Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, a bald black man stand with his arms gently crossed, a small smile on his face. He is wearing a beige v-neck shirt.
Content warning for imprisonment, homophobia, death
“I’m very much in love w/u.”
– Jean-Claude Roger Mbede
Covering the small stories of the queer community is a difficult thing to do. With continuous active suppression of queer voices past and present, our stories are rare enough. The little stories—not famous writers, geniuses, or revolutionaries, but average queer people living their lives—are difficult not just because they are hidden, but forgotten. The ones remembered are remembered for a reason. In some cases, it is because the queer person, while fairly normal, was also very privileged. Most often the stories of normal queer people are remembered because they end in tragedy. Tragedy is recorded.
While looking at queer history, the names of queer people jailed or killed for their sexuality or gender expression will pop up again and again. If you look closer you will generally find the graphic details; more modern tragedy will almost always include a video of their death. What is more difficult to uncover is the details of the people themselves—who they were before and even after the most dramatic points in their life. Such is the case of Jean-Claude Roger Mbede.
Born in Cameroon, Mbede’s life would end because of an injury he sustained while imprisoned. While he would spend his last days outside of prison because of his health, he was by no means free. His family kept him at home and refused him medical care because of his sexuality. He was not eating or drinking, and his death on 10 January 2014 was a surprise to none.
His imprisonment was, unfortunately, as expected. The treatment of queer people in Cameroonian prisons was not incredible, and he experienced regular attacks during his time there. Expecting to be in jail for three years, he was aware that his life after prison would be nothing like his life prior. While he was a promising student with a decent job beforehand, he knew that he would likely be turned away from any employment.
While he did file an appeal, his eventual release on the 16th of July, 2012, was a provisional one that came because of the toll the prison took on his health. He knew once his health improved he would return to prison, saying:
“I am going back to the dismal conditions that got me critically ill before I was temporarily released for medical reasons, I am not sure I can put up with the anti-gay attacks and harassment I underwent at the hands of fellow inmates and prison authorities on account of my perceived and unproven sexual orientation. The justice system in this country is just so unfair."
Cameroonian laws around homosexuality are notoriously strict, and unlike many other countries with such laws, in Cameroon, it is enforced frequently. This is part of the reason Mbede’s case drew so much attention from international advocacy groups. He was a prisoner of conscience and the evidence that he was gay started with an SMS message sent to another man: “I’m very much in love w/u.”
At what he believed would be a meeting with the man he'd been messaging, he was ambushed by police. He was beaten and forced to confess to having relationships with other men. There is no justifying the violence enacted against queer Cameroonians, his confession is also not reliable. The names he gave were later disproven and this information was only obtained because of police brutality.
Still, it was this collection that led to the end of his career as a student who was admired and mostly unnoticed. Even if he had served his whole sentence and somehow lived through the prison conditions, this conviction would have hung over him for the rest of his life.
His relationship with his family was already ruined, his job prospects gone, and any relationship he may have later pursued would have presented with huge hurdles for each participant no matter the gender. While the attention of the global community was on him for his trial and later death, that did not translate to financial support if he survived prison, and refugee status for queer people fleeing countries that criminalize their existence is still an unreliable avenue.
Before all of this, there is little information about Mbede’s life, because of this, it is hard to grasp onto the reality of this man outside of his final tragic years. There is no future success to share and no storied past. Just one defining moment of a 34-year life is all that is left of Jean-Claude Roger Mbede.
[Disclaimer: some of the sources may contain triggering material]
Amnesty International USA. (2011, November 22). Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, Cameroon - Write for Rights 2011 [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-8zu2CCMH0
Brocklebank, C. (2011, June 7). Amnesty fights for Cameroonian man jailed for three years on charges of being gay. Pink News. Retrieved from https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/06/07/amnesty-fights-for-cameroonian-man-jailed-for-three-years-on-charges-of-being-gay/
CAMEROON: IGLHRC MOURNS THE LOSS OF JEAN-CLAUDE ROGER MBEDE. (2014, January 15). Outright Action International. Retrieved from https://outrightinternational.org/content/cameroon-iglhrc-mourns-loss-jean-claude-roger-mbede
Cameroon jails 'gay' man for texting 'I'm in love with you' to male friend. (2012, December 17). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/17/cameroon-antigay-legislation-mbede-text
Childs, K. (2012, December 31). Redress, Persecution and Optimism: Welcome to the World of LGBT Rights in 2013. Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/kevin-childs/welcome-to-the-world-of-lgbt-rights-in-2013_b_2338744.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWNvc2lhLm9yZy8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEpB6EQ9-5Avm9Eqcm4JiNCQgJIHqronGWwTTsiAyS3nNdUubexnt6Cz9Uuv5DF74nmAbzFlrhgKMErz0ThFnoIe4naKzOr9DdtqAeIcCiC9MS9RdnO4ONHoIhNX_a8xFdOASiVV9Wd0G6Z6Ktjol76YdpSpG0CWpiY02xsbwno7
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Gay man jailed in Cameroon has died, says lawyer. (2014, January 13). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/13/gay-man-jailed-cameroon-died-lawyer-mbede
Homophobia victim Roger Mbede dies in Cameroon. (2014, January 10). 76CRIMES. Retrieved from https://76crimes.com/2014/01/10/homophobia-victim-roger-mbede-dies-in-cameroon/
Kedmey, D. (2014, January 13). Gay Cameroonian, Jailed for a Text Message, Dies on Medical Leave. TIME. Retrieved from https://world.time.com/2014/01/13/gay-cameroonian-jailed-for-a-text-message-dies-on-medical-leave/
Littauer, D. (2012, December 17). Cameroon jails man for sending a gay text message. Gay Star News. Retrieved from https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/cameroon-jails-man-sending-gay-text-message171212/
Living for love, dying because of hate: the rising tide of homophobia in Africa. (2014, January 13). Amnesty International. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.ca/blog/living-for-love-dying-because-of-hate-the-rising-tide-of-homophobia-in-africa
Norder, K. (2014, January 22). In memory of Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, who died for love. The Times Union. Retrieved from https://blog.timesunion.com/humanrights/in-memory-of-jean-claude-roger-mbede-who-died-for-love/402/
Rising levels of homophobia in sub-Saharan Africa are dangerous and must be tackled. (2013, June 25). Amnesty International. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2013/06/rising-levels-homophobia-sub-saharan-africa-are-dangerous-and-must-be-tackled/
Roger Jean-Claude Mbede, Cameroon Gay Rights Icon, Dead At 35. (2014, January 13). Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/roger-jean-claude-mbede-dead_n_4588200
Stewart, C. (2012, December 17). Prison for being gay — Roger Mbede loses appeal. 76CRIMES. Retrieved from https://76crimes.com/2012/12/17/prison-for-being-gay-roger-mbede-loses-appeal/
Stewart, C. (2012, December 18). Cameroon jail looms for Roger Mbede; death threats for lawyers. 76CRIMES. Retrieved from https://76crimes.com/2012/12/18/cameroon-jail-looms-for-roger-mbede-death-threats-for-lawyers/
Stewart, C. (2012, December 3). In Cameroon, a few more days of freedom for Roger Mbede. 76CRIMES. Retrieved from https://76crimes.com/2012/12/03/in-cameroon-a-few-more-days-of-freedom-for-roger-mbede/
Stewart, C. (2012, September 18). Roger Mbede remains free for now in Cameroon. 76CRIMES. Retrieved from https://76crimes.com/2012/09/18/roger-mbede-remains-free-for-now-in-cameroon/