Pierre said the fight against AIDS was embedded in his soul -- he had seen several dear friends die from the disease.

Every day, dozens of men come yaounde the video club to get condoms -- safely, no questions asked. The little club is cruelly short of funds and battles intimidation and arbitrary arrests, but Jean-Pierre vowed to do all he could to keep it open. Secret video club gives respite to gay men in Cameroon Small Medium Large.

Secret video club gives respite to gay men in Cameroon. Small Medium Large. Secret home: The video club in Yaounde is a haven for gay men in a country where same-sex relations are illegal. Do you like the content of this article?