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Olivia Stock
30 March 2023, 15:53

KALLIDA Festival co-launches emergency fundraiser in aid of Ugandan LGBTQ+ community

A recently passed anti-LGBTQ+ bill bans homosexuality, with punishments including the death penalty

KALLIDA Festival co-launches emergency fundraiser in aid of Ugandan LGBTQ+ community

UK-based festival KALLIDA has helped launch an emergency fundraiser in response to a recently passed bill that criminalises anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ in Uganda. 

Last week, MPs in Uganda passed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill that has been heavily criticised by Human Rights Watch, banning homosexuality and introducing punishments including life imprisonment and death. The KALLIDA crew has joined with a number of LGBTQ Ugandans and allies from across the arts, electronic music, and activist communities – including hashtagwhatnext, Ugly Duck, and misery – to raise awareness and financial support for at-risk individuals. 

At the time of writing, the collaborative fundraising effort has raised over half of its £25,000 goal, with donations going straight to those affected, paying for costs such as bail for imprisoned LGBTQ+ people, emergency accommodation, and legal and medical fees. 

You can donate to the UGANDA LGBTQ Emergency Fund here. There is also early news of an electronic music fundraising event set to take place in London on April 27th, with more details to follow. 

KALLIDA, which will return for its fifth outing this coming August, has previously hosted a variety of Ugandan artists on its line-up, including Kampire and Otim Alpha. The festival also partnered with Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Festival in 2018 to collaborate on stage design and installation curation.