Category Archives: Speaking for ourselves

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 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 July 12: From Soweto to Paris for the love of photography

  Teaching photography to young women at Aurora Girls High school with my 3 collaborators/ facilitators: Lindeka Qampi (SA photographer and activist), Linda Mankazana (SA educator and activist) and Valerie Thomas (French physician and activist). We started the visual project … Continue reading

Posted in About PhotoXP, Aurora Girls High School, Commitment, Committed, Communication strategies, Community Mobilizing, Community outreach, Community work, Conference, Connected souls, Connections, Cultural activists, Emotional support, Empowerment, Exhibition, Freedom of being, French is a language, Guest speakers, I-N-K-A-N-Y-I-S-O, Invisibility, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Lack of Resources, Lack of sponsorship, Language, Lessons learnt, Life Stories, Lindeka Qampi, Love, Love is a human right, Mainstream media, Media works, Memory, Open relationships, Participants, Penetrating mainstream spaces, Photo Expressions, photographers, Photographs, Photography as a therapy, Political Art, Politics of existence, Politics of representation, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Presentations, Professional black lesbians in South Africa, Professionals, Proud lesbian, Publication, Queer & Straights, Queer Power, Questioning, Questions & Answers, Readers, Readings, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, Records and histories, Response, Social responsibility, South African struggle, South African townships, South African Visual Activism, Soweto, Speaking for ourselves, Students, Subject of Art, Support, Supported by French Institut - Johannesburg/ Paris, Supporting each other, Uncategorized, Valerie Thomas on 2014 Photo XP, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Care, We Love Photography, Writing is a Right, Young Black Women and Photography, young women, Young Women and Visual Activism, Youth voices, Zulu is a South African language | 18 Comments

2014 June 26: When photography is our religion

  All Photos by Lerato Maduna © 27/11/2012 What:  Faces and Phases exhibition opening When:  2 Years ago (27th November 2012) Where:  Goethe-Institut Südafrika, 119 Jan Smuts Ave, Parkwood. Johannesburg.    Where are they now?   Ayanda Moremi got married to … Continue reading

Posted in Acceptance, Adoring, African Queer Beauty, AlJazeera, Allies, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art Activism in South Africa, As we are, Beauty queens, Before You, Black & White, Black Butches and Femmes, Black lesbian activism, Black Lesbian Artists, Black Lesbian Congregants, Black Lesbian Dancers in South Africa, Black Lesbian Men, Black Queer & Gifted, Black Queer Born Frees in SA townships, Body, Butch identifying lesbian, Celebrating Youth Month in SA, Characters, Church is not the closet, Commemorating the queer youth we lost along the way, Communication strategies, Community, Community Mobilizing, Community outreach, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creativity, Details, Different positions, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Dyke, Education, Empowerment, Evidence, Exchanging Queer thoughts, Exhibition opening, Experience, Exposure, Faces & Phases portraits, Freedom of being, Gender activist, Gender distinction, Gender expression, Gender naming, Gratitude, Joy, katharina.von-ruckteschell-katte, Laughter, Lien Heidenreich-Seleme, Life Stories, Living by example, Love, Love is a human right, Matters of the He(Art), Moments in herstory, Networking, Open relationships, Opening remarks, Photo album, Photo Expressions, Photography, Politics of existence, Politics of representation, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Presentations, Privilege, Professional black lesbians in South Africa, Proud lesbian, Queer Africans speaking for themselves., Queer community, Queer Education in SA, Queer Edutainment, Queer texts, Queer visibility, Questions & Answers, Sharing knowledge, Speaking for ourselves, Special event, Writing is a Right, Young talent, Youth voices, Zanele Muholi is the winner, Zulu is a South African language | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2014 June 17: Uprising with EPOC and the black LGBTI community in Ekurhuleni

by Lebo Mashifane   June 16 is known as Youth day in South Africa. On the 16th of June 1976, there was an uprising in the township of Soweto, with students protesting the introduction of Afrikaans in schools, a way to keep … Continue reading

Posted in Afrikaans, After party, Apartheid, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art Edutainment, Duduza, Ekurhuleni Pride Organising Committee (EPOC), Gauteng, Inkanyiso media, June uprising, KwaThema, KwaTsaDuza, Liberation, Lost Lives, March, pamphlets, Protests, Safety and Health, School uniforms, Solidarity, Speaking for ourselves, T-shirts, Tavern, Tsakane, Visual Activist, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual history, Young talent | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2014 June 10: The Ndlela’s are still committed to love

by Charmain Carrol On the 6th of June 2014, I had the pleasure of accompanying the Ndlela’s to Cape Town, to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.  It seems like it was just last month when I attended their wedding in Durban … Continue reading

Posted in Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, As we are, Beauty, Black Lesbian, Black Lesbian Congregants, Black Lesbian professionals, Black lesbian wedding, Members of VMCI in Durban, Relationships, Solidarity, South Africa, Speaking for ourselves, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Traditions & Customs, Visual Activist, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual Power, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, When Love is a Human Right, Women's power, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Zanele Muholi, Ziningi & Delisile Ndlela, Zulu is a South African language | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

2014 June 21: Vanessa and Nana’s engagement party

Photos and text by Charmain Carrol. Four months ago… Where:  Midrand, Johannesburg When:  23rd March 2014 Bathini Dambuza and I were honoured to attend yet another engagement lunch of two of our fellow lesbian sisters held in Midrand, Johannesburg. The … Continue reading

Posted in Black Butches and Femmes, Black Lesbian, Black Lesbian Artists, Black Lesbian Dancers in South Africa, Black Lesbian professionals, Black Queer Born Frees in South Africa, Black Queer Professionals, Blackness, Butch identifying lesbian, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Emotional support, Gender distinction, Midrand, Photo album, Speaking for ourselves, Special event, Visual Arts, Visual Language, Visual Power, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Care, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, When Love is a Human Right, Women who have sex with Women, Women's Arts In South Africa (WAISA), Women's power, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Young talent | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

2014 April 27: Unanswered questions

  Why are we getting killed? When you kill me according to faith you kill only the body a loving heart remains my soul remains Why are we getting killed? When you kill me you are killing a natural being … Continue reading

Posted in Art is Queer, Characters, Community, Community Mobilizing, Community outreach, Corrective rape, Creating awareness, Curative rapes, Experience, Expression, Peace, Questions & Answers, Race, Rape, Speaking for ourselves | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

2014 March 21: The critical work of a critic

The task of a writer engaging with the work of artists and activists is an important one. The critic does not only draw attention to the work of particular people but provides a way for readers and viewers to translate … Continue reading

Posted in Activists Act, African, African Queer Beauty, Allies, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Art Is A Human Right, Art Solidarity, As we are, Beauty, Being Scene, Experience, Exposure, Expression, Feelings, Female Photographers, Freedom of being, Friendships, Homophobia, Human rights, I was (T)here, Identity, Inconsiderate, Independence, LGBTI community, Life, Relationships, Sexual Liberation, Sexual minorities, Sexual orientation, Sharing knowledge, Short bio, Society, South Africa, Speaking for ourselves, Survivor, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Visual Activist, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual Power, Visual Voices, We Are You, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, When Love is a Human Right, Women's Arts In South Africa (WAISA), Women's power, Women's struggles, Writing is a Right, Youth voices | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment