photographer and activist Zanele Muholi documents the struggle for visibility l ad and against violations "corrective"
According to the latest map on the rights of gays and lesbians in the world, conducted by the International Federation of ILGA, homosexuality is punished with the death penalty in Mauritania, Saudi Arabia Sudan, Iran, Yemen, Somalia and Islamic north of Nigeria. Additionally, there are 72 countries that condemn so harsh relations between persons of the same sex. Faced with these forces of oppression s liberating weapons drawn as photography and video of Zanele Muholi.
"I decided to capture images in my community to contribute to greater democracy and representativeness of the history of South African lesbians, "says Muholi.
The South African visual artist and activist has won, among others, the House of Africa Award for the best photographer. Women, black lesbian , his work is permeated by two constants: the representation of the life of South African lesbians, group that suffers the disgrace of corrective rape and contempt and incomprehension in their country and also the unfair division of classes in the world around him.
Born in Umlazi in 1972, training and professional photographer, has also worked for the Forum Women's empowerment (FEW), a black lesbi ana based in Gauteng, and as a photographer and reporter for Behind the mask (Behind the Mask), a magazine for lesbian and gay community in Africa. His work or frank and intimate, challenging the way in which he represented black women's bodies in documentary photography. Recognized internationally, has worked in video art, writing and other forms of representation, as a means for social change through activism or "artivism." Muholi documents the history of lesbians in South African post-apartheid era.
City Cape (second most populous African country) is considered bay as the world capital of the violation. In South Africa a girl is more likely to be raped than learning to read, a quarter suffer sexual assault before the age of 16 years s. This reality is compounded by the sadly known as corrective rape, a common practice to "cure" lesbianism.
Women, lesbian and black in South Africa. What would you highlight of the persons comprising such identities?
underline first thing is that black lesbians are women. Have the same functions and responsibilities of all women. Bleed like any being, are able to care for, love, protect, have feelings (with the six senses) can pr ocher, suffer grief and deal with education and training of others ... The homophobic choose to perceive social deviant who have the moral clueless. We are loving beings. We are grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, cousins, lovers and guardians of our relatives. It is important that we see as more than victims or survivors of those crimes hate, because if we become not just a cliche. We are able to play other roles, and we're showing in our communities.
"How would you describe your work as a photographer?
as privileged within the lesbian community, work h ago is both self-reflection as well as a representation of myself and others. Pictures from our lives, not only my life but ours. Intimacy and relationships are essential
in my photography. Any woman who has known the experience of feeling and exploring the body of another woman understand its meaning and how it contributes to support those who can not speak freely in their homes and localities. The work is about our history, weaving the past and present. L people in the photographs have a full understanding of who they are and how they became the people who are at this time. I'm interested laas identities, sometimes complex, who claim our being. In most photos capture a woman's body because for me is the way, an art, a material, an aesthetic, a landscape and a teacher. My photography is about love, life, pain, loss and everything we learn through various journeys that women experience in love with other women. They also claim that my work is a reference to inform, educate, and share our black lesbian culture and, most importantly, to entertain those who have the same feelings.
Although my art is open to interpretation, my goal is to express and share some of the daily experiences that we as black lesbians in our spaces. For example, gender, sexuality and class are evident in some of my projects, while others talk about the similarities and equality. Another of my approach is the policy of "bodywork" look to the skin as a material and shape. Although our common sexuality keeps us together, we're still different.
Is art a political and civil for a change?
That's true on both counts. Its universality can be understood through the borders because art knows no borders, identity, gender, sexuality, race or class. It is easily accessible and the viewer has the right to create their own interpretation. The purity of the innocent and viable art makes all contributions, especially if they are with strange eyes.
Tell us about your book "Faces and phases" (Faces and Phases)
In "Faces and Phases' present our existence and strength through positive images of black gay and (especially lesbians) in South African society and beyond. Show our aesthetic through portraits. Historically, memorable portraits serve as records for lovers, family and friends.
With "phases" refer to the transition between stages of expression of sexuality or gender ity. With "expensive" I also appeal to face to face which was established between myself as a photographer and activist lesbian, and lesbians, many women and transsexuals who have interacted with the different places.
This paper articulates a collective pain. It is an experience of a community that has suffered the loss of friends and acquaintances through hate crimes and disease. Some of those who participated in this project have already died visual.
His work is controversial at home ...
These conclusions were extracted with misconceptions and lack of knowledge of identity politics. I see nothing controversial about the re-write or re-representation of a visual history of black lesbians in South Africa and beyond. It is our responsibility to document our own lives before our voices are silenced, or before someone speak on our behalf. The different forms of violence, especially the "curative rape" and murder of lesbian, are used as a tool to oppress us. While people like us exist, we have an obligation to project ourselves as ourselves. Truly say that my work is controversial is to agree with hate speech. I feel that the goal is to silence my form of expression.
Difficult Love Her documentary, screened at the festival Zinegoak for the first time in Europe, is a film about love, about violence, about the fight ...
The film is about love, pain , loss, displacement, activism, poverty, homelessness, race matters, home, family environment, membership, hate crimes, class, and as articulate all this different levels of life. It also shows how to affect me the lives of people: the dynamics that are generated when I learn and reflect from their experiences. In the documentary, hear the testimony of participants and learning how to overcome of challenges every day. Some people need time to recover from what they experienced, for example, a survivor of a hate crime.
The documentary, which was commissioned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in 2010, deals with sensitive issues is about the lives of an oppressed community. We were given the opportunity to do this project for national television. Although the issue date has not yet been confirmed by the broadcaster, we have issued it in several places. Other film festival programmers have asked for their release.
What is behind this terrible form of violence against women?
homophobia, xenophobia, transphobia. It is sheer madness that men rape women because they see fit. It's his way of oppressing the vulnerable. Some men see lesbians as a threat and do not understand how two women can love each other or how a woman can choose a woman above them. They feel that they alone have the right to the lower region of women. And another factor is a society where the law protects us, where there is a lack of justice that dominates women. That hurts!
Forgotten movement black lesbian feminist?
I think not. In South Africa, several organizations have joined and formed alliances to fight against many forms of violence, especially violence against women. There are organizations that do not focus on gay issues, but reported hate crimes as "corrective rape", the queerphobia , transphobia and xenophobia.
A final message to continue the fight against intolerance?
One can not stop doing these projects (the radical projects of art and photography). If our neighbors fight the system of apartheid, you can also fight against all forms of discrimination and oppression that aim to silence, move, break down and undermine our human rights as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex in Africa and beyond .
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