Banana Emoji Productions in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union in Botswana hosted yet another installment of the BANANA CLUB dialogues, on the 22nd of May 2021, under the theme, “Queer Representation and Inclusion in the Workplace”.
Banana Emoji Productions remains resolute in identifying ways in which the ARTivism organisation can foster initiatives that provide relevant and impactful differences in underrepresented communities. Speakers on the day included Founder of Employment Alert Kris Bareki, HR specialist Max Mosiakgabo, Fashion Designer Kanyo M and Attorney Bonolo Selelo.
This dialogue was the second collaboration between Banana Emoji Productions and the Delegation of European Union in Botswana. Deputy Head of Delegation, Silvia Bopp-Hamrouni, said: “The European Union is honored to collaborate with Banana Emoji once again in advocating for the LGBTQI+ community in Botswana. Our Strategy for LGBTIQ Equality proposes to integrate the fight against discrimination affecting LGBTIQ people in all EU policies and, among other actions, to promote inclusion and diversity in the workplace. We champion the use of dialogue to highlight the experiences of LGBTQI+ Batswana and create opportunities for further inclusion, and understanding.”
Speaking on the session’s theme, the event curator, Tanlume Enyatseng said, “With this engagement the goal was to understand the experiences of today’s LGBTQI+ workforce and how companies can create more inclusive workplaces. Research shows that despite significant investment and decades of hard work, organisations still need to do more. Today 40% of LGBTQI+ employees are closeted at work and 75% have reported experiencing negative day-to-day workplace interactions related to their identity. I hope participants who attended are able to walk away with some self-awareness of how they are communicating and interacting with others as a leader or subordinate in the workplace.”
BANANA CLUB continues to aim at creating platforms for dialogue to lead the conversation about key issues in the youth, creative and predominantly queer community. The club has created a network of individuals and organisations that works together to challenge discourse, educate, empower and engage Batswana at large on matters affecting the youth, creative and LGBTQI+ community.
Concluded Tanlume, “We are excited to kick-start our year of dialogues. This year we wish to extend our voices beyond the Gaborone region with future sessions being held in other cities. This will hopefully create visibility for queer youth in locations outside of the capital city.”