Cameroon president’s daughter, Brenda, is officially lesbian

Sopuruchi Onwuka

Brenda, the super-rich daughter of President Paul Biya of Cameroon, has professed a curious sexual preference which runs directly in contrast with the 52 year old anti-gay law in the country where her father is almost an emperor.

Brenda Biya revealed that she is in a same-sex relationship with a Brazilian model and went on to share an intimate Instagram photo in which she was seen kissing Layyons Valença who she described as her girlfriend.

The 26 year old president’s daughter who is famous for luxury lifestyle and posh fashion taste is fully aware that her choice of sexuality is in contravention of a 1972 law which her father has vehemently pursued and for which a lot of Cameroonians are either in jail or exile.

Brenda reportedly attended a Pride Month in the Americas where she is photographed planting a kiss on Layyons Valença, declaring in the photo caption that she was announcing their relationship to the world.

 “PS: I’m crazy about you & I want the world to know,” she wrote on the Instagram photograph.

Reports from Cameroon reviewed by The Oracle Today showed that President Biya has continued to criminalize homosexuality and same-sex sexual activities for the over four decades he’s remained in power.

When reader commented that her father, Paul Biya, is a sworn anti-LGBT+ leader of Cameroon, Brenda pointed her belief that tide would eventually change in Cameroon.

 “Nobody will have anything to say because only love shall win,” she responded, adding: “I don’t condone hate, I think the mentality should change, but it will change once the people are ready.”

According to the global human rights group Human Dignity Trust, homosexuality has been illegal in Cameroon since 1972. The law criminalizing homosexuality also attacks any same-sex sexual activity of any kind, with many arrests leading to as little as hefty fines to up to five years in prison.

As decades have gone by, Human Rights Watch has found that anti-LGBT+ violence and abuse have only escalated in the country, finding an 88 percent increase in incidences from 2021 to 2022.

Brenda’s Pride Month post has garnered the support of several activists, including trans activist Shakiro, who told BBC News that Brenda’s coming out was a “turning point for the LGBTQ+ community in Cameroon.”

After having been jailed in Cameroon for five years for “attempted homosexuality,” Shakiro has since lived in Belgium, but Brenda’s post gives her hope that Cameroon will finally. face a reckoning. She believes that the president’s daughter has solidified herself as a progressive, powerful voice capable of enacting “social change in a country where taboos are deeply rooted.”

“I love this for Cameroon’s first daughter, Brenda Biya!” another LGBT+ activist Bandy Kiki wrote in a Facebook post. However, she noted that Brenda benefits from her position of power. She wrote that her freedom to post about her girlfriend with minimal repercussions “highlights a harsh reality: Anti-LGBT laws in Cameroon disproportionately target the poor.”

She added, “Wealth and connections create a shield for some, while others face severe consequences.”

Most analysts view Brenda not only as a product and victim of her father’s rule, but also a potential agent and a catalyst of change. She reflects the paradox and a mystery that challenges and intrigues the Cameroonian people and the world.

Many have noted that Brenda’s “provocative” online presence could be a Trojan horse. According to the Cameroon Concord, has been accused of undermining critics of her father’s reportedly authoritarian and corrupt administration. Under President Biya’s rule, Transparency International deemed Cameroon “The World Corruption Champion” two years in a row from 1998 to 1999.

Brenda Biya has been accused of being a political manipulator, who uses her online platform to divert the attention of the people from the problems of the country and to defend her father, who has been in power since 1982 and who is facing criticism and opposition for his authoritarian and corrupt rule.

She has also been criticized for her luxurious and ostentatious lifestyle, which contrasts with the poverty and suffering of the majority of Cameroonians, who are struggling with the high cost of living, the insecurity and the human rights violations.

Political analysts argue that Brenda Biya is a political manipulator who implements a well-designed strategy to distract and deceive the Cameroonian people. She is accused of using social media to spread propaganda and misinformation, to create a false image of her father as a victim of the Westerners and a champion of pan-Africanism, and to incite hatred and division among the people.

She also accused of using social media to flaunt her wealth and privilege, show off her expensive clothes and accessories, and boast about her private concerts and parties with famous artists.

Analysts not that Brenda does not care about the plight of the Cameroonian people, who are suffering from hunger, disease, violence, and oppression.

She is also accused of ignoring to help push democratic principles of freedom of expression, accountability, and transparency.

“She only cares about her own interests and those of her father and his regime,” an analyst cmmented.

Others describe her as a troubled daughter who is trying to cope with the pressure and the isolation of being the offspring of one of the longest-serving dictators in Africa. So, she perceived as using social media to express her opinions and emotions, vent her frustrations and fears, and seek attention and validation.

She is thought to be a naïve, sick and depressed person, who suffers from thyroid problems and psychological issues; and who is vulnerable and influenced by her surroundings and her peers.

Escaping to lesbianism is thought to make Brenda Biya a complex and delicate daughter of a dictator. She is a symbol and a mirror that reflects the hopes and the fears, the strengths and the weaknesses, and the opportunities and the challenges of the African continent.