TO BE QUEER IN AFRICAN CULTURES AND TRADITIONS

“TO BE QUEER IN AFRICAN CULTURES AND TRADITIONS: The Power of Communities” hosted by GALA Queer Archive in collaboration with VIAD’s Radical | Others

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2024, IN-PERSON AT BREEZEBLOCK CAFÉ @ 10h00 – 16h00

RSVP via the link provided here.

In South Africa, many LGBTQIA+ individuals experience a painful disconnection between their queerness and their cultural identities. Traditional ceremonies, family rituals, and community gatherings often become sites of exclusion where rigid patriarchal norms silence queer expression. Expectations around dress, behaviour, and gender roles enforce a binary that erases those who live beyond its limits. This year's IDAHOBIT gathering, hosted by GALA Queer Archive in collaboration with VIAD’s RADICAL | OTHERS, seeks to puncture that silence.

On Saturday, 17 May 2025 the world marks both IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia) and Africa Month. This time is a reminder that queer peoples’ struggles, and African celebrations are intertwined, because to be queer and African is not a contradiction, but a truth often denied.

GALA Queer Archive and VIAD’s Radical | Others come together to host a Family Day event at Breezeblock Café on 17 May, at 10am – 4 pm. Celebrating, contesting and affirming, in community, what it means “To Be Queer in African Cultures and Traditions” today. The theme extends the IDAHOBIT 2025 thematic of “The Power of Communities”, to specific African experiences of community. This gathering calls on the transformative power of cultural communities in the African continent to stand against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia!

The event will be structured as a communal celebration that uplifts African LGBTQIA+ artistry advocacy, and communities of care. The space will offer Azanian games, music, panel discussions, joy and reflection as we challenge the myth of queerness as “un-African”. Instead, we come together to celebrate the rich tapestry of our shared cultural identities and rich African heritage.

FEATURED PANELISTS:

Panel One – Albert “Ibokwe” Khoza, Desire Marea, Thando Lobese.

Panel Two – Aurora Krotoa Moses, Marang Molete, Mme Salome Lebeko

Concluding Panel online, on Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 18h00 (South African Time); with African and Afrodiasporic artists speculating on African Queer Futures and Intimate Ecologies. Follow @radical_others for more.

PANELIST BIOGRAPHIES:

PANEL 1:

Albert Slindokuhle “Ibokwe” Khoza is a South African actor, performance artist, dancer, and isangoma. Albert is famously known for his role in the drama series Blood Psalms and is an international award-winning performance artist touring works of critical acclaim. In his performance artwork, he has performed internationally and won numerous accolades including the coveted international art prize the Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance (2023).

Albert’s works include Take In, Take Out, And So You See…, Red Femicycle and The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu. Violence and the continuing impacts of colonisation and racial oppression often intersect with complex considerations of gender, sexuality and traditional practice in Albert’s performance. Working with multimedia and projection to engage his body in relation to historical figures of women and political figures to outline social ills, Albert plays with gender divergence to engage critical thought in the communal setting of performance. 

Desire Marea creates soundscapes, imagery, performances and literature that imagines queer realities through the boundless lens of an indigenous vernacular rooted in spiritual modes of conceptualisation. Pulling from the rich tapestry of his spiritual world as a trained Sangoma, Desire’s music is an entrancing odyssey of future sounds created through a process of channelling ancient spirits. It is the experience of being occupied by multiple spirits of varying identities, and the posthumanity of actively living as many, that inspired the phrase “IZIMAKADE” - a Zulu word which, according to Marea, more truthfully encompasses his queer experience. It translates to “those who have been forever” and modernly understood as “The Gods”.

Following the success of his 2020 solo debut “DESIRE”, Desire caught the attention of the international community, including UK label Mute Records who signed him later that year. Desire released his sophomore album “On the Romance of Being”. The album won local and international awards including a D&AD, a Loerie and the SAMA for Best Alternative Album, 2023.

Noluthando “Thando” Lobese, is a visionary South African designer rooted in Johannesburg. With a foundation in fashion design, her journey into the realm of theatre began under the guidance of a mentor. Thando brought creative prowess to numerous productions at the prestigious Market Theatre.

Her creative footprint spans across international stages, captivating audiences in Germany, Austria, the United States, Sweden, Amsterdam, and London. Thando’s recent endeavours include the production design for “Diep City,” a project that earned her the prestigious SAFTA in 2022. She also received a nomination for her outstanding work in production design for “Black Door.”

In the realm of visual arts, Thando embarked on a captivating residency for “Waste Not Want” at Shade Brixton. As a visual artist, she utilised waste and recycled materials, transforming discarded elements into thought-provoking works of art. Thando Lobese continues to push creative boundaries, leaving an indelible mark on both the theatrical and visual arts landscapes.

PANEL 2:

Aurora Krotoa Moses, 24 years old, is a proud black KhoiKhoi transgender woman from Stellenbosch, Western Cape. She is a South African human rights defender and the Founder and CEO of the Aurora Kaleidoscope Movement, an organisation dedicated to advocacy, education, and community-building for the LGBTQI+ community. She is particularly passionate about the rights of transgender individuals and indigenous rights.

Aurora is also a Global Youth Ambassador and is a Member of the LGBTQIA+ and Education Task Team at Theirworld. Additionally, she serves as an active community leader in Ward 20 in Stellenbosch as a Ward Committee member, where she is responsible for the Tourism Portfolio in the Ward. She is also a member of the Lynedoch Valley Collaborative Steering Committee. She is also currently completing her degree at the University of South Africa.

Marang Molete is a final-year Finance student at the University of Johannesburg and the Founder and Chairperson of the UJ Queer Society. As a black, queer, feminine woman, she’s passionate about creating real, in-person spaces where queer students can feel safe, seen, and connected. Marang’s work is grounded in community, care, and the belief that all queer people deserve places to simply be. Marang is still learning as she goes, but she leads with heart and a vision of queer joy that’s rooted in togetherness.

GALA YOUth Forum (GYF) is a youth-led initiative designed to provide a space for LGBTQIA+ youth to engage, learn, and grow. Through workshops, forums, and creative projects, GYF offers young people the opportunity to explore their identities, advocate for their rights, and connect with a supportive community. 

Mme Salome Lebeko is a mother of two (34 and 18). She is an active member of the Lutheran church and belongs to a local organisation called “Thopa ya Banna le Basadi” that is trying to help and rectify ills and challenges faced by both youth and grown-ups. Mme Salome is also a PFSAQ parent, an ally and passionate about advocating for queer persons

Parents, Families & Friends of South African Queers (PFSAQ) is a South African organisation dedicated to promoting acceptance, understanding, and inclusion for LGBTQI individuals and their families. Their work focuses on advocacy, education, and community support, helping families and allies understand and champion the rights of LGBTQI people. PFSAQ strives to empower young queer individuals, build resilience, and challenge societal prejudices, aiming to foster a society rooted in dignity, equality, and acceptance for all.

MODERATOR:

Dr Athinangamso Esther Nkopo is a scholar, curator and writer. She holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Cape Town. She holds an MSc African Studies from the University of Oxford and a BA honors in International Relations and Political Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Athi is an intellectual activist and was an organizing member of Blackwash, Decolonise Wits, FeesMustFall and RhodesMustFall in Oxford movements as a student. Her co-edited book Rhodes Must Fall: The Struggle to Decolonise the Racist Heart of Empire, was published in 2018 by Zed publishers in London and she has recently coedited the special issue of Agenda, the feminist Journal, on Black Transnational Feminism and the Question of Structure. Nkopo is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at JIAS, University of Johannesburg. They identify as a radical Black Queer Intellectual and artist stranded in the world.

GROUNDING MEDITATION FACILITATOR:

Tapuwa Moore is a multidisciplinary queer artivist, healer (Ngaka), curator, and playwright from Soweto. They are the founder of Umqombothi Chronicles, a creative community event using art, performance, and healing dialogues to confront homophobia, gender-based violence, and invisibility of LGBTQI+ narratives. Their groundbreaking play The Pregnant Lesbian debuted in 2017 and became a catalyst for community conversations about black lesbian visibility and social cohesion.

Tapuwa has collaborated with artists like Sir Zanele Muholi and Dr. Salimah Valiani, contributed to international poetry projects, and performed across Johannesburg. Tapuwa was featured in Mail & Guardian’s 100 Women of the Year (2013–2014) for their work as playwright, director and performance artist and continues to be a vital voice in queer art, healing, and activism.

COORDINATING TEAM:

GALA Queer Archive Culture and Media Coordinator

Karin Tan is a cultural producer and artist based in Johannesburg. She currently holds the position of Culture and Media Coordinator at the GALA Queer Archive where she conceptualises and oversees the arts-based projects that draws from and contributes to the Archive. Her independent practice currently involves island adventures and cultivating a homebody.

GALA Queer Archive Education Programmes Coordinator

Kgomotso Kgasi is a dynamic advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, known for her passion, wit, and dedication. As a black lesbian from the township, Kgomotso’s personal experiences shape her approach to social justice, allowing her to connect deeply with the communities she serves.

Armed with a degree in Urban Planning from Wits University, Kgomotso seamlessly combines her planning expertise with her commitment to social justice. Her academic background provides a unique lens through which she views the intersectionality of urban spaces and LGBTQIA+ issues, making her a formidable force in creating inclusive environments.

VIAD’s RADICAL | OTHERS Research Coordinator

Nondumiso Lwazi Msimanga is a performance artist and provocateur, working at the intersections of paradox with purpose.

Nondumiso inhabits various roles as an artist-writer, researcher and interdisciplinary dramaturg. She is habitat for water and imimoya seeking connection. She is a child to her mother, aunt to her nephew, a sibling, friend, partner, tree-hugger with kin both living and dead.

She brings performance-based practice to unpacking issues impacting the world. In her role as the research coordinator for VIAD’s Radical | Others at the University of Johannesburg, Nondumiso integrates an interest in decolonial feminist praxes with indigenous knowledge systems and Radical Black Thought.