Artist Bongani Njalo performs in PE streets to raise awareness about Inxeba 'ban'

Bongani Njalo, an artist who hails from Port Elizabeth, took to the city's Stanley Street to perform his piece Abafana Abafani, to remind people about the 'ban' of the movie Inxeba (The Wound).

Abafana Abafani, which loosely translated means 'boys are not the same,' was part of Njalo's contribution to the Norval Foundation's call for 2019 artwork and performances that speak about what it means to be black, queer and South African.

Inxeba is a South African film which focuses on the Xhosa culture of ulwaluko, the rite of passage to manhood.

While the film scooped numerous awards and was celebrated globally, it was received with much backlash and criticism in the Eastern Cape, with many movie theatres not airing the film at the time.

Njalo says the ban of Inxeba highlights other societal ills faced by homosexuals in the province including rejection, shame and discrimination.

"In general, African people have a one-dimensional view of femininity, masculinity and gender. If something or someone does not fit neatly into a certain box, then it is [considered] broken and needs to be fixed."

Njalo says that because of this, homosexual people are considered less than others.

"We no longer identify or see one another purely as souls moving through the earthly realm. A feminine spirit that inhibits a masculine body is looked down upon."

He says people need to make it their responsibility to educate themselves on homosexuality, and admits that at the release of the film, he too felt that the sacredness of ulwaluko was violated.

"Don't get me wrong, when I first saw the trailer for the movie I absolutely hated it and felt it was an attack on my culture - until I actually watched the movie."

"Watching the movie completely changed me, it made me see Inxeba for the artistic product it is and for the beautiful love story it was telling in the landscape of the Eastern Cape."

He says the performance was well-received by the public, especially the young men who came up to thank him for being brave enough to tell their story.