Category Archives: Visualizing public spaces

2014 Aug. 8: To be honest I love how I look

My name is Katiso Kgope, and I was born on September 18, in 1995. I was born in Glen Wood hospital, Benoni my parents are Mandla Kgope and the late Mpho Kgope – Monyake. I was given the name of … Continue reading

Posted in "Scratching the surface", 1995 -, 20 Years of Democracy, Acceptance, Act, Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Adoring, Alternative career choices, Another Approach Is Possible, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art Activism, Articles, Articulation, Attention, Baring, Beautiful faces, Beauty, Beauty pageantry, Beauty queens, Before You, Being conscientized, Being Scene, Birthdate, Black, Black bodies, Black Queer & Gifted, Black Queer Born Frees, Black Queer Born Frees in SA townships, Blackness, Body, Body Politics, Cameras, Celebrating Youth Month in SA, Chains, Characters, Claiming, Claiming blackness, Claiming mainstream spaces, Collectivism, Comfort, Comments from the audience, Committed, Communication strategies, Community, Community Mobilizing, Community outreach, Daveyton, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting our own lives, Education, Emotional support, Empowerment, English, Evidence, Exchanging Queer thoughts, Experience, Exploration, Exposure, Expression, Eyes, Facing You, Family, Family and Friends, Fashion, Feelings, Female being, Finances, Friendships, Gender articulation, God is with us, God's will, He(ART), Honesty, Human rights, Humiliation, I was (T)here, Identity, Interpretation, Interviews, Katiso Kgope, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Language, Lessons learnt, Liberation, Life, Life Stories, Living by example, Love, Love is a human right, Loved, Lovely words, Media works, Memories, Modeling, Moments in herstory, New York, No artificiality, Opinion, Ownership of the self, Owning our bodies, Perception, Photography, Photography as a therapy, Platform, Politics of existence, Politics of representation, Portrait, Power of the Voice, Privilege, Proud to be, Queer visibility, Queer Youth, Questioning, Questions & Answers, Readers, Readings, Reason, Recognition, recognized, Respect, Respect & Recognition from our community, Response, Seeing difference, Self acceptance, Self discovery, Self love, Self-worth, Sharing knowledge, Sharing thoughts, She, South Africa, South African townships, South African Visual Activism, South African Youth, Speaking for ourselves, Special event, Studying, Style, Stylish, Support, Talented, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Togetherness, trans bodies, Trans Youth, Transgender visibility, Transgender Voices, Transgenderism in Africa, Transwoman, Visual activism is a language, Visual Activist, Visual democracy, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, 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, Womanhood, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Youth voices, Zanele Muholi, Zulu is a South African language | 3 Comments

2014 Aug.1: InterGenerational conversation with current and future stars

by Lerato Dumse Seizing opportunities was the central message shared with more than 15 teenage girls at Aurora Girls High School, in Soweto on 1st August 2014. The girls are part of the Siyafundisana Photo XP, a photography training project founded … Continue reading

Posted in Another Approach Is Possible, Art Edutainment, Art for Humanity, Art Is A Human Right, Art Solidarity, Art Therapy, Articulation, Artist Talk, As we are, Aurora Girls High School, Before You, Documenting our own lives, Elisa Pica, Future, Group photo, Group photo with the stars, Honors degree, Lerato Dumse, Lindeka Qampi, Mbali Vilakazi, Mfundi Vundla of Generations, Nonkululeko Britton-Masekela, Our lives in the picture, Ownership of the self, Owning our bodies, Penetrating mainstream spaces, Photo Expressions, Photography, Phumla Masuku, Politics of existence, Portrait, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Presentations, Privilege, Professionals, Proud to be, Public spaces, Queer Beauty Pageants in the townships, Queer Power, Queer visibility, question of history., Questions & Answers, Readings, Reason, ReClaim Your Activism, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, Soapie, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Thobza Zwane, Together we can, Togetherness, Townships, Transcription, Visibility, Vision, Visual activism, Visual Activist in the classroom, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual history, 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, When Love is a Human Right, Women's Arts In South Africa (WAISA), Women's power, Women's struggles, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Womenonwomen, Words, Years, Young black female photographers, Young Black Women and Photography, Young Women and Visual Activism, Youth voices, Zanele Muholi, Zulu is a language | 8 Comments

2014 July 26: What I want as a black lesbian youth

My name is Lebogang Mashifane, I’m 25 years old and I live with my mother in Kwa-Thema, east of Gauteng, South Africa. I have recently relocated from Cape Town, South Africa. I hold a Diploma in Multimedia Technology from CPUT … Continue reading

Posted in 1976 Youth, 1986 -, 20 Years of Democracy, Academics, Acceptance, Activists, Activists Act, African Queer Beauty, Another Approach Is Possible, Apartheid, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Arguments, Art Activism, Art Is A Human Right, Articulation, Artist Talk, As we are, Before You, Being conscientized, Black Lesbian, Black lesbian activism, Black Lesbian Artists, Black Lesbian Graduate, Black Lesbian professionals, Black lesbian visibility, Black Queer & Gifted, Black Queer Professionals, Cape Town, Cape Town to Johannesburg, Claiming, Collaborations, Collective, Commitment, Committed, Communication strategies, Community based media, Community outreach, Community work, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative activist, creative artist, Creative writer, Creative Writing, Education, English, Feelings, Freedom of being, Generations, Issues, Lack of Resources, Language, Lebo Mashifane, Legacies of Violence, Lesbian Professionals, Lesbian Youth, Lessons learnt, LGBT community, Poverty, question of history., Readings, Reason, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, Records and histories, Related links, Relationships, revolution, Seeing difference, Seeking help, Self acceptance, Sexuality, Sharing knowledge, Sharing thoughts, Social responsibility, South Africa, Speaking for ourselves, Supportive mother, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Togetherness, Unemployment, Videographer, videographers, Visual activism is a language, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual Power, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Are You, We Care, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, What black lesbian youth wants, Women loving women, Writing is a Right, Young Black Women and Photography, Young talent, Youth voices | 1 Comment

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 18: Sade & Sebe’s lovely wedding photos

© Collen Mfazwe 23/06/2014                           Previous articles   2014 July 13:    A sincere thank you to all my ex lovers   and   2014 April 30:  Good spirit … Continue reading

Posted in Acceptance, Act, Active Black Lesbian Artists in South Africa (ABASA), Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Adoring, Alternative career choices, Another Approach Is Possible, Archived memories, Archiving Queer Her/Histories in SA, Art is Queer, Articles, Arts, Black Lesbian Love, Black lesbian mothers, Civil Unionized, Dept of Home Affairs, Description, Details, Engagement, Life partners, Love is Queer, Textualizing Our Own Lives, To Have & to Hold book, Together we can, Togetherness, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language, Visual Arts, Visual democracy, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual sense, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We love photographs, We Love Photography, We Still Can with/out Resources, Wedding photos, When Love is a Human Right, Woman, Womanhood, Women loving women, Women who have sex with Women, Women's Arts In South Africa (WAISA), Women's struggles, Women's Work, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Young black female photographers, Young Black Women and Photography, Young talent, young women, Young Women and Visual Activism, Youth voices, Zulu is a South African language | 1 Comment

2014 July 18: Women’s Day lecture at UFS

    Featuring the  portrait of Siphiwe Mbatha, August House, Johannesburg, 2012 © Zanele Muholi     Previous lectures   2014 June 17:  Muholi’s Ryerson University (RIC) talk   and   2014 April 29:  Muholi to speak at UC San … Continue reading

Posted in Activists Act, Announcement, Articles, Arts, Black lesbian visibility, Confrontation, Connections, Crea(c)tive senses, Creative activist, Details, Documentation; Filming; Photography; Community, Documenting realities of the townships, Education, Evidence, Experience, Exposure, Expression, Faces & Phases portraits, Facing You, Family, Feelings, Friendships, From Johannesburg to Free State, Gender, Gender naming, Johannesburg, Lesbian beauty contests, Lesbian Love Is Possible in South Africa, Moments in herstory, Our lives in the picture, Participants, Participation, Photographs, Photography, Photography as a therapy, Portrait, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Privilege, Professional black lesbians in South Africa, Proud lesbian, Queer visibility, Queer Youth, Readings, recognized, Relationships, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, Sexual orientation, Sharing knowledge, Siphiwe Mbatha, South African Black Female Photographers, Supporting each other, Textualizing Our Own Lives, Together we can, Townships, Visual activism, 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, When Love is a Human Right, Women's power, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, young women, Youth voices, Zanele Muholi | 12 Comments

2014 July 16: Through the eyes of young women photographers

  2014 June, 3rd Lindeka Qampi sharing her PhotoXP experience to Valerie Thomas “I am proud of the Aurora visual project. It is a very powerful and strong project, if I were to compare it with previous projects I have … Continue reading

Posted in 20 Years of Democracy, Act, Activism, Activists, Activists Act, Adoring, albino, Alternative career choices, Another Approach Is Possible, Aurora Girls High School, Beauty, Before You, Begging, Being conscientized, Black lesbian visibility, Bringing photography to schools, Cameras, Career, Collaborations, Collective, Collectivism, colored, Comfort, Commemorating the queer youth we lost along the way, Comments from the audience, Committed, Communication strategies, Community, Community based media, Community Mobilizing, Connected souls, Connections, Contests, Contributors, Corruption, Crea(c)tive senses, Creating awareness, Creative activist, Death, Documenting realities of the townships, Experience, Housing, Humiliation, Independence, Inkanyiso media, Intellectualism, Interpretation, Intervention, Interview, Interviews, Invisibility, Know Your SA Queer History, Knowledge, Lack of Resources, Life, Life Stories, Lindeka Qampi sharing her PhotoXP experience to Valerie Thomas, Living by example, Love, Love is a human right, Matters of the He(Art), May her soul rest in peace, Media works, Memories, Modeling, Moments in herstory, Motherhood, My collaborators: Linda Mankazana, My name is Zanele Muholi, normal black, Open relationships, Opinion, Orange Farm, Organizations, Our lives in the picture, Poverty, Power in our hair, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, RDP, Readings, Real, Reason, ReClaim Your Activism, Recognition, recognized, Records and histories, Reflection, Related links, Relationships, Reports, Respect & Recognition from our community, Respected person, Response, Reviews, revolution, Sadness, School portraits, Seeing difference, Seeking help, Self discovery, Self recognition, Self-worth, Sexual Politics education in South Africa, Sexuality, Sharing knowledge, sickness, Social responsibility, Society, Solidarity, South African Artists, South African politics, South African Youth, Soweto, Struggling, Support, Supporters, Supporting each other, Supportive mother, Teaching, Teaching young women photography, Textualizing Our Own Lives, The Fair Ladies, the writers, Together we can, Togetherness, Tomboy, Touch, Townships, Visual activism, Visual activism is a language, Visual Activist, Visual Activist in the classroom, Visual history, Visual history is a Right not a luxury, Visual Language, Visual narratives, Visual Power, 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, When Love is a Human Right, Woman, Womanhood, Women loving women, Women who have sex with Women, Women's power, Women's struggles, Women; Voices; Writings; Education; Traditions; Struggles; Cultures, Words, Writing is a Right, Young black female photographers, Young black lesbian traditional healer, Young Black Women and Photography, Young talent, young women, Young Women and Visual Activism, Youth voices, Zulu is a South African language | 18 Comments

2014 July 13: ” Give children cameras not candies”

  School portraits from Aurora Girls High School, through the eyes of photography learners.     2014 April 16 our participants, Sindi and Nhlanhla playing with the background we used for students’ portraits.   a fellow student peeping out after … Continue reading

Posted in Aurora Girls High School, Beautiful faces, Education, Exhibition, Facilitators, Give children cameras not candies, Human rights, Intellectualism, Interpretation, Lesbian Professionals, Lesbian Youth, LGBT community, Linda Mankazana, Lindeka Qampi, Photo album, Photo assignments, Photo Expressions, photographers, Photographs, Photography, Photography as a therapy, Politics of existence, Politics of representation, Portrait, Power of the Arts, Power of the Voice, Public spaces, Publications, School portraits, Soweto, Teaching young women photography, Townships, Transcription, Transparency, Valerie Thomas, Visual Power, Visual Voices, Visualizing public spaces, We Love Photography, We were (t)here, Zanele Muholi, Zulu is a South African language | 11 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