47: Anna Xwexx Morena on asylum and being a Ugandan transgender activist

Nov 20, 2019

This episode is part of a special series: And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

About four years ago, Anna Xwexx Morena sought asylum in Denmark for her safety and the chance to freely express herself.  But the experience was not what she expected and feeling unsafe and used as a transgender woman, she returned to Uganda.  We talk about her mission to help other Ugandan transgender women with their mental health needs, her experience as a grassroots activist, and her vision for the future.  

This episode is in honor of Transgender Remembrance Day.

Additional Resources 

• Connect with Anna Xwexx Morena on Facebook
• Invisible Scars: a focus on the mental health of queer people in Uganda
• Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) 

  • "331 Trans People Killed This Year," Forbes

•  "Ugandan MPs press for death penalty for homosexual acts," The Guardian

• Human Rights Day

• Voice
  • On Facebook 
  • On Twitter

 

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And Then Suddenly; Rising Voice(s)

This special series of episodes features conversations with partners from Voice. Based in Africa and Asia, these individuals -often leaders of organizations or small groups- are working tirelessly to ensure that their own voices as well as those they represent are at the table and not on the menu. The moments they share are their very own and the conversations are impromptu and candid.

About Voice:
Voice is an innovative grant facility that promotes inclusion and diversity in Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia. It aims to amplify and connect thus far unheard voices in efforts to leave no one behind based on the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us.  Voice is financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed by Oxfam Novib and Hivos.

About And Then Suddenly:
The podcast about unexpected moments, writer Angela Santillo asks one question: What’s a moment that turned your life upside down?  Never knowing what her guests will say, the conversation takes twists and turns that go beyond our ordinary stories about big life moments.  Impromptu, funny, and always honest, this show explores what really happens after everything changes in an instant.