What we're about
Our histories, in our own words
Kin Archive is a living archive and journal of queer African life. We gather, protect and share the stories that official records left out, so the people who come after us know we were always here.
Why we exist
Colonial laws, censorship and fear pushed queer African lives out of libraries, newspapers and textbooks. But the stories never disappeared. They were kept in songs and letters, in kitchens and on dance floors, in the memories of elders.
We exist to bring those stories home: to record them before they are lost, to keep them safe, and to share them with care, across the continent and the diaspora.
“The archive is just us, remembering out loud.”
A dedication
For Oliver
This archive is dedicated to Oliver, who always believed that stories are meant to be told, and that every story deserves someone who listens.
Oliver listened. To half-finished poems read aloud too fast. To stories that didn't yet know how they ended. To the quiet ones that took years to find their words. And every time came the same gentle nudge: write it down.
So I did. And I kept going, until there was room here for everyone else's stories too.
Every essay, every poem, every voice kept in these pages carries a little of that belief. Thank you, Oliver, for listening first, and for knowing before I did that our stories were worth keeping.
With love, always
What we keep
Stories come to us in many forms. We care for all of them.
How we work
01Consent leads
Nothing is published without the permission of the people in it. Narrators choose what is public, what is anonymous, and what stays with family. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
02Care over speed
We record slowly and edit gently. Names, places and faces are protected when publishing them could put someone at risk.
03Joy belongs in the record
Our histories are not only stories of harm. We keep the weddings, the jokes, the dance floors and the love letters too.
04Open to all
Reading, listening and searching the archive is free, forever. Stories are told in the languages they were lived in, with translation where we can.
Get involved
Read and share the stories, support the work, or send us a story that belongs here. Submissions are made by email to sirjustin78@gmail.com.