African Gay Experiences

The Artist by the Lake By Caleb Muchungu.

Note : This story is completely fictional!

The waters of Lake Malawi, in southern Africa, are sparkling clear and warm
during the months of February and December. While Europe is freezing at this
time, Africa is enjoying its summer. The lake almost straddles the entire
eastern part of the tiny country, acting as a buffer between Malawi and
Mozambique. The beach, unlike in more popular tourist destinations, is unspoilt
since there are not many visitors. But in November and December a sizeable crowd
frequents the lake to escape the hot weather. On the first day that Thomas was
at the lake lodge he could not resist a dip and was soon running from the
restaurant, where he was seated, into the jade waters.

He had noticed him before, a young man with a nicely built body. But he had
seemed too young, probably a high school kid, most likely around 18. The first time
Thomas saw him, the boy was in the beach, somersaulting and making other
gymnastic moves on the clear sands. His agile body seemed so firm and every time
he somersaulted, his stomach became taut, like a bronze sculptured piece of art.

Thomas had made it a point in life not to have relationships with boys
persons. Not that this matters in law in Malawi. Any homosexual encounter is
illegal even between consenting adults. People caught engaging in homosexual
relationships stand to face a lengthy prison sentence and hard labour in jail
(yes, the court will order that you serve hard labour – breaking rocks in
quarries). Men jailed for such offences are highly mistreated in jail even by
fellow inmates who normally beat them up and rape them, claiming "that is what
you like after all."

This is a very conservative country. Just a few years ago, women were not
allowed to wear miniskirts or trousers and men with long hair were literary
dragged screaming by the police and the then ruling party youth brigands to be
forcefully shaven. But things are changing. The coming in of a multi-party
democracy and the opening up of society means that there are more same sex
relationships now, but they are very discreet. Younger people seem ready to
accept their sexuality, unlike the older folk who can hardly understand the idea
of two men getting intimate.

The laws aside, morally Thomas felt that he should not go out with someone
underage. So when Thomas saw the boy dive under the water, then emerge just next
to him, he was cautious, though his heart was beating faster than normal. Soon
the boy was extending his hand in greeting to Thomas. In fact, closer to Thomas,
he looked even younger.

Even though he is an African, people in this country can tell that Thomas is a
foreigner -that is he is from another country, either because he is very tall,
because of his light facial features or even because of his hair, which is
tinted blond. Not many people have such features in Malawi. So, the young man
asked him that question that he had been asked hundreds of times since his
arrival here – where do you come from? And that opened up their conversation.

After some small talk Thomas had established that his new companion was John and
he was indeed 18 and in secondary school. Thomas always liked, after a swim, to
lie right at the edge of the water and let the waves wash over him. This is
exactly what he did and John soon joined him. As they were resting another man
joined them, and the picture changed. The newcomer, a young man probably around
22, seemed to know John well and he was soon in the water lying next to Thomas
after being introduced to him by John. Thomas was later to establish that the
young man was related to John.

Thomas thought to himself, "I think water makes people look cuter". But Issa,
as Thomas came to learn was his name, looked even more gorgeous as he lay there
besides him, droplets of water forming a pattern on his skin. Thomas could not
help but admire Issa's body. His stomach was also firm, like John's, and he
seemed very fit physically. Light hair dotted the area just below his navel.

The reflection of the light through the water ripples on his body made a picture
to behold. The waves kept splashing on his light fabric shorts, lifting them up
and exposing his silk-like flesh on his thigh and above now and then as the
waves hit him. He lay on his side, so Thomas could partly see his bottoms and
also his crotch as the shorts kept being lifted back by the waves. Apparently,
Issa wore nothing else under the light shorts. The flimsy material stuck against
his crotch like cling film whenever the waves receded – making him look the way
oil wrestlers look when their pants stick to their bodies, the outline of the
flesh below clearly visible under the pants.

Thomas had been chatting with Issa and John for sometime when John announced
that he was leaving. Now here was Thomas, alone with Issa. As a huge wave hit
against them, Issa suddenly pulled up against Thomas. Then he placed his leg on
Thomas's midsection, then his arm on Thomas's chest. The move was so fast, as if
Issa had been thrown by the wave into the position. Yet, Thomas knew this was no
accident. It was a well-calculated move by Issa.

In Malawi the beaches are not crowded, but Thomas was still apprehensive in case
somebody stumbled upon them or was watching the encounter from the terrace bar,
which seemed to have customers even early in the day. Yet, he wanted that leg
and arm to remain there forever.

"You have very long and erect nipples," Issa said to Thomas, his hand grabbing
one of the nipples then pulling it. "You are a nice piece of art," Issa said to
Thomas as he caressed his nipple. Thomas was thinking of placing his hand on
Issa's crotch when a shadow fell on them. It was a bemused Sue Macdonald. She is
the programmes coordinator at the organisation, Youth to Youth, where Thomas
worked as a youth peer educator. The organisation had brought the staff to the
lake for an annual planning retreat. Now here she was, stumbling on Thomas in
that compromising situation, Issa's leg on his body and his hand caressing his
nipple.

"We have one more session before lunch, remember, and you have a presentation to
make, the others are already in the room and the meeting has been on for the
last one hour" Sue told Thomas, choosing not to say anything to Issa for the
moment. Apart from relaxing, the retreat offered the staff an opportunity to
review their programmes and make future plans, hence they had formal sessions in
the conference room now and then. Thomas had not noticed it, but he had been in
the waters for close to two hours, yet the free time was only for an hour this
morning.

Thomas was sure Sue had been surprised to find him in that position, yet she
chose to say nothing – which was worse. Thomas wished she had said something,
anything about them. But it was to happen later. Sue comes from Amsterdam, where
her parents have settled for long. In fact, her home was near the red light
district in the heart of the city. The idea of two men having sex may therefore
not be strange to her. But Thomas had a feeling that she never expected this
between two African boys, cuddling and caressing right there in the open.

Acknowledging for the first time the presence of Issa Sue said, "finish up with
your friend, but do not take too long", then left as fast as she had emerged.
Finish up with your friend…? Thomas could not understand what she meant by that.
Did she mean, caress each other you boys for some time then get done with it, he
wondered."

Sue is a sweet lady and many people do not understand her. They say that she
left Amsterdam after being dumped by her Dutch boyfriend whom she had fallen
hands over heels in love with. She was so madly in love with the guy such that
when he left her, her world came crumbling down.

Sue has also an inferiority complex problem. She always complained about her
skin, saying it was ashen. Sometimes she sat in the sun the whole day trying to
get a tan, only to stand up feeling dizzy and minus the tan. Thomas did not know
why, but she always seemed to think that she was not attractive enough. Thomas
was not good at judging women's beauty, but he could say that apart from her
wide rimmed glasses, which she could get rid of if she wanted, he found nothing
wrong with her looks.

After the end of the relationship with the Dutch man Sue had opted to forget
about love life and instead to concentrate on projects in Africa. She had
plunged headlong into her work, burying herself in it. But Thomas was sure that
deep inside she still longed to be loved and to love someone. This was visible
when Tony Manicken came to the project as an intern for three months. Manicken
was young and jovial, a carefree man who accompanied the locals in harvesting
honey from wild hives, getting stung badly most of the times but going back to
jockey with the dreaded African killer bees again and again during his short
stay. He seemed suicidal. He had even said that he would be trying to ride a
buffalo, luckily there were no buffaloes nearby. Thomas could see that she was
enjoying his company and had Tony stayed longer maybe they would have struck it
off. Unfortunately, Tony was only here for the three months before he flew back
to Canada for his studies leaving her forlorn again.

Sue had initially been engaged by Youth to Youth as a facilitator trainer but
had risen in rank to become the programmes coordinator. She dedicated all her
energy to the project, burning the midnight oil writing proposals for funding
and filing reports. Occasionally, she would invite some of the staff from the
project for a scotch at her apartment, but beyond that Sue seemed to have no
social life.

"I will see you later. When are you free?" Issa asked Thomas. "I will be in the
beach at 5.00 after the afternoon sessions. Can I see you then?" Thomas replied.
"Sure," said Issa as he pinched Thomas's nipple hard and smiled as Thomas
flinched in pain and pleasure. As Thomas stood up he made sure that he touched
Issa's crotch. He could feel the firm rod under his wet pants.

The afternoon session was the most boring of all sessions since Thomas arrived
at the retreat. He kept glancing at his watch, hoping for 5.00 p.m. but the
clock seemed to be on a go-slow strike. At one point, Sue caught him checking
his watch. Thomas could see a flicker in her eyes, as if saying `I know what you
are up to.' The heat was oppressive and participants were fanning themselves
with booklets and any other material they could lay their hands on.

Luckily, the session was over by 4.30, giving Thomas time to rush to his room
for a quick change to a swimming costume and a dash to the lake. There were many
children playing by the shore, splattering each other with water and Thomas was
wondering how they would have another nice cuddle when all the children were
around. There was also a middle aged man, swimming quite close to the shores,
probably too scared to venture further into the water and Thomas was feeling
like shouting at him to get lost further into the sea. Thomas could not see
Issa, but it was still early.

But as the minutes kept on ticking Thomas was getting worried. By 6.30 Issa was
nowhere to be seen. This is the latest that people are allowed at the lake
because of fear of hippos. Although rare, there are instances when hippos come
to the beach. In fact, during one of his swims early in the morning, a hippo had
come very close to the shore. People in the lake had ignored shouts of warning,
thinking that those on the beach were joking. That was until one of the swimmers
sighted the hippo. Swimmers scrambled out of the water like they were possessed.
Even so, because of the desire to meet Issa again Thomas ignored the warning and
waited till 7.00 p.m. when finally he left for his room.