Woubi Cheri

A cross-section of gender-bending pioneers describe in their own words their lives as homosexual Africans in Abijan.

WOUBI CHERI is the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality.

The woubis' "We're here and we're queer" attitude may remind some of movements in this country. But the very untraditional djeme, or feast, which ends the film will convince anyone this is gay liberation African style. Dressed in luxurious boubous, the woubis perform customarily women's dances before an appreciative crowd, straight and gay. Barbara summarizes the moral for all of us: "The third millennium will be about a mix of modern and traditional, different ways of life and sex."

"Shot through with laughter and festivities, tender-hearted words and uninhibited gestures." - Le Monde

"WOUBI CHERI is one of those rare documentaries which explores souls and lives." - Liberation