Media advocacy in Southern Africa

InternationalRFSLPhoto: Kellyn Botha

Iranti-org is a Johannesburg based visual media organisation for lesbian, trans and intersex persons. Iranti works within a human rights framework raising issues on gender, identities, and sexuality. The organisation works at a national, regional (Africa) and international level.

Iranti is implementing a project together with organisations in 5 countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with support from RFSL and Forum Syd as donor. The project focuses on using media as a means of advocacy and tool to change the publics attitudes towards LGBTI-persons and issues. This will be done through research-based methodological innovation in media production and using focal groups to develop relevant media content. The overall goal is decreased stigma, discrimination and violence against LGBTI people in the countries where the project is being implemented.

The developed media campaigns will be launched in the five countries. These campaigns will include positive stories from within the region, such as legislative reform, progressive judgments within the court systems, and acceptance of LGBTI persons by their families and communities. RFSL has been supporting Iranti-org since 2017.