Category Archives: Textualizing Our Own Lives

2014 Oct. 29: Court Beat: Suspected lesbian killers remain behind bars

Posted on October 30, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

by Lerato Dumse Sthembiso Yende made her third appearance at the Tsakane Magistrates court on October 27, facing a charge of murder. The 20-year-old is accused of fatally stabbing Phumzile Nkosi (27) a lesbian mother of two boys. Sthembiso has … Continue reading →

Posted in Article, Bodies, Crime, Daveyton, Details, Families, Hate Crimes, Judge Mitzi Schutte, Lerato Dumse, Lesbian murdered, Lihle Sokhela, Lost Lives, Love, Miriam Nkosi, murdered, National Prosecuting Authority, Phumzile Nkosi, Poverty, Power of the Voice, Prosecution, Reflections, Relationships, Report from Courts, Sexual minorities, South Africa, South African Justice System, Speaking for ourselves, Stabbed to death, Struggle Songs, Sun City Women’s Prison, Suspects, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Thabo Molefe, Themba Nkosi, Time, Together we can, Townships, Victims, Visual activism is a language, Visual democracy, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual Voices, We Are You, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Weeping, When Love is a Human Right, Woman, Women loving women, Women suffering, Women's power, Women's struggles, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words | 1 Comment

2014 Oct. 15: A letter to my Mom

Posted on October 30, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

by Sibahle Nkumbi Sometimes I feel that we get so caught up on our same gender love and forget about where we come from… That sacred and safe space is ever forgotten. We hardly give a bunch of roses to … Continue reading →

Posted in A letter to my Mom, Another Approach Is Possible, Apology, Archived memories, Article, Articulation, Attention, Background, Beautiful, Beauty, Before US, Before You, Being conscientized, Birth, Birthplace, Black, Blessings, Brave, by Siba Nkumbi, Celebrating my mother, Dear Mom, Death, Difference, Disrespect, Endurance, Expression, Family, Feelings, Forget, Give, God, Happy, Irritation, Laughter, Life, Living, Living ancestors, Love, Mother and daughter relationship, Naming, Nature, Pain, Patience, Pee, Protection, Proud lesbian, Reflection, Relationship, Respect, safe, Smile, Support, Supporting each other, Survived, Talented, Teachings, Tears, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Thankful, Through thick and thin, Time, together, Together we can, Togetherness, Transformation, Treasure, Weeping, What black lesbian youth wants, When Love is a Human Right, Woman, Women loving women, Women's power, Women's Pride, Women's struggles, Women's Work, Words, Worked for us, Writing is a Right | 4 Comments

2014 Oct. 26: “I am Human” regardless of sexuality


Posted on October 28, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

by Mandisa Giqika On October 25. 2014, South Africa celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Johannesburg Pride March and 20 Years of Democracy. The LGBTIQ community looked forward to this enormous event that reunites fellow sisters and brothers. This year … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014 Sandton Pride, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Drag queens, Edited, Education, Elegance, Evidence, Experience, Expertise, Exploration, Exposure, Expression, Freedom to be..., Gender articulation, Gender expression, History, Homosexuality, Human Beings, Human rights, I can't do it ALONE, I love photography, I was (T)here, Interpretation, Intervention, Interviews, Introduction, Invisibility, Knowledge, Lack of Resources, Lesbian Love Is Possible in South Africa, Lesbian Youth, Lessons learnt, LGBT community, Life is a production..., Life lived, Life story, Living, Living by example, Love, Love is a human right, Love is Queer, Loving, Mandisa Giqika, Organisations, Organizations, Organizing, Real, Realization, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, Reflection, Relationship, Relationship with own body, Relationships, Remembering, Respect & Recognition from our community, Reviving the culture of reading and writing, Rumours, SA mainstream media, Scared, Seeing difference, Sexual orientation, Sexuality, Sexuality in South Africa, Sharing knowledge, Social documentary photography, Supporting each other, Supportive friends and families, Testimonies from Aurora photographers, Textualizing Our Own Lives | Leave a comment

2014 Oct. 21: SA Lesbian Feathers of the Year

Posted on October 23, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

  They are both South African lesbian icons. Most influential in different ways. Some of the commonalities between them is their sexuality and being born in South Africa during the ’70s. Bev from Soweto and Zanele in Umlazi township. About Bev … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance, Awards, Bev Ditsie, Black Lesbian Icons in South Africa, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Language, Learning, Lesbian Professionals, Life, Life lived, Life Stories, Living, Living by example, Love, Love is a human right, Love is Queer, Loved, Lovely words, Media works, Memories, Moments in herstory, Moments in our history, My life in short, Our lives in the picture, Owning our bodies, Participation, Perception, photographers, Photographs, Photography, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Privilege, Proud lesbian, Proud to be, Publications, question of history., Reason, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, recognized, Records and histories, Relationships, Respect, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, SA Lesbian Feathers of the Year, Self love, Self portraits, Self recognition, Self-worth, Sexual orientation, Sexual Politics education in South Africa, Sexuality, Sexuality in South Africa, Sharing knowledge, Sharing thoughts, Social responsibility, South African politics, South African struggle, South African townships, Statement, Supporting each other, Survived, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Togetherness, Townships, Trust, videographers, Visibility, Vision, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language, Visual Activist, Visual democracy, Visual historical initiative, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, We Are You, We Care, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, When Love is a Human Right | Leave a comment

2014 Oct. 22: Paris meets Aurora Young Female Photographers

Posted on October 22, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

by Thobe Gumede It is Tuesday, 21st Oct. 2014 in the afternoon at Aurora GHS where guest speakers come and share expertise with young photographers. The interaction started with a traditional icebreaker, a good meal, brought by the visitor for … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 Paris Pride, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Art Solidarity, Articles, Articulation, Artist Talk, Arts & Culture, Arts & Sports, As we are, Attention, Audience, “Foot for Love", Beautiful faces, Beautiful people, Before US, Before You, Being conscientized, Blackness, Captioned, Captured, Career, Caring citizens, Caring for our female youth, Celebrating Women, Celebration, Characters, Citizenship, Comment, Comments from the audience, Commitment, Community based media, Community education, Community outreach, Community work, Connected souls, Connections, Consideration, Creating awareness, Description, Details, Different positions, Documentary screening, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting our own lives, Documenting realities of the townships, Education, educator at Aurora Girls High School, Emotional support, Empowerment, Equipe Les Degommeuses, From Paris to Soweto, Introductions, Reviving the culture of reading and writing, revolution, Sharing, soccer player, Social responsibility, Solidarity, South Africa, South African townships, South African visual history through the eyes of young women, Speaking for ourselves, Support, Supporters, Supporting each other, Teaching young women photography, Testimonies from Aurora photographers, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Thobe Gumede, Time, together, Together we can, Veronica Noseda, Videographer, Visibility, Vision, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language, Visual democracy, Visual historical initiative, 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, Women's power, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Writing is a Right, Young Black Women and Photography, Young female photographers from Aurora, Youth voices | 1 Comment

2014 Oct. 7: Robbed while shooting

Posted on October 7, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

by Lerato Dumse A day meant to be filled with photography adventure which is historical educational turned bad, when three photographers were robbed of their camera, on  the 10th July 2014 in Soweto. Lindeka Qampi (45) facilitator, Thando Methane (17) … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014 Cape Town Month of Photography, Aurora Girls High School, Broad day light, Captioned, Captured, Career, Caring citizens, Caring for our female youth, Case opened, Celebration, Characters, Citizenship, Claiming, Claiming mainstream spaces, Collaborations, Collective, Collectivism, Comments from the audience, Commitment, Committed, Community, Community based media, Community education, Community outreach, Community work, Conference, Confrontation, Connected souls, Connections, Consideration, Contributors, Conversation, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative activist, Creative Writing, Crime, Crime rate, Crimes, Cry the Beloved Queer Mother of the Nation, Crying, Cultural activists, Culture, Culture of reading and writing, Delegation, Democracy, Details, Different positions, disappearance, Discussion, Family, Fear, Frightened, Intellectualism, lunged, Mine, More than 67 mins, Panic, Photography, Photography as a therapy, Poverty, Robbed, Robbery, Scared, Seeking help, Self defense, Self recognition, Sharing, Sharing knowledge, Sharing thoughts, Silent voices, Social responsibility, Society, Socio-economic, Solidarity, South African Visible Arts, South African Visual Activism, South African visual history through the eyes of young women, South African Youth, Soweto, Space, Spana is a slang which means to work, Speaking for ourselves, Statement, Style, Support, Supporting each other, Survivor, Teaching, Tears, Teenagers, Testimonies from Aurora photographers, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Thando Methane, Thugs, together, Together we can, Togetherness, Transcription, Translation, Undermined, Valerie Thomas, Visibility, Vision, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language, Visual Activist, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual historical initiative, Visual history, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Woman, Womanhood, Women suffering, Women's power, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Youth, Youth voices | 3 Comments

2014 Sept. 30: Nature pains

Posted on October 2, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

(Isilumo the phasing) by Christie van Zyl   This month I let my period pain again But my periods are annoying me Just a note to you Godperson that created us My periods come with nausea, headaches & hectic emotional … Continue reading →

Posted in Article, Body, Diet, Eggs, Food, painful periods, Period pains, Poverty, Power of the Voice, Readings, Reason, Recognition, Records and histories, Sexuality, Sharing, She, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Togetherness, Touch, Trust, unused eggs, Visibility, Visual history, Visual narratives, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Woman, Womanhood, Women loving women, Women suffering, Women's power, Women's Work, Womenonwomen, Womyn, Words, Writing is a Right, Young talent, young women, Youth, Youth voices | 2 Comments

2014 Sept. 28: An emotional farewell for the recent victim of hate crime

Posted on September 30, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

Text by Lerato Dumse Photos by Lindeka Qampi and Zanele Muholi   It is a Sunday morning and like in most townships, the streets of Daveyton township are a buzz of activity. Many carry bibles, making their way to different churches. In … Continue reading →

Posted in "We'll Show You You're a Woman”, 'We live in fear', 1986-2014, 20 Years of Democracy, 20 Years of Democracy in SA, Activism, An emotional farewell for Lihle, Article, Brutal murders of black lesbians in SA, Daveyton, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting hate crimes, Documenting our own lives, Documenting realities of the townships, Farewell, Funeral, Gender Equality, Gender expression, Gender naming, Hate crime, Hate Crimes, Hate crimes Victims names, He(ART), Human rights, Humiliation, Hurt, Identity, If not documented, In memory of Lihle Sokhela, Independence, Influenced, Inkanyiso media, Institution, Intellectualism, Interpretation, Intervention, Interviews, Invisibility, Issues, Jealousy, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Lack of Resources, Language, Learning, Legacies of Violence, Lerato Dumse, Lesbian Love Is Possible in South Africa, Lesbian Youth, Lessons learnt, LGBT community, lgbti, LGBTI community, Liberation, Life, Life is a production..., Life Stories, Lihle Sokhela, Lindeka Qampi, Lindeka Qampi sharing her PhotoXP experience to Valerie Thomas, Living, Loss of parents, Loss to the black lesbian community, Lost Lives, Love, Love is Queer, Loved, Lovely words, lover, Loving, Mainstream media, Mainstreaming our queer issues, Mally Simelane, Memories, Memory, Moments in herstory, Moments in our history, Motivation, Mourning, Murder suspect, murdered, Networking, Open relationships, Organizations, Organizing, Our lives in the picture, Ownership of the self, Owning our bodies, Participants, Penetrating mainstream spaces, Perception, Photo album, Photo Expressions, photographers, Photographs, Photographs from the funeral, Photography, Photography as a therapy, Politics of existence, Politics of geography, Politics of representation, Power of the Voice, Previous life stories, Privilege, Professional black lesbians in South Africa, Proud lesbian, Queer & Straights, Queer Africa, Queer Africans speaking for themselves., Queer Power, Queer South Africa, Queer texts, Queer visibility, Queer Youth, queerity, Questioning, Questions and Answers, Readings, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, recognized, Records and histories, Reflections, Relationships, Religion, South Africa, South African Council of Churches, Supportive friends and families, Survived by aunts and brothers, Survived by..., Survivor, Teaching, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Togetherness, Townships, Unemployment, Uthingo - The Rainbow, Victim of hate crime, Victims, videographers, Videography, Violence, Visibility, Vision, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language, Visual Activist, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Women's power, Women's struggles, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Womenonwomen, Words, Writing from court, Young Women and Visual Activism, Youth, Youth voices, Zanele Muholi, Zulu is a language | 5 Comments

2014 Sept. 21: Martha Qumba in conversation with Young female photographers from Aurora GHS

Posted on September 21, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

  Aurora High School girls are challenging the male dominated industry by taking extra photography lessons. These Grade 10 and 12 learners from impoverished communities want to become photographers so that they can document their own stories.   The visual … Continue reading →

Posted in About PhotoXP, Acting, Activists, Activists Act, Allies, Alternative family, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Arguments, Art Activism, Art Activism in South Africa, Art Edutainment, Art for Humanity, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Articulation, Artist Talk, Artists, Arts, Arts & Sports, As we are, Attention, Aurora Girls High School, Beautiful people, Before US, Before You, Begging, Being Scene, Black, Black Bodies of Silence, Black Lesbian professionals, Black Queer Born Frees in SA townships, Bonding, Bringing photography to schools, Cameras, Captioned, Captured, Career, Caring for our female youth, Celebrating Women, Celebrating Youth Month in SA, Celebration, Characters, Choice, Experience, Photography, Relationships, South African struggle, South African townships, South African Visible Arts, South African Visual Activism, South African Youth, Special event, Struggling activist, Students, Supporting each other, Supportive friends and families, tackling racism through art, Teacher, Teaching young women photography, Testimonies from Aurora photographers, textbooks, Textualizing Our Own Lives, The Chroniclers, together, Together we can, Togetherness, Townships, Translation, Unemployment, Video archive, Videography, Visibility, Vision, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language, Visual Activist, Visual Activist in the classroom, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, We Are You, We Care, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, Well organized event, When Love is a Human Right, Wishing you well, Woman, Womanhood, Women loving women, Women's power, Women's struggles, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Womenonwomen, Words, Writing is a Right, Young black female photographers, Young Black Women and Photography, Young female photographers from Aurora, young women, Young Women and Visual Activism, Youth, Youth voices | Leave a comment

2014 Aug. 30: I’m a game changer, leader and activist

Posted on September 10, 2014 by inkanyiso2009

  My name is Lesiba Mothibe also known as Lee. I was born on the 5 August 1984 in BBH (hospital’s name) now known as Tambo Memorial Hospital. I’m the first born and have two siblings a brother and sister. … Continue reading →

Posted in Abantu, Activism, Activists Act, Allies, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art Activism in South Africa, Art Edutainment, Art Is A Human Right, Art is Queer, Art Solidarity, Articles, Arts, As we are, Beauty, Beauty pageants, Before You, Black Queer & Gifted, Collaborations, Collectivism, Community, Community Mobilizing, Connections, Contributors, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative Writing, Cultural activists, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Education, Emotional support, Empowerment, Evidence, Experience, Exposure, Expression, Family, Feelings, Friendships, Gender naming, Homosexuality, Hope, Human rights, Interpretation, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Lack of Resources, Lesiba Mothibe, Life, Life Stories, Love, Love is a human right, Media works, Networking, Our lives in the picture, Photography, Politics of existence, Portrait, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Queer visibility, Readings, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, Records and histories, Reflection, Relationships, revolution, Sharing knowledge, South Africa, Speaking for ourselves, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Townships, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual Power, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Care, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, We were (t)here, When Love is a Human Right, Writing is a Right, Youth voices | 10 Comments