Triangle Project Issues Public Apology Over #ShowGhanaLove Campaign

The South African LGBTQ+ rights group Triangle Project has issued a public apology following its involvement in the controversial #ShowGhanaLove social media campaign.

The digital campaign, launched during Pride Month, featured South African queer couple Lue and Rue in a series of affectionate photos taken at national landmarks in Ghana, including Independence Square in Accra.

Meant to spotlight solidarity with Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community amid the country’s pending anti-LGBTQ+ bill – the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill – the campaign inadvertently triggered a wave of political and public anger in the West African country, with local activists claiming that they were not consulted on the initiative.

Disturbingly, outrage over the campaign was heightened and used by anti-LGBTQ+ politicians to add pressure on the government to speed up efforts to pass the heinous legislation in parliament.

Acknowledging Missteps and Harm

In a statement released on Friday, Triangle Project acknowledged its failure to adequately assess the political sensitivities and potential harm of the campaign.

The Cape Town-based organisation admitted that the project — executed in partnership with Johannesburg-based agency The Odd Number — had not meaningfully engaged or collaborated with Ghanaian LGBTQ+ activists or organisations.

“We wish to take ownership of how short-sighted and ill-conceived the manner and rationale around executing this campaign was,” the statement reads. “It did not account for the nuances and depth of the lived experiences of queer persons of Ghana and related issues of queer and transgender people worldwide.”

Triangle Project said its involvement in the campaign had been limited to early engagements, but conceded that it failed to follow up or ensure that local voices were meaningfully included. It also emphasised that it did not receive any financial compensation from the campaign.

Undermining Local Advocacy Efforts

The group described the initiative’s political fallout as undermining years of hard-won advocacy by Ghanaian activists, particularly in the context of the reintroduction of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, which seeks to further criminalise LGBTQ+ identities and advocacy.

The organisation stated that, regrettably, the campaign “has the potential to hinder and indirectly feed into and be co-opted by the anti-rights movement agenda to roll back the human rights gains of LGBTQI+ communities globally.”

Triangle Project’s leadership admitted that a lack of internal accountability and oversight contributed to the misstep. Notably, some of its own staff and leadership were not fully aware of the campaign as it unfolded.

The group says it only truly grasped the extent of the damage after speaking to Ghanaian activists in a series of meetings facilitated by Pan Africa ILGA. These engagements, the organisation said, underscored the harm caused by the campaign’s lack of consultation and community inclusion.

A Call for Reflection and Responsible Allyship

“We recognise and deeply regret that, in addition to resisting this renewed wave of criminalisation amidst heightened political pressures… Ghanaian human rights advocates were also burdened with the task of addressing our failures,” the group wrote.

“Their willingness to engage with us over the past few days, despite the emotional and political labour it demands, reflects a principled commitment to collective struggle.”

Triangle Project ended its statement with a reaffirmation of its commitment to transparency, solidarity, and accountability.

“This failure is profound. We may never undo the damage we have caused, but we are committed to remaining present in open, ongoing conversations that hold us publicly accountable.”

MambaOnline reached out earlier to Lue and Rue for comment about their campaign but has yet to receive a response.

The #ShowGhanaLove incident has sparked broader conversations around ethical solidarity and the responsibilities of Global South organisations working across borders. Triangle Project’s apology is an important step in reckoning with how allyship must be grounded in deep local engagement, humility, and trust.