Category Archives: Comfort

2015 June 9: The love that will never be replaced

As I write this now I’m thinking about all the good and wonderful times I had with the woman I will never forget and never see again. I’m Collen Mfazwe, a black lesbian photographer and proudly South African. This is not about me; … Continue reading

Posted in Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Birthday, Black lesbian stories, Bond, Cake, Collen Mfazwe, Comfort, Comfortable, Creating awareness, Daveyton, Documenting pain, Education, Expression, Faces and Phases participant, Family, Focus, Friendships, Healing feeling, Learning, Life, Lifetime wounds, Losing a mother, Love, Meaning, No father, Photographer, Photography, Power of the Voice, Relationships, Responsibility, Sameness, School, Siblings, Sick, South Africa, Strength, Time, township, We Are You, We Care, We Still Can with/out Resources, Who we are, Work, Writing is a Right, Writing letters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

2015 April 27: The best of Ibhayi LGBTI Pride

Texts and photos by Londeka ‘Siba’ Dlamini LGBTI community from various areas of Port Elizabeth gathered at Eyethu sports bar in Zwide to say no to homophobia and all the hate crimes affecting the society. The iBhayi LGBTI festival took … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 IBhayi LGBT Pride, 21 Years of Democracy, Brave, Bringing photography to the community, Came out of the closet, Captioned, Captured, Caring citizens, Celebration, Challenging the un-African homosexuality, Characters, Citizenship, Claiming mainstream spaces, Claiming the public spaces, Collective, Collectivism, Comfort, Commemorating the queer youth we lost along the way, Commemoration, Committed, Communication strategies, Community, Community based media, Community education, Community Mobilizing, Community organizing, Confrontation, Connected souls, Connections, Consideration, Londeka Siba Dlamini, Marching for our LGBTI rights, Photographs, Sexuality, South Africa, Women in South African Arts, Women's power, Women's Pride, Women's struggles, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Womyn, Words, Writing is a Right, Writing matters, Young black female photographers, young black queer and gifted, Youth voices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2015 March 10: Photo of that day

… still relevant right now. Camera used:  Canon 6d with 85mm lens on Manfrotto tripod. Location:  Belleville, Paris. FRANCE. A collaboration between Valerie Thomas and Zanele Muholi.     Previous link   2014 Nov. 11: The Artivist and the Doctor   and … Continue reading

Posted in After 2015 International Women's Day, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Cold night, Collaborations, Collective, Comfort, Commitment, Committed, Communication strategies, Community, Complicated Lesbian Relationships, Confession, Connected souls, Connections, Creating awareness, Creative Writing, Democratic, Facing You, Facts, Faith, Family, Featuring, Feelings, Female being, Female Photographers, Lesbian, Lesbian couple, Reality, Reason, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, recognized, South African Visual Activism, Visual activism is a language, We Are You, We Care, We Still Can with/out Resources, ZaVa series (2015) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2014 Dec. 24: If things were going my way

Lebo Leptie Phume & Zanele Muholi interviewed some special friends about their Christmas wishes. I grew up celebrating Christmas because that’s what everyone was doing and it’s not like I had a choice not to celebrate it. Even though I … Continue reading

Posted in A new visual history, Abantu, Acceptance, Act, Acting, Articles, Articulation, Arts, Arts & Culture, As we are, Attention, Baring, Beautiful, Beautiful people, Beauty, Before US, Before You, Begging, Being, Being conscientized, Being heard, Black Queer & Gifted, Blackness, Bodies and histories, Captioned, Captured, Caring citizens, Celebration, Challenging the un-African homosexuality, Characters, Christmas wishes, Citizenship, Claiming, Collective, Collectivism, Comfort, Comment, Community, Connected souls, Connections, Consideration, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative Writing, Cultural activists, Daring, Dedication, Delegation, Different positions, Edited, Education, Emotional support, Empowerment, Evidence, Excitement, Existence, Experience, Expertise, Exploration, Exposure, Expression, Facing You, Facts, Families, Families and Friends, Family support, Fantasy, Favourite, Featuring, Feelings, Festive season, Freedom, Freedom of being, Friends, Friendships, Give, Gratitude, Happiness, He(ART), History, Homosexuality, Honesty, Hope, Human Beings, I almost wished, I am not the only one, I am Somebody, I can't do it ALONE, I was (T)here, I was here, Imagined, Incredible, Independence, Individuals, Influenced, Inner feelings, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Language, Lebo Phume, Legacies of Existence, Lessons learnt, LGBT community, Liberation, Life, Life is a production..., Life lived, Life Stories, Live, Living, Living by example, Longing, Love, Love is a human right, Love is Queer, Loved, Lovers, Loving, Mainstreaming our queer issues, Memories, Mind, Mission, Moments, Moments in our history, Motivation, Naming, Patience, Perception, Power of the Voice, Powerful, Privilege, Queer Power, Queer South Africa, Queer texts, Queer visibility, Questions, Real, Reality, Reason, Recognition, recognized, Recording, Reflections, Relationship, Relationships, Remembering, Respected person, Respondents, Self-worth, Sexuality, Sexuality in South Africa, Sharing, Sharing knowledge, Sharing thoughts, Success, Visibility, Vision, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Care, We love each other, We Still Can with/out Resources, Wishing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

2014 Dec. 13: Faces and Phases invokes memories

Book Review by Kopano Sibeko “I used to be lesbian, but now my final words are on a tombstone, because he showed me the power of a man. I could never love that, so I killed myself because I knew … Continue reading

Posted in A new visual history, Beyond SA borders, Claiming mainstream spaces, Claiming the public spaces, Collaborations, Comfort, Comments from the audience, Commitment, Committed, Communication strategies, Community, Community based media, Community education, Community Mobilizing, Community organizing, Community outreach, Community work, Confession, Confrontation, Connected souls, Connections, Consent, Contests, Conversation, courage, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative Writing, Creativity, Cultural activists, Culture, Culture of reading and writing, Details, Difference, Different positions, discourse, Discussion, Diversity, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting our own lives, Documenting realities of the townships, Embodies, Emotional support, Empowerment, Encounter, Endurance, Freedom, Individuals, Lesbian Love Is Possible in South Africa, Lesbianism, Lessons learnt, Life Stories, Mainstreaming our queer issues, Making a mark, Media works, Personification, Political injustices, Politics of existence, Politics of geography, Professionals, Publications, Recording, relative, Remembering, Report, Representation, Sexuality in South Africa, Sharing, Sharing knowledge, Sharing thoughts, Struggles, Support, Support is the system, Supporting each other, Supportive friends and families, Teachings, Transgenderism, Transphobia, Victimisation, Visual Activist, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual diaries, Visual historical initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

2014 Dec. 14: The kiss that moved the church

© Photo by Charmain Carrol @ VMCI – Johannesburg Camera used:  Canon 60D with 75-300 mm lens   What: Bathini Dambuza & Portia Dludlu’s engagement ceremony Union blessed by Pastor Mazibuko       “I always prayed to get married … Continue reading

Posted in Allies, Alternative career choices, Alternative family, Announcement, Another Approach Is Possible, Apology, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Arguments, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Articles, Articulation, Attention, Audience, Background, Beautiful, Beautiful faces, Beautiful people, Beauty, Before US, Before You, Begging, Being conscientized, Being seen, Black Bodies of Silence, Black lesbian beauty, Black Lesbian Icons in South Africa, Blackness, Blessings, Bodies, Bodies and histories, Body, Bonding, Brave, Bringing photography to the community, Captioned, Captured, Caring citizens, Categories, Celebrating Women, Celebration, Challenges of black lesbian youth, Characters, Choice, Citizenship, Civil Union, Claiming, Collaborations, Collective, Comfort, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting our own lives, Documenting realities of the townships, Dress code, Dress sense, Embodies, Emotional support, Empowerment, Encounter, Endurance, English, Entertainment, Evidence, Excitement, Experience, Expertise, Exploration, Exposure, Expression, Eyes, Face, Facilitation, Facing You, Facts, Families and Friends, Family, Family and Friends, Fashion, Featuring, Feelings, Female being, Frank, Freedom, Friends, Friendships, Function, I use CANON, I was (T)here, Identity, Perception, SA Constitution, SA LGBTI experts, Self love, Self recognition, Sexual Liberation, Sexual orientation, Sexuality, Sexuality in South Africa, Sharing, Sharing knowledge, Silence, Silent voices, Social responsibility, Society, South Africa, South African Black Female Photographers, South African lesbians, South African politics, South African struggle, South African traditions, South African Visible Arts, South African visual history through the eyes of young women, Space, Speaking for ourselves, Special event, Statement, Subject of Art, Support is the system, Supporting each other, Survived, Teaching young women photography, Tears, Terrified, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Thankful, Thoughts, Time, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual diaries, Visual historical initiative, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Warmth, We Are You, We Care, We love each other, We love photographs, We Love Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

2014 Dec. 1: “The portraits are no longer just pictures”

Book Review by Rene Mathibe I have been fascinated with books ever since I learnt how to read. To be able to read and understand someone’s story is beautiful. Zanele Muholi launched her fourth book titled “Faces and Phases 2006-14” … Continue reading

Posted in Articulation, Artist Talk, Artists, Arts, Arts & Culture, As we are, Attention, Background, Collaborations, Collective, Collectivism, Comfort, Commitment, Committed, Daring, Eight years of photographing Faces and Phases, Frank, Gauteng, Gender articulation, Healing, Incredible, Inkanyiso media, Interviews, Introduction, Legacies of Existence, Lesbian Professionals, Lesbian Youth, Mission, Natalspruit, Platform, Representation, Self love, Self recognition, Self-worth, Sexual minorities, Sexual orientation, Sexuality, South African townships, South African Visual Activism, South African visual history through the eyes of young women, Stories, Touching, Visual activism, Visual Activist, Visual democracy, Visual historical initiative, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, Visuals, Warmth, We Are You, We Care, We love each other, We love photographs, We Love Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

2014 Oct. 13: See you @ Upcoming Mbokodo Awards 2014

      2013 winners in the different categories are as follows: 1. Women in Indigenous Art: Peki Emmelinah “Nothembi” Mkhwebane 2. Promotion of Language and Story Telling: Nthabiseng Sibanda 3. Creative Writing: Devarakshanam Betty Govinden 4. Poetry: Myesha Jenkins … Continue reading

Posted in 11 South African official languages, 20 Years of Democracy, 20 Years of Democracy in SA, 2013 Mbokodo awards winners, 2014 Mbokodo awards, Acceptance, Acceptance speeches, Act, Acting, Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Affair, African Queer Beauty, Allies, Alternative career choices, Announcement, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Art Activism, Art Activism in South Africa, Art Edutainment, Art for Humanity, Art Is A Human Right, Articles, Articulation, Artist Talk, Arts & Culture, As we are, Audience, Background, Beautiful, Beautiful faces, Beautiful people, Beauty, Before US, Before You, Body Politics, Captioned, Captured, Caring citizens, Categories, Celebrating Women, Celebration, Characters, Choice, Collaborations, Collective, Collectivism, Comfort, Comments from the audience, Commitment, Committed, Communication strategies, Community, Community based media, Community education, Community Mobilizing, Community organizing, Community outreach, Connected souls, Connections, Consideration, Contests, Conversation, Creating awareness, creative artist, Description, Discussion, Dress code, Elegance, Emotional support, Empowerment, Evidence, Excitement, Exhibition, Exhibitions, Experience, Expertise, Exposure, Expression, Facing You, Families and Friends, Family support, Fashion, Feelings, Friends, Function, Future, Gender articulation, Gender expression, Generations, Gift, Gifts, Gratitude, Health bodies, Human Beings, Hurt, I can't do it ALONE, I love photography, Independence, Influenced, Interpretation, Intervention, Interviews, Invitation, Kyalami Business Park, Lessons learnt, Liberation, Life, Living, Love, Loved, Lovely words, Loving, Media works, Memories, Memory, Messages of support, Midrand, My body, Networking, Opinion, Our lives in the picture, Out, Participant, Participation, Perception, photographers, Photographs, Photography, Politics of existence, Politics of representation, Portrait, Poster, Power of the Voice, Presentation, Privilege, Proud to be, Publication, Readings, Real, Realization, Reason, Recognition, recognized, Reflection, Reflections, Relationship, Remembering, Reports, Respect, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, Response, South African Women in the field of Arts & Culture, Visuals, Woman, Women in South African Arts, Women's power, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Zanele Muholi, Zanele Muholi is the winner, Zulu is a South African language | Leave a comment

2014 Oct. 10: “I tried to commit suicide…”

  I didn’t write this because I had nothing better to do. I didn’t write this because I want recognition. I wrote this because I’m embarking on a self-discovery journey. I want to share my experience with the hope that … Continue reading

Posted in "I tried to commit suicide...", Addiction, Addictive gene, Affair, Anger, Announcement, Another Approach Is Possible, Anti-depressants, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Arguments, Art Therapy, Articles, Articulation, As we are, Attempted rape, Background, Beautiful, Beautiful faces, Beautiful people, Bleeding, Blink of an eye, Body, Challenges of black lesbian youth, Cheating, Comfort, Comforter, Confession, Counseling sessions, Daddy issues, Daily, Depressed, Devil’s advocate, Dizzy, Drunk, ekasi, Experience, Face, Family, Flirting, Friends, Friends as perpetrators, Friendships, Growing, Guilt, Healing, Health, Heart, History, Hooked, Hurt, Innocent, Legacies of Violence, Lesbian couple, Lesbian Love Is Possible in South Africa, Lesbian Youth, Life is a production..., Life story, Living, Living by example, Love, Love is a human right, Love is Queer, Loved, Lovely words, Loving, Mainstream media, Male friends, Memories, Memory, Mental fitness, Moments in herstory, Moments in our history, Money, Mother, My life in short, My partner, Networking, Neurological, Pain, Partner, Peace, periods, Pressure, Production company, Psychologists, Rape, Realization, Recognizing the problem, recovering alcohol addict, Relapse, Relationships, Respected person, Response, revolution, Safety and security, Same sex gender based violence, Scar, Scary, Sibahle Nkumbi, Space, Speaking for ourselves, Speed recovery, Stealing, Stupor, Substance, Supporters, Supporting each other, Supportive friends and families, Supportive mother, Survived, Tears, Time, Together we can, University, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Warmth, We Are You, We Care, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, When Love is a Human Right, Woman, Womanhood, Women loving women, Women's power, Words, Writing is a Right | 12 Comments

2014 Oct. 8: Beautiful faces and kisses from Soweto Pride 2014

                                                                                … Continue reading

Posted in 10th Soweto Pride, 20 Years of Democracy, Acceptance, Acceptance speeches, Act, Acting, Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Adoring, After party, Allies, Alternative career choices, Alternative family, an LGBTI organisation, Anger, Announcement, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Arguments, Art Activism, Art Activism in South Africa, Art for Humanity, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Art Solidarity, Art Therapy, Article, Articles, Articulation, Artist Talk, Artists, Arts, As we are, Attention, Awareness workshops, Background, Baring, Before US, Before You, Begging, Being conscientized, Black Lesbian Love, Black lesbian mothers, Black lesbian visibility, Black lesbians in remote areas in South Africa, black LGBTIQA, Black Queer & Gifted, Black Queer Artists, Black Queer Born Frees, Black Queer Born Frees in SA townships, Body, Cameras, Captioned, Captured, Caring citizens, Celebrating Women, Celebration, Challenging the un-African homosexuality, Characters, Charismatic, Citizenship, Claiming, Claiming blackness, Claiming mainstream spaces, Collaborations, Collective, Collectivism, Comfort, Comment, Comments from the audience, Commitment, Committed, Communication strategies, Community, Community based media, Community education, Community Mobilizing, Community organizing, Community outreach, Community work, Complicated Lesbian Relationships, Confrontation, Connected souls, Connections, Consideration, Contestants, Contests, Contributors, Conversation, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative Writing, Creativity, Cultural activists, cultural worker, Culture, Culture of reading and writing, Delegation, Democracy, Demonstration, Details, Different positions, Dignity, disappearance, discourse, Discussion, Documentary, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting our own lives, Documenting realities of the townships, Dress sense, Dyke, Edited, Education, Emotional support, Empowerment, Evidence, Exchanging Queer thoughts, Excitement, Experience, Expertise, Exploration, Expression, Facilitators, Facing You, Feelings, Female Photographers, Food, Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW), Freedom of being, Friendships, Future, Gender articulation, Gender Equality, Gender expression, Gender naming, Gender performance, Generations, Give children cameras not candies, Give credits where it is due, God Fearing people, Gratitude, Gratitude to my lover, Hate crimes Victims names, History, Human Beings, Human rights, I can't do it ALONE, I love photography, I use CANON, I was (T)here, I was here, I-N-K-A-N-Y-I-S-O, Identity, Independence, Influenced, Inkanyiso crew, Interpretation, Intervention, Interviews, Invisibility, Issues, Kiss, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Lack of Resources, Language, Legacies of Violence, Lesbian Professionals, Lesbian Youth, Lesbianism, Lessons learnt, Let us give a girl child a chance, LGBT community, LGBT rights activist, LGBTI community, lgbti issues in South Africa, LGBTIs in Africa, Life, Living, Lost Lives, Love, Love is a human right, Love is Queer, Loved, Lovely words, lover, Loving, Luxury, Mainstream media, Mainstreaming our queer issues, Matters of the He(Art), Media works, Memories, Moments in herstory, Moments in our history, Motivation, My body, Networking, Open relationships, Opening remarks, Our lives in the picture, Our Zulu Pride, Queer poetics, Queer Power, Queer South Africa, Queer texts, Queer visibility, Queer Youth, queerity, question of history., Questioning, Questions & Answers, Reflection, Reflections, Related links, Relationship, Relationship with own body, Relationships, relative, Remembering, Respect, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, Response, Reviving the culture of reading and writing, revolution, Sadness, Safety, South African Visual Activism, Speaking for ourselves, Stage, Statement, Struggle Songs, Struggling, Struggling activist, Style, Subject of Art, Support, Supporters, Supporting each other, Supportive friends and families, Teaching young women photography, Tears, together, Together we can, Togetherness, Touch, Townships, Translation, Trust, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual diaries, Visual historical initiative, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, Warmth, We Are You, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Well organized event, What black lesbian youth wants, When Love is a Human Right, Wishing you well, Women loving women, Women who have sex with Women, Women's power, Women's Pride, Women's struggles, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Womenonwomen, Womyn, Words, Writing is a Right, Years, Young black female photographers, Young Black Women and Photography, Young female photographers from Aurora, Young talent, young women, Young Women and Visual Activism, Youth, Youth voices | 10 Comments