Category Archives: Human Beings

2014 Aug.9: My name is Woman

  My name is woman…My name is woman who loves womenI am created in the image of humanSeek I not in hell nor heaven for I exist only in the midstof the haves and the have notsof the world… To … Continue reading

Posted in Acceptance, Act, Acting, Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art Activism, Art Activism in South Africa, Art Edutainment, Art for Humanity, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Art Solidarity, Art Therapy, Articles, Artists, Arts, As we are, Beauty, Before US, Before You, Black Lesbians, Black Queer & Gifted, Black Queer Artists, Blackness, Characters, Claiming, Collaborations, Collective, Commitment, Communication strategies, Community, Community based media, Community Mobilizing, Community organizing, Community outreach, Community work, Contributors, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative activist, creative artist, Creative writer, Creative Writing, Democracy, Description, Details, Discussion, Documentary, Education, Empowerment, Evidence, Experience, Expertise, Exploration, Exposure, Expression, Feelings, Freedom of being, Gender articulation, Gender expression, Gender naming, Homosexuality, Human Beings, Human Equity and Art (Heart), Human rights, Humiliation, Hurt, I am not the only one, I can't do it ALONE, I love photography, Identity, Inconsiderate, Independence, Insulted, Insults, Intellectualism, Interpretation, Intervention, Invisibility, Lebo Mashifane, Lesbian Youth, Liberation, Life, Life Stories, Lost Lives, Love, Love is a human right, Love is Queer, Loved, Lovely words, Memories, Memory, Moments in herstory, murdered, Muted, My body, Myths, Of Love and Loss, Open relationships, Opening remarks, Opinion, Organizations, Organizing, Our lives in the picture, Ownership of the self, Owning our bodies, Participation, Perception, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Privilege, Proud to be, Queer Power, Queer visibility, Queer Youth, question of history., Relationships, Respect & Recognition from our community, Response, revolution, Seeing difference, Self acceptance, Self love, She, Silence, South Africa, Townships, Uncategorized, Visual Activist in the classroom, Visual democracy, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, We Are You, We Care | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

2014 July 28: Comfort’s coming of age ceremony

  Where:  Nquthu, KwaZulu Natal. When:  12th July 2014 Umemulo unjengomshado, usuke uwumakoti ushadiswa nabakini, umhlwehlwe usuke umele i-veil. Ube futhi uyafana ne – 21st yesizulu, ngoba uma umuntu wesifazane emuliswa usuke unikwa ukhiye ukuthi usengakhululeka agane. Igama lami ngingu-Comfort BZ … Continue reading

Posted in Ancestors, Articles, Challenging the un-African homosexuality, Communication strategies, Community Mobilizing, Community outreach, Community work, Complexities of Transitioning, Confrontation, Connected souls, Connections, Contests judges;, Contributors, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Cultural activists, Culture of reading and writing, Dance and song, Description, Details, Emotional support, Empowerment, Engagement, Event, Evidence, Experience, Exploration, Exposure, Expression, Family, Family and Friends, Family support, Feelings, friend, Friendships, Function, Gender, Gender articulation, Gender expression, Human Beings, Human rights, Humiliation, Hurt, Inkanyiso crew, Inkanyiso media, Isimemo, Izinkomo, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, KwaZulu Natal, Language, Learning, Lesbian Youth, Lessons learnt, LGBTI community, Liberation, Life, Life Stories, Lindeka Qampi, Living by example, Love, Love is a human right, Love is Queer, Mainstreaming our queer issues, Matters of the He(Art), Media works, Memories, Memory, Mixed audiences, Moments in our history, Neighbours, Participants, Participation, Recognition, Respect, Sexual orientation, Sexuality, Sexuality in South Africa, Sharing, Sharing knowledge, Social documentary photography, Socio-economic, South African rural areas, Speaking for ourselves, Struggling, Support, Supporters, Supporting each other, Teaching, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Togetherness, Veil, virgin, Visual activism, Visual democracy, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, Zanele Muholi, Zulu is a language, Zulu is a South African language, Zulu tradition | 3 Comments

2014 July 26: “I was born this way and I cannot change the skin that I live in”

My name is Refilwe Pitso but am popularly known as ‘Fifi’. I was born and raised in Daveyton, Benoni in Johannesburg. I was born on the 27th of December 1991 and I was raised by my mother. She is a … Continue reading

Posted in 1991 -, 2nd Prince, Ackermans, Articles, Beauty, Black Lesbian, Black lesbian beauty, Black Queer & Gifted, Black Queer Born Frees, Characters, Claiming blackness, Claiming mainstream spaces, Community, Community Mobilizing, Community outreach, Competition, Contestants, Contests, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Daveyton, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting realities of the townships, Edited, Family, Family support, Feelings, Female masculinity, Gender naming, Hobbies, Hope, Human Beings, I am not the only one, I can't do it ALONE, I use CANON, I was (T)here, Identity, Lack of Resources, Lack of sponsorship, Lesbian Youth, LGBTI community, Life, Living by example, Loved, Matric, Memories, Moments in herstory, Mr Valentine, Our lives in the picture, Owning our bodies, Pageant, Participants, Participation, Perception, Photo Expressions, Politics of existence, Portrait, Possessed, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Previous life stories, Privilege, Proud lesbian, Proud to be, Queer Beauty Pageants in the townships, Queer Power, Queer visibility, Recognition, recognized, Records and histories, Refilwe in Faces and Phases series, Refilwe Pitso the winner, Safety, Sexuality, Sexuality in South Africa, Shop assistant, Single parent, South Africa, South African Artists, Team Dress Fresh, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Togetherness, Tomboy, Visual history, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, We Are You, We Care, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Woman, Women loving women, Women's power, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Young talent, Youth voices, Zanele Muholi | 5 Comments

2014 July 20: Wet Pride in Paris

by Lindeka Qampi 28/06/2014                                                                         … Continue reading

Posted in 2014 Paris Pride, Activists, Africans Abroad, Another Approach Is Possible, Artists, Arts, As we are, asylum seekers, Came out of the closet, Cameras, Committed, Communication strategies, Community based media, Community Mobilizing, Community outreach, Connected souls, Connections, Contributors, Crea(c)tive senses, Crying, Cultural activists, Culture of reading and writing, Darkness, Dating, Demonstration, Description, Details, Different positions, Disappointment, Discomfort, discourse, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting realities of the townships, Drag queens, Dress code, Edited, editors, Education, Emotional support, Empowerment, English and French, Event, Evidence, Exchanging Queer thoughts, Experience, Expertise, Exposure, Expression, Facilitators, Facing You, Faith, Family, Family and Friends, Fantasy, Fear, Feelings, Food, French-South Connections, Gay, Gender expression, Gender naming, God is with us, Grateful, Gratitude, Gratitude to my lover, He(Art)less, Health bodies, Hearts, Heroes of our struggle, homonormativity, Homophobia, homophobic, Homosexual, Homosexuality, Human Beings, Human Equity and Art (Heart), Human rights, Hurt, I am not the only one, I can't do it ALONE, I love photography, I was (T)here, I-N-K-A-N-Y-I-S-O, Independence, Inkanyiso crew, Inkanyiso media, Inner feelings, Intellectualism, Intervention, Invisibility, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Mixed audiences, Organizing, Paris, Privilege, Proud to be, Public spaces, Public toilets, Queer Africans speaking for themselves., Queer Edutainment, Queer Power, Queer visibility, question of history., Readings, Real, Reason, ReClaim Your Activism, recognized, Records and histories, Reflection, Relationship with own body, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, Response, Self acceptance, Self love, Self recognition, Sexual minorities, Sexual orientation, Sexuality, Sharing knowledge, Speaking for ourselves, Subject of Art, Supporters, Supporting each other, Together we can, Togetherness, TUK Paris, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language | Leave a comment

2014 July 17: Ack B(L)ACK aches

Self portraits © Zanele Muholi 2014/07/17 Where:  My bedroom/ studio @ Cite Des Arts in Paris Camera used: Canon 60D with zoom lens EF-S 28 – 135mm lens (gold) on Manfrotto MKC3-H01 No artificial light. 19h47 17/07/2014   19h44 17/07/2014 … Continue reading

Posted in "Scratching the surface", Another Approach Is Possible, Art Activism, Art is Queer, Art Solidarity, Art Therapy, Articles, Articles; South African Celebrities; Arts; 2013 Feather awards; Lerato Dumse; Song; Dance; Kelly Khumalo; Thembisile Ntaka; Brenda Mntambo; Recognition; Thami Kotlolo; Gays & Lesbians; 5th Feather, Before US, Black bodies, Black Bodies of Silence, Black skin whitelined, Black veil, Blackened, Brutal Killings of children, Captioned, Captured, Creating awareness, Creative Writing, Crime rate, Darkness, Dead-line, Education, Female being, Globa crisis, He(ART), He(Art)less, Hope, Human Beings, Human Equity and Art (Heart), Humiliation, Hurt, Hustling, Influenced, Knowledge, Laws and regulations, Legacies of Violence, Mourning, Muted, Ownership of the self, Peace, Photography, Politics, Politics of representation, Propaganda, Queercide, Racism, Rape(d), Self mutilation, Self portraits, tackling racism through art, Terms and conditions, Underground, Visual Language, Visual sense, When home is a crime scene, Women suffering, Xenophobia, zamumania | Leave a comment

2014 July 12: Being treated like a Queen in Durban

by Sfiso ‘Candice’ Nkosi It is Thurs. 26th June 2014, my friend, Precious Maqojana and I left for Durban Pride from Johannesburg Park Station at 22:00. We stopped in Montrose for some refreshments and a bathroom break. I was starting … Continue reading

Posted in 1987 -, 2013 Miss Simply Blue, 2014 Durban Pride, Acceptance, Act, Acting, Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Adoring, African, African Queer Beauty, Alternative family, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Artists, Arts, Attention, Beautiful faces, Beauty, Beauty queens, Before You, Being Scene, Black bodies, Black lesbian activism, Black Lesbian Artists, Black lesbian visibility, Blackness, Body, Brave, Characters, Communication strategies, Community, Community Mobilizing, Community work, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative Writing, Culture of reading and writing, Details, Disappointment, Empowerment, Experience, Exposure, Expression, Feelings, Female Photographers, Friendships, From Tsakane to Durban, Gender, Gender naming, Grateful, Gratitude, Hobbies, Human Beings, I can't do it ALONE, I was (T)here, I-N-K-A-N-Y-I-S-O, Identity, Inkanyiso media, Inner feelings, Insulted, Interpretation, Issue of toilets for transwomen, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, KwaZulu Natal, Memories, Modeling, Our lives in the picture, Participants, Participation, Photographs, Power of the Voice, Queens, Sbonelo Muholi, Society, Sponsored trip, Toilets, Transwomen, UkhoziFM, We Are You, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Women's power, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Young Black Women and Photography, Zanele Muholi | Leave a comment

2014 July 14: A healer is laid to rest

All photos by Charmain Carrol 12/07/2014                                                                   May … Continue reading

Posted in Acceptance, Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Africa, African, Africanised, Alternative family, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art for Humanity, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Articles, Bereavement, Black Lesbians, Charismatic, Chief mourner, Death, Evaton cemetery, Family and Friends, Few people, Health, Herbal medicine, Human Beings, Johannesburg, Loss to the black lesbian community, Lost Lives, Love, Loved, Myths, Photographs from the funeral, Prophecy, Proud lesbian, Queer Power, Real, Reason, Recognition, Records and histories, Relationships, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, Sadness, Self-worth, Sexuality, Sharing knowledge, Silence, Snakes, South Africa, South African townships, South African traditions, Speaking for ourselves, Support, Supporters, Supporting each other, Survived by..., The traditional cloth, traditional healers, Traditional healing, We love photographs | 2 Comments

2014 May 27: Miss Gay Jozi 2014 photos

The winner of the 2014 Miss Gay Jozi is the 19 year old Miss Tee Menu from Daveyton. Photos by Smanga Shange       Related article 2014 May 18 :  Glitter, drama & perfection at Miss Gay Jozi 2014   … Continue reading

Posted in Beauty pageantry, Friendships, Human Beings, Portrait, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, We Care, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Winner: Miss Tee Menu from Daveyton | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2014 May 27: You’re a beauty

  Let your beauty speak.. In a world so diluted by greed.. So artificial nothing is real.. Smile faked.. They tell their fate… Let beauty speaks.. Let it lulls you into scented dreams.. Beautiful meanders.. Wondrous waterfalls.. Let beauty speaks.. … Continue reading

Posted in Exposure, Freedom of being, Hope, Human Beings, Human body, Inner feelings, Interpretation, We Care, Writing is a Right | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2014 May 26: I found myself at 22

  My name is Abongile Matyila. Abongile is a Xhosa name which means to be grateful. My uncle gave me that name. I’m a 22 year old Bachelor of Arts (BA) student studying at the University of Fort Hare, East London … Continue reading

Posted in Academic, Acceptance, Activists Act, Adoring, African Queer Beauty, Androgyny, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art Activism in South Africa, Art Is A Human Right, As we are, Before You, Being Scene, Black Queer Born Frees in SA townships, Black Queer Professionals, Blackness, Body, Creating awareness, Creative writer, Creative Writing, Dress code, Eastern Cape, Empowerment, Exposure, Expression, Friendships, Gender naming, Homosexual, Homosexuality, Human Beings, Human rights, Independence, Know Your SA Queer History, LGBTI community, Life, Life Stories, Living by example, Our lives in the picture, Penetrating mainstream spaces, Photography, Portrait, Power of the Voice, Queer Youth, Recognition, Sexual orientation, Sexuality, Sharing knowledge, Translation, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual Power, Visual Voices, We Are You, We Care, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Writing is a Right, Young talent, Youth voices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments