It is three days after Duduzile Zozo’s funeral exactly a month ago when South Africa celebrated Youth day and seven years nine days since the brutal murder of Salome Masooa and Sizakele Sigasa who were brutally murdered in July 2007, also victims of hate crime. We gathered at Kromvleiplaas cemetery, Thokoza Township, Johannesburg on the 16th of July 2013.
The level of unemployment has escalated amongst black South Africans, it is even worse with the LGBTI community which has resulted to a major setback for most Gays and Lesbians. We assembled this time to shoot re-enactment scenes of a hate crime film.
Prior to that, we engaged on an ice breaker session to get to know each participant, as well as to express ourselves about the challenges we encounter and queer youth as we live our lives in the townships. The small group gathered here is from Thokoza and Daveyton township. During the icebreaker we found that we were a bunch of heavy hearted young men and women with breaking stories of suffocation.
To my sad realization I found that unemployment was the order of the day and I discovered that in a group of twenty four (24) homosexual beings present only two are permanently employed, four self-employed who also have challenges, which lives the other eighteen unemployed. To this disgraceful shock we managed to dig deeper into the matter. The lack of higher education, working experience as well as discouragement from our own kind when one tries to do good in the community and for themselves as individuals.
On this day I was also counted in the 18th that is unemployed. Being amongst the group made me realized how we all have the fear of the unknown and how we are fighting yet most of us don’t have the skills needed to get us the jobs we applying for.
I was reminded that no matter how supportive our Constitution may be, the world around us is still homophobic and they will always judge one by their looks and not look at their ability to work and add skills to the company.
The struggle is within ourselves, we need to stand to pursue our dreams, and it is pointless to sit down with our God given gifts and passion and watch others doing it for themselves or live someone else’s dream who has taken the initiative to live theirs.
I strongly believe everyone is intelligent and was born to serve a certain purpose on earth. Let us not be imprisoned by the limitations in our minds. As homosexuals we need to gain confidence in ourselves. We should have hope and start believing regardless of what the world says about us. It is high time young homosexual beings start doing things for themselves and reach for our dreams.
In this short space of time I learned that no matter what you do there will always be someone to put you down and one must not let such people win. Life is a daily struggle and not everyone wishes to see you succeed in life. Therefore we should keep pushing for our dreams and do our best in everything we do.
We are all crafted from soil and therefore everything starts from the ground to the limitless possibilities, dreams, goals, faith belief and patience are the star bricks that build a strong foundation to where you want to be.
Start living your life and nobody else’s.
About the author
Nomaswazi Nkosi also known as Swazi, a graduate from Tshwane University of Technology in Marketing Management.
She is an aspiring photographer and Fashion designer, who recently transitioned from Butch to being a Feminine African Goddess.
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