As part of Follow the tree flowers, only the tree flowers   

In this keynote lecture, Me Alice Nkom shares her professional journey defending LGBTQIA+ rights in Cameroon. She traces the origins of her commitment, highlighting the deep motivations that led her to take a stand for the recognition and protection of the rights of ‘sexual minorities’ in a country where discrimination is omnipresent.

Me Nkom then explores the major challenges encountered during the creation of the Association for the Defense of Homosexuality (ADEFHO), a pioneering organization in the fight for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people in a repressive context marked by discriminatory laws and strong social stigma. She reveals the strategies, risks, and obstacles encountered in obtaining the legal registration of the association and its operation in complete legality.

Me Nkom’s remarks also provide information on the current situation of LGBTQIA+ people in Cameroon, a state of affairs marked by violence, intolerance, and institutionalized discrimination. In her keynote she offers concrete recommendations to improve the condition of LGBTQIA+ people and outlines the future prospects of this fight in a still hostile environment, calling for national and international solidarity for real change.