Her next step was to explain to her mother that it wasn’t a phase - a hetrosexual life was not for her. In 2016, her husband found out about these conversations and her marriage broke down. He vowed to keep her sexuality a secret from the wider community for the sake of their children. Nella was 17 years old when she fell in love with a girl for the first time. They met through sport – something Nella had been passionate about since she was a young girl.

Watching the YouTube videos had confirmed to Niya that she was not alone. But where were the other gay women in Burundi? It’s a great day to meet friends in the park. The women are in high spirits, chatting animatedly, playfully sketching patterns on each other using body paint, and sharing a picnic. Leila, Niya - and later Nella - formed a community. Now there are dozens of women who see themselves as Burundi’s secret lesbian collective. Some have support from their families. A few are married with children. No-one is openly out. Nella is now divorced but others in the group remain married. Their husbands are not aware of their sexuality. Over a period of a few months, the BBC spoke to dozens of young lesbians in a country where homosexuality is illegal. They told us about their day-to-day lives and how they use secret memes to connect with each other on social media platforms and chat apps.An often-cited report by Human Rights Watch in 2009 spoke with only 10 members of the LGBT+ community and only one lesbian was interviewed. The BBC has spoken to dozens. Nella sends a photo to the BBC using an encrypted app. She's pictured sitting on a chair with young children around her.

Many members of the group say they have experienced violence at the hands of family members who became suspicious about their sexuality. As a woman from a country like hers, Nella says her rights were already diminished. And as one of the 2% of Muslims in a majority Christian nation, she felt even more marginalised. Shot with an entirelyfemale crew on location in Toronto, “Below Her Mouth” was directed by April Mullen from a script by Stephanie Fabrizi. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016, and is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

No Results

Jasmine (Natalie Krill) is an editor at a fashion magazine. Dallas (Erika Linder) owns her own roofing business. Jasmine is engaged to a man who doesn’t think it’s funny when she paints his nails. Dallas is fresh out of a relationship because she “doesn’t feel like playing house right now.” Somehow, they find each other at a girls’ night out in Toronto, beginning a torrid love affair fueled by unbridledchemistryand the appealofforbidden desire. Burundi is well known in the Great Lakes for its vibrant nightlife. Bujumbura has fewer than 500,000 inhabitants, but maintains a vivid youth culture.