Renate To Host Benefit Event For Lgbtqi In Egypt

 
Art & Culture

The Berlin based club is set to host an event which will help support the community and at risk individuals in Egypt. The 'KHWAT" fundraiser will begin at the club on the 27th of January at 8pm and will finish before midnight. The event will feature a number of live performances and disc jockeys with all proceeds going towards the Egyptian LGBT Network.

More details from the club can be seen below: 

"Egypt: the most populous country in the Middle East and more often than not, the benchmark for the Arab world. In ancient times, same-sex marriages were commonplace, and we find tombs dedicated to same-sex couples who spent a lifetime of peace together. Fast-forward to the modern age: Egypt – a country where a T-shirt and jeans or a jalabiya (men's dress) are equally customary – has been ripped apart by western and eastern ideologies. Mass media, pop culture and general neoliberalism allow for the concept of homosexuality; however, they are odds with the other influences: religion, poverty and education, which are all prevalent.

Starting in 2014, the Federal Criminal Police Office in Berlin provided special training to Egyptian police under the pretense of keeping terrorists and "illegal immigrants" from reaching German borders. Human rights groups cried foul as the LGBTQ using online surveillance.

In September 2017, Lebanese rock band Mashrou 'Leila had a very crowded concert in a Cairo suburb (fronted by an openly gay vocalist).The concert went on in peace with great music, good vibes and people.Photos and videos where shared, uploaded and sent. The backlash was fierce, with many people calling for arrests to be made, and at the end of western ideologies. Again, the neo-Egyptian identity crisis came into play and within two days, people were rounded up and arrested.

This is the apparent spark of both international outcry and Egypt's crackdown on homosexuality: Amnesty International reports on arrears in the fall, including many grindr users. LGTBQ Egypt, the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigations has just ended its training program, but Egyptian lawmakers want to enact even harsher penalties: up to ten years in prison for engaging in or simply promoting same-sex relations.

Last summer, some queens Berliners got together to raise money to help victims of the "gay purge" in Chechnya to escape and relocate. Now, it's time to come together and support our queer siblings in Egypt. All proceeds (from entry, T-shirt sales and the silent auction of artwork) wants to go directly to those affected, for legal costs in particular. 

All proceeds go toward the Egyptian LGBT Network to assist at risk individuals.

The name KHWAT / خوات is a sort of wordplay in the Arabic words for "crazy", "gay" and "brothers"."


 

Comments are closed.