AFTours - overland Africa tours from North, West, Central, South and East of Africa

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Africa is known for having little or no tolerance towards gay men and women. Things are no different in Mali - in fact if you were to ask a Malian is the situation for homosexuals problematic in Mali - they would most likely answer - 'there's no problem in Mali - there are no homosexuals here!' - clearly, nothing could be further from the truth. However, it is true to say that very few gay men and women will be open about their sexuality because the consequences are high: in particular having to break all contact with your family is hard, especially in a continent where family relations play such a strong and central role.

Nevertheless, it is important to stress that travelling in Mali causes no problems for Western homosexuals. It is advised to show some discretion, but the same applies for heterosexuals. A Malian heterosexual couple will never touch each other in public, they never walk hand in hand for example. Conversely you will often see men holding hands, and women too, but this is done solely as a sign of friendship.

Because homosexuality is not shown publicly in Mali , you will not find any gay and lesbian bars. However, there are bars that are visited by homosexuals and lesbians - a friend of AFTours collaborator will gladly bring you there… send us your request through form on your right -»

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