OPENING: Zanele Muholi’s MO(U)RNING and Out In Africa Gay & Lesbian Film Fest

Zanele Muholi is most certainly in my book South Africa’s most acclaimed visual activist. “Her work gives public life to a community, its joys, traumas, fights and daily existence.” She is at the forefront,if not the only, photographer documenting the LGBTI community with her focus fixed on hate crimes such as corrective rape. Her work is invaluable.

The exhibition Mo(u)rning will showcase many elements of her work seen for the first time.This will include several photographic series and her multiple award-winning documentary Difficult Love. “She uses the power of visual material, offered by photographs and film, to affirm existing realities and expose truths and the cruel aspects of 21st century South African society where loving can be dangerous. The exhibition opened today and will run until 1 September.

Stevenson Gallery

Buchanan Building, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town

Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm, Saturday 10am – 1pm

MY OUT IN AFRICA GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL PICKS

Firstly I thank Nodi and the rest of the Out In Africa team for always delivering. Happy 19th Birthday! The festival starts tomorrow at Nu Metro Cinemas in Cape Town (V&A Waterfront) and Joburg (Hyde Park) and runs until 5 August.

NUMBER 1: I AM WOMAN

“Meet Funeka Soldaat, intersex community activist and founder of Freegender (movement) who came to Khayelitsha in Cape Town, in search of a better life. What must it have been like to live as an out and proud lesbian thirty years ago, and to have travelled that journey right until today? This soldier, the meaning of her surname, leads the war against hate crimes in the township. She is a mentor and role model to many.

NUMBER 2: CLOUDBURST

Watch the trailer

Starring Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck) and Brenda Fricker ( My Left Foot) is a multi-award winning story about an aging lesbian couple who take to the road when one is committed to a nursing home. Vintage butch / femme, potentially heart wrenching.

NUMBER 3: STUD LIFE

Watch the trailer

This promises to be sheer eye candy. The story of JJ – a young butch and her best gay best friend Seb. Modern day love story witch a kick-ass soundtrack.

PICS: Protest for Justice and Safety

Hey guys

Apologies for dropping off the planet, I was going to tell you that I’ve been abducted by aliens but it’s really bronchitis that’s floored me. But my able spies got some pics from today’s march for “Justice and Safety in Khayelitsha” (see previous post):

"How many lesbians have to die before hate is a crime?"

Protest outside the Provincial Legislature building in Cape Town on 4 Oct 2011

“We demand Justice for Zoliswa” (Zoliswa Nkonyana was murdered for being lesbian in 2006 – the trial continues) 

UPDATE: Protest for Justice and Safety

"All Shall Be Equal Before The Law" by Faith47

At this week’s meeting facilitated by Zackie Achmat from TAC, a protest march for justice and safety in the township of Khayelitsha was organized to happen in front of Western Cape Provincial Parliament on 4 October 2011 from 12 – 2pm.

We ask for assistance to mobilise the Khayelitsha community- please can anybody who can offer transport or contribute towards transport costs kindly contact Joel Bregman (Social Justice Coalition) on 0727690100.

“Crime continues to increase in Khayelitsha and its criminal justice system is in crisis with more than 300 murders in 2010. The rates of sexual assault and violent crime including murder and assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm (GBH) have increased in the past year. The true scale of crime is hard to know as many crimes are heavily underreported. In order for positive changes to be made, the extent and scope of the problem needs to be established.”

The organisers and we, the people, call on the MEC for Community Safety, Dan Plato, to institute an independent investigation and complete what his predecessor has not.

There will be a press conference on the 29 September 2011 at 12pm at the Ndifuna Ukwazi offices, Room 203, 47 Strand Street, Cape Town.

Our demands and examples of poor investigation into brutal crimes such as lesbian Zoliswa Nkonyana’s murder can be viewed on the Facebook event. Click here to go to the Facebook event.

Please wear a purple ribbon in solidarity no matter where you are on the day of this event.

Our Dead Sisters

In this city I call home we celebrate Gay Pride for one week every February. In our country we can live in union, have joint bank accounts and can even be named in our lover’s wills. Meanwhile an epidemic is sweeping through our land unchecked. Daily we are adding names to the long list of lesbians being attacked, our deceased sisters slain at the hands of those they know.

The media does their bit – bringing home the awful reality of ‘corrective rape’ sweeping through our black townships. At large the battle is fought by NGO’s. A march to court in support of too many drawn-out cases. A demonstration to parliament demanding the recognition of our human rights.

The balance lays with every one of us –our ability to see this as our collective struggle. As women, as lesbians, as human beings, as mothers and fathers, a community of sisters and brothers, a country saying “NO!” to the rape of women regardless of how we dress, our sexual persuasions and our street address.

With every call to action and news bulletin, a name is added to the list. Today I will mention only one – Zoliswa Nkonyana. A 19 year old living in Khayelitsha, Cape Town murdered for being a lesbian on 4 February 2006. Now 40 postponements and more than 5 years later, the 9 men accused of this brutal hate crime have dropped to 7. In the course of the trial several of the accused men requested to be charged as minors as they were not of age when the murder was commited. A year ago, 4 escaped from police custody but were re-arrested. Poor police work coupled with the prosecution’s weak case show the long arm the law discarding Zoliswa’s story.

We are called to action:

Come, speak up for your dead sisters!

In protest of the shocking results of the 4 year old trial for the murder of Zoliswa Nkonyana:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2011/09/08/lesbian-killing-two-go-free

Time: Tuesday, September 20 • 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Location:  Ndifuna Ukwazi Offices, #203 in building, 47 on Strand, Corner Strand and Long Streets, Cape Town

There will be a meeting to organise a march and legal case on the criminal justice system.

This is a poem I wrote after a march to Khayelitsha Regional Court possibly postponement #36:

zoliswa and i                 fifteen march twenty ten

brutally gang raped by your own times nine
slain for your freedom
for looking the way you do
for loving the way they do
your womanhood lay cold in the night
today i marched for you.

the gun pressed to my head
the violation tearing at my flesh
the far away place
i hid my heart in
the numbness
today i marched for me.

your blood flowed today
filled the streets in song
the rhythm of our footsteps
our clenched fists raised high
against a failing system
today we marched for you.

for all who know the pain
the unspoken, unreported
endured
for those left behind bearing witness
for all our mothers, daughters and sisters
today i marched for you.