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By: Lindiwe Dhlamini

Photos by: Thembela Dick

A long-awaited interview session with the revolutionary, care-free, articulate, and extremely liberated Pastor Tebogo Moema, who preaches the gospel of love, unity and family support which he terms the “vortex of power”.

The set-up had already taken place with the help of Thembela Dick setting up the camera for visual recording and Nompumelelo Mjikeliso an intern who helped proof read the questions and print them prior to the Pastors arrival. All we needed was the ever loving, unapologetic and fun Pastor Moema to come and share with us his journey as an openly Gay Pastor in a world that shames and discriminates homosexuals.

The issue of sexuality and religion is known to be controversial and has brought many heated debates in the past and still does in some churches. But here we are on a Thursday morning feeling excited to interview such an outstanding man in society who has paved a way for me and other LGBTIQ+[1] persons to be able to know that we are not alone, there are other heroes who came before us.

Churches are known to “pray the Gay away”, yet here he is disrupting the norm and asserting his existence in spaces that exclude his kind. Several of the churches where Pastor Moema preaches are attended and administered by heterosexuals, many of whom believe that being LGBTIQ+ is an abomination. I asked how he navigates such spaces and still come out strong and happy as he always is. “The church is the hotbed that fends hate speech because of miseducation and misunderstanding…” he replies stating that with him, he has had to come out so many times that it is now second nature for him to introduce himself as Pastor Tebogo Moema an openly gay man who is very happy in his own skin.

Pastor Moema is not only famous for his sexuality but for his tireless work in the LGBTIQ+ community and being one of the first founders of a church; Hope and Unity Metropolitan Christian Church (HUMCC) that was created to be a safe space for other LGBTIQ+ religious people. The church was situated on top of the then famous Gay bar known as; Skyline Bar in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. While doing this work Pastor Moema together with other religious Gay people opened up more branches across South Africa to ensure more LGBTIQ+ persons had access to a space of worship despite their sexual orientation. He further states that part of the ministry was to train other Pastors who were struggling to reconcile with their sexuality and being religious.

One of the things that inspired me the most about Pastor Moema was finding out he is the brains behind the famous church hymn which I also grew up singing in my church as a kid; “Jehova Jireh the Lord my provider, he keeps on doing great things”. Thinking of the kind of church I was raised in, I do not think that they are aware that a Gay man wrote this song, nor will they be happy about it. I made a comment to Pastor Moema about this fact and his response was affirming and very resilient as always; “There is no way they can throw away this song, they may not want to match it with the owner because he is Gay, they can exclude me, excommunicate me but they cannot take away my creativity and my gift. – I am a gift to the world irrespective of my sexuality”.

Pastor Moema is one of a kind, a man in his late 50s who is living his life with no fear or care of what others think of him. He continues to share the gospel of love and unity with many people while advancing LGBTIQ+ rights in spaces of worship and the country at large. He is planning to write his own book, which will be a tell-all. I cannot wait to read about this remarkable man.

As the interview concluded, Pastor Moema stayed with us for a while debriefing and sharing more knowledge about his other business ventures and activism, he is involved in. It was truly an honor to learn more about LGBTIQ+ history from one of the surviving heroes who fought for LGBTIQ+ rights in South Africa.

[1] LGBTIQ+ – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer/Questioning + other sexual orientations.

By: Lindiwe Dhlamini

Photos by: Thembela Dick 

The last Thursday evening of the first month of 2019 was spent at the historical Constitutional Hill where renowned Judge Edwin Cameron was about to have a conversation with Welcome Lishivha about his life as an LGBTIQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist.

Judge Cameron is known for his bravery as the first openly Gay judge living with HIV. A truth many prominent people will not divulge in public yet, Judge Cameroon was ready to live and tell his truth as early as 1992 when he came out as a Gay man. At the beginning of the event Kgosi Motsoane one of the founders of Bare Stories gave an inspiring life story about growing up and noticing people that judged him. People telling him he was different before he could understand who he was and what his difference was. Bare Stories is a platform created by four openly gay men who saw a lack in spaces where LGBTIQ+ people can share their stories.

Kgosi Motsoane, Welcome Lishivha, Humphrey Maja and Siphelele Vilakazi came up with this brilliant concept that allows for honest conversations about our lives as Queer people to happen in a safe environment. A space where networking and meeting other like-minded people is the goal. Surprisingly, Judge Cameron had also based his opening speech on stories and mentioned three types of stories that we all could relate to.

I loved his articulation of the three types of stories because I have a story of my own and so did everyone in the room. He put it this way; “there is a story we tell ourselves about ourselves, there is a story that other people tell about us, and there is a story told by us to other people”. These apply to our daily lives as people and the moment we own our truth that is when we have liberated ourselves from the expectations of the world.

Though judge Cameron affirmed cognition of his privilege as a white man his infatuation with Blackness was very visible and somewhat uncomfortable in some parts. He kept referring to Steve Biko as though desperate to fit in with the crowd which was predominantly Black. I appreciated his honesty nonetheless where he openly admitted that he was a “racial coward lurking in white privilege…” during the transitioning phase of apartheid which he still benefits from based on his positionality as a white man. He shared how he was affirmed and supported when he came out which is not the reality for many of the people in the audience. What stood out is that; this is his truth and who are we to judge him for telling it no matter how uncomfortable it may be to hear.

Judge Cameron also shared about the internalized stigma and shame of not only being Queer but also that he is living with HIV. He relates how living with HIV became more shameful for him than being Queer because of the stigma attached to how the virus is transmitted. The correlation with homophobic scientific findings in the past around homosexuality and HIV/AIDS suited the story that other people told about him before he could tell his own story.

Even in the midst of the prejudice of being bullied by a colleague for his sexuality, judge Cameron remained resilient, brave and continued telling his story the way he likes. I liked that he has a good sense of humor, even though many people living with HIV and being Queer will not be as open to share about themselves so cheerfully.

One of the main themes that keep coming up in Queer dialogue is the class issue that no one is willing to address openly and honestly. It happened that judge Cameron also mentioned it in passing. I would have loved to hear more of his take on the topic and how we can bridge that gap in spaces where we gather as the Queer community.

I am hoping upcoming conversations planned by Bare Stories will be a platform to openly discuss all the intersectionalities of our struggles and privileges, as the Queer community will be opened. Moreover, I am hoping that such a platform can be opened in the townships where many Queers do not have access to such conversations or the language to articulate their own struggles and privileges.

As a Black lesbian woman, I would also appreciate conversations that address issues that affect us to ensure that these stories also reach mainstream public dialogue which is always centered around Gay men or the brutalities we face for being lesbians. I wish to see more of what Bare Stories will bring us this year and to see its expansion to spaces where access to such conversations are limited.

by: Lebogang Mashifane

photos by: Lerato Dumse

It’s a Sunday afternoon as we hit the road departing from Johannesburg South Africa, destined to Maseru, Lesotho. Afrika is very beautiful and rich. We see mountains, lush and cattle everywhere. Who does all this land belong to though? Tambu Muzenda behind the wheel and Lerato Dumse taking shots from the front seat. I am providing a beautiful music Playlist to accompany the smooth ride. The weather is a mixture of hot, cold and rainy conditions.

Saturday January 26 I am told that we are going to Lesotho tomorrow. I say “okay” then after a while I think “tjo” – I was not ready for this. In fact I thought we would be going to Lesotho in February because we had postponed it before. We were supposed to have travelled to Lesotho on the 14th of January. We postponed due to funerals that occurred and also completed work we documented in Durban throughout December and early January.

The thought of going to Lesotho hits me again. I haven’t told my family that I’m going to Lesotho. My mom is cool but my grandmother is still under the impression that I am a drug smuggler. She cannot understand how anyone can be skipping the country so frequently and going as far as Europe for only a few days. To her this is painful and scary that her grandchild is doing a very dangerous job. Apart from her concerns, mine are travel anxiety and the thought of what I had planned for the rest of January.

I am supposed to be attending my cousin’s 30th birthday celebration. I featured on the program to speak on behalf of the family and also shoot the event. I managed to get fellow Faces and Phases participant Nonkululeko “Sicka” Mthunzi to cover the event on my behalf. The reason I asked Sicka is because just like my cousin, she lives in Daveyton and they met when I introduced them in 2016 during Sicka’s event Rock The Shades. Faces connect…

Sunday morning I tried to relax before facing the journey ahead. I open my eyes and find Glenda is sleeping here, when did she get here. We are supposed to travel with her and so I decide to rest as well. I didn’t sleep well because of distractions at night. I had to open for Lerato and later on for Thembela “Terra” Dick. I was concerned of their whereabouts and also wondering who is actually part of this trip to Lesotho. I’ve been asking myself if people are certain of this journey and why the sudden rush. I was concerned and confused and couldn’t verbalize it.

When I eventually wake up and take a shower it’s around 11am. Lerato said we need to get ready and I woke Glenda. In all the organized chaos that was taking place in my head I decide to meditate upon a safe travel and gave Terry Dhlamini, Prof Muholi and Terra tight hugs as they wished us a safe journey. I felt a dependence on their positive words and comforting embraces. Then I had to pick up my bags together with my mind and psych myself ready for the road ahead.

We listened to Metro FM the music blends allowing the mood to be calm. It’s green land left and right, healthy looking cattle are visible in numbers. Suddenly after hours on the road the radio just changed and the good music was replaced by a male voice speaking Afrikaans… The shock!

In the car we start talking about it. “That’s how they took the land,” I said. “The system works,” says Glenda. So much beautiful healthy land and cattle owned by who? I wonder…… We take the route via Ficksburg, it’s full of potholes. We saw someone stepping out of their car to examine the tires and we also saw an Audi that was being towed out of the weeds with the car body damaged. I hope no one died there, worry creeps in but I quickly dismiss it. Let’s keep going. Through all the potholes and different weather changes we made it safe to Lesotho.
Jah bless!

By Thobeka Bhengu

There is something moving about seeing young black women empowered. Their confidence shoots through the roof. The way they present and articulate themselves takes a complete shift for the better. Education should be a holistic approach, which entails developing young people intellectually, socially, mentally creatively and spiritually. When the education environment is safe, flexible, fun and requires a young person to push themselves beyond what they have ever imagined, it makes it easier for young people to learn.

The Photo XP project was founded by Zanele Muholi in 2004 and has trained and shared photography skills with black youth and women. The Mobile School of Photography project is a fairly new project under the Photo XP banner. The project was discussed in November 2018 and by December 13th 2018 Sir (Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Embassy) Zanele Muholi,  and renowned visual activist welcomed students from Thamela Primary School. The number of participants increased each week and by the end of December, there were already 26 students participating in the Mobile School of Photography including Duduzani Primary School learners, Inanda and Chesterville residents. The participants attended sessions, went for studio visits and captured images in different spaces around Durban. Teachers accompanied the students throughout the holidays to the sessions. Parents were notified and gave consent to have their kids attend the sessions.

On the 5th of January twenty-six participants graduated from the Mobile School of Photography. Each one of them equipped with basic skills of using a camera, reading, writing and capturing moments that matter. The theme of the project was land. Each participant had to take images that speak to the issue of land in South Africa. They had to go to different places including Inanda, Chesterville and Durban Beach to capture different images.

The land discussions should be inclusive of young black women who have inherited the injustices of the past. The importance of the relationship between women and the land in this country is a vital one. In their congested and polluted townships where they come from, the students had a brief understanding of the importance of the land discussions. The archiving of these visual discussions and narratives is just as important.

The 05th of January 2019 was a glorious celebration. Parents, teachers and friends attended the graduation ceremony to experience and celebrate these young people. Inkanyiso team worked tirelessly to put together the graduation ceremony in about 2 days. Some members of the team had to depart to their respective provinces and the ceremony had to happen before their departure and before the schools opened. Thankfully, the relationship with The Chairman had been cemented on the 22nd of December 2018, for Somnyama Ngonyama Book Celebration. Ndabo Langa, the owner of multiple establishments including The Chairman, was able to give us a perfect space to host the graduation at DGIT, on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Durban.

As an organizing team we thought that the space was big enough to accommodate close to about 50-70 people but by 10 am the participants and their parents had filled in the seats. As more people came, we ran out of seats but everyone was patient with us and wanted to be there to witness this special occasion. The master of ceremony(MC) for the day was Christie Van Zyl, who handled the programme with grace. Lindeka Qampi and Lizzy Muholi spoke on behalf of the facilitators and finally, Prof. Zanele Muholi spoke on the project and the importance of this project as it relates to black girls and the land issue in South Africa. Muholi encouraged everyone to “give young people cameras instead of candies”. Students performed a Busi Mhlongo’s powerful rendition of Not Yet Uhuru with two poems incorporated in the performance.

The house music played by one of the service providers Aluta Humbane Productions by Aluta Humbane, also set the mood. “Thina sizwe” created a sombre and reflective mood that was linked to the land issue as the song also speaks about the unfair dispossession and the endless tears of black South Africans who were displaced and removed from their land.

The actual handing over of certificates became a celebration, students showed off their talent and danced after receiving their certificates. They laughed and danced while their parents watched their kids make them proud. This was a special occasion, a first class of the Mobile School of Photography and the first graduation ceremony was a resounding success. This would not have been possible without the support of the schools, teachers, parents, service providers, Inkanyiso team and the vision and resilience by Sir’ Zanele Muholi.

Mobile School of Photography Report 

by Thobeka Bhengu

Photos by Thobeka Bhengu and Zanele Muholi

In November, a new project, the Mobile School of Photography was born to parents Zanele Muholi and Photo XP, with the aim of training young black female photographers nationally and internationally. As part of the first SA leg of the project in Durban, training sessions kicked off with two groups from the Thamela and Duduzani Primary School.

Studio visits were planned for the 19th December 2018. The day started with a brief session with Sir Muholi requesting for detailed introductions, while speaking on the importance of photography and the politics of South African beaches. Muholi highlighted this particular opportunity for participants to be part of the Photo XP Mobile School of Photography.

images by Photo XP participants

The scheduled studio visits were at Sthenjwa Luthuli’s Visual Art Studio and Wonder Buhle Mbambo’s studio. The first visit was Sthenjwa’s studio, where Sthenjwa, Lindokuhle Ngcobo, and Lindani Nyandeni shared their experiences, backgrounds and presented their work. Then Wonder Buhle presented his work and experiences to the participants. Participants had a chance to ask questions to the artists after their presentations. This is to ensure that participants get to engage with the work and the artist.

What was common amongst these brilliant artists were their underprivileged backgrounds, the importance of doing what you love while telling different stories and speaking through their individual artistic works. The questions asked by participants were in line with the 5 W’S (Who? What? Where? Why? When?) and one H (How?). Muholi also looked at the senses that are at play when making visual arts, so that the students use those kinds of questions to ascertain as much information as possible on the artist and their work.

During the second studio visit participants had enough confidence to ask questions boldly and get all necessary information. The question that impressed us all was from Nokwanda, asking why Wonder painted men only. The audience was clearly impressed by the question and Wonder laughed before answering that he has painted women before and will continue to do so. These studio’ visits were not only inspirational but they were the first step to introducing participants to living, breathing artists who are changing the face of visual arts, accessing spaces that were previously inaccessible and producing content from black artists for young black youth to look up to.

About the Mobile School of Photography:

The Mobile School of Photography is a recent project (founded in November 2018) under the Photo Experience project that was founded by award-winning internationally acclaimed photographer, Zanele Muholi in 2004 with the aim of training young black female photographers nationally and internationally.

Mobile School of Photography

by Thobeka Bhengu

Photos by Thobeka Bhengu and Lebo Mashifane

The Johannesburg team arrived on the 18^th and immediately joined the Photo XP 2018 in Durban for a session that was already underway as part of the Durban Photo XP, Mobile School of Photography. Half of the team had already arrived in Durban and had been joining in at different dates from the 13^th of December. When two facilitators arrived from Johannesburg, there had already been sessions that started on the 13^th of December with two groups from Themela and Duduzani Primary School.

Thembela “Terra” Dick was facilitating a session on the themes the participants had chosen to explore. Each participant had their own camera and SD card handed to them and a session on the basics of using a camera followed the handover. It was followed by a session on photo techniques which comprised of practical exercises such as shooting an eye on auto setting where the exercise was used to test if participants can see clearly and have no eye problems. Terra managed to cover multiple things in one session, lighting, angles, landscapes and portraits.

The participants were encouraged to write and read, as part of the Mobile School of Photography because being able to read and write is very important. A slide of different kinds of photographic work by Terra were shown in the session, to help them understand the theory through images they can see. The presentation also included an exercise where each student had to individually tell if an image is a portrait or landscape.

The following session by Prof Zanele Muholi, looked at particular technicalities when using a camera at the beach and where there is water, since the students were meant to shoot at the beach. However, they were unable to shoot at the beach due to the rain. Muholi also explained the concept behind Photo XP and what the project does and the need to have the Mobile School of Photography. The school is the first mobile school of photography to exist in South Africa, Durban because of how it is not fixated in one place. Muholi also spoke on presentations that the students need to work on and compiling biographies for all participants.

The session by Muholi also included an exercise where participants had to sing a song as a way to warm up. The groups were then allocated to different smaller groups to work with one facilitator and assist with their projects or any difficulties they may encounter.

The group later went for a group shot with Lebo Mashifane and Lizzy Muholi, other present facilities assisted when needed. The day was filled with tons of information and practical exercises that kept the students focused as much as they could. The small off topic conversations in between sessions, allowed the participants to have mini breaks in between sessions.

The sessions have been lengthy and had a lot of content and practical work. Students are encouraged to learn as much as they can in each session. Which can be overwhelming but also good for them as they need to be pushed to work fast and smart.