4th session of the ACTIVA-TE Film Festival

The 4^th session of this Film Festival that is taking place in "Cimento" neighbourhoods and suburbs of the city of Maputo, joined civil society organizations, some tourists, as well as residents of Maputo who, through the projection of 2 films, namely Carolina Castilho's “Entre Os Ombros”, and Yuri Ceuninck's “Dona Mônica”, were able to familiarize themselves with the barriers that sexual minorities find in different aspects of life.

The event that lasted just over 2 hours, was followed by a debate panel that was attended by Abel Magule and Hélder Donaldo, both health counsellors of the LAMBDA Association, an organization that is also a member of the Alliance for Health network.

Panelists Abel Magule and Hélder Donaldo were unanimous in stating that the two projected films brought a little of what are the daily situations that the LGBT community has to spend throughout life. "These films show the violation of human rights, where the person does not have that freedom to be who is often for fear, rebuke and discrimination", said Hélder Donaldo.

Still in his speech, Hélder Donaldo mentioned that this is a reality against which this community is fighting. The way to end this discrimination would involve hard work with government entities, health providers, civil society and religious entities in order to raise awareness of social and behavioural change since. In this sense, he said: ʽʽThe Church is often the basis of a society, often accepted and not accepted is defined by it, so the way for sensitization must be from there too.”

On the same way, Abel Magule also added that “besides trying to deconstruct these social roles that often found the misinterpretation of the Bible, it is important to bet on education and information about sexual diversity because only in this way will we move towards change."

In this meeting it was also possible to know the channels of complaint in cases of discrimination, some of which are the complaint boxes that are available in the sanitary units and the paralegals’ figure that can direct complaints to the competent entities, among others.

It should be noted that this film show is inserted in the "Activa-te" Campaign, which was launched last February by the Alliance for Health, to defend the right to health in Mozambique, in the areas of the right to health, Obstetric violence, Improvement of services to women victims of VBG, Rights and Duties of the patient, Sexual Diversities and Positive Masculinities, Nutrition and Community Health, focusing on obtaining positive effects for the strengthening of the National Health System.

This activity took place with the financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and other co-financers.