Bandy Kiki (February 20, 1991) is a

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

ian blogger,

LGBT activist A list of notable LGBTQ social movements, LGBTQ rights activists who have worked to advance LGBTQ rights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically. Albania * Xheni Karaj, founder of Aleanca LGBT org ...

and a

serial entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entrepreneu ...

based in the U.K. She is the creator of Kinnaka's Blog, a high traffic English-speaking website in Cameroon for news and entertainment. She is a controversial figure due to her political views and LGBT activism, and has been called "The Most Hated Anglophone On Social Media in Cameroon."

Background

Kiki was born Emily Kinaka Banadzem on February 20, 1991 in

Jakiri Jakiri is a town and commune in Cameroon. It lies on the Ring Road in the Northwest Region. Its central roundabout is the intersection of roads heading to Foumban, Kumbo, and Bamenda. Villages of Jakiri Beside Jakiri town, the subdivision com ...

Career

Kiki started her career as a blogger in the UK, in a daily published online blog ''Kinnaka’s Blog'' and ''Kinnaka’s TV'', launched in 2015. Her blog is one of the most frequented by

anglophone Cameroonian Anglophone Cameroonians are the people of various cultural backgrounds, most of who hail from the English language, English-speaking regions of Cameroon (Northwest Region (Cameroon), Northwest and Southwest Region (Cameroon), Southwest Regions). T ...

s. In 2016, she was listed among the 50 most influential Cameroonian youths under the age of 40 by Avance Media, CELBMD Africa and partners. Kiki was crowned Best Cameroonian Media CAMEEA in 2015 and won "Best 2016 Blogger" from Diaspora Entertainment Awards. Kiki is a spokesperson for the Rainbow Equality Hub, an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that supports LGBT people in Cameroon. In 2017, she was nominated for best African Blogger of the Year Award By AWA. In a May 2017 interview, Kiki announced she would be assisting

Irène Major Irène Major (born 22 October 1979) is a British-Cameroonian singer, model and activist. Personal life Major was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon to a soldier father and seamstress mother; the family was "middle-class but poor". Major is married to ...

with the Gay in Africa Foundation. She also gave an interview to the Humen Online Hungarian gay magazine, which is also available in Hungarian language.

Controversy and attacks

She was criticized for her controversial post on her blog following the ongoing 2016–2017 Cameroonian protests. She received extensive abuse online, including the spread of unsubstantiated rumors claiming Kiki was HIV-positive and that she is an agent of the

government attempting to sabotage the ongoing crisis. Kiki has denied those claims. Kiki has been criticized for being gay and supporting LGBT rights in Cameroon. In one example, film producer

Agbor Gilbert Ebot Agbor Gilbert Ebot (born 8 January 1983 in Tiko) is a Cameroonian film producer. Early life Gilbert was born to Cameroonian and Nigerian parents. His father is a Cameroonian from Mamfe in Manyu Division while his mother came from Cross River ...

stated that ''...If I catch you for Cameroon, I go 'rape' you well well so that di demon of lesbianism go comot for your body…I get plans to give you belle..." She has been the subject of death threats.

References

External links

* * * Living people Cameroonian actresses Cameroonian expatriates in England Cameroonian film directors Cameroonian women film directors 1991 births People from Bamenda LGBTQ bloggers Lesbian writers Cameroonian LGBTQ rights activists Cameroonian women activists 21st-century Cameroonian LGBTQ people 21st-century Cameroonian people 21st-century Cameroonian writers {{LGBT-bio-stub

Background

Career

Controversy and attacks

See also

References

External links