Homophobia wins as ‘Inxeba (The Wound)’ effectively banned in SA
In a devastating blow against freedom of speech, the Film and Publication Board (FPB) Appeal Tribunal has re-rated Inxeba (The Wound) as a hardcore adult film.
The gay love story was originally released with a 16 LS (language and sex) rating but in a move that kowtows to homophobic pressure from culture traditionalists, it has now been given an unjustifiable X18 rating.
Effectively immediately, Inxeba has been pulled from cinemas and can no longer be shown in standard film theatres, only in licensed adult premises.
“A rating of X18 means that the material can only be distributed from designated adult premises,” confirmed the FPB in a tweet. “This means the film cannot be screened in cinemas or any other platform that is not a designated adult premise as defined by the Film and Publications Act no 96 of 1996 as amended.”
It revealed that, “The Chairperson of the Appeals Tribunal in consultation with other tribunal members agreed to hear the appeal based on applications lodged by CONTRALESA Gauteng and The Men and Boy Foundation.”
Traditional leaders, represented by these two groups, have claimed that the film’s depiction of sacred and secret initiation ceremonies and the inclusion of homosexuality in this context are an insult and attack against the Xhosa culture.
The South African release of the internationally acclaimed film earlier this month was marred by protests and intimidation by traditionalists, who called for its banning. A number of cinemas around the country were forced to postpone or cancel screenings following threats to damage property and against the safety of staff.
The film’s producers argue that Inxeba does not reveal anything not previously exposed, that they researched and consulted extensively with communities and that homophobia is at the heart of the protests.
Mambaonline has reached out to the filmmakers who said that they are preparing a response to the latest development. In the meantime, the Democratic Alliance has condemned the decision to re-classify the film to X18.
“X18 is one of the most severe ratings a film or publication can receive, one step away from an outright ban,” said MP and DA shadow minister of communications Phumzile Van Damme. “We encourage the producers of Inxeba to fight, fight, fight, all the way to the highest court in the land by urgently taking this decision on review.”
Van Damme added: “It is a shame that the FPB’s Appeal Tribunal buckled to pressure from patriarchs and homophobes, instead of siding with the Constitution, the supreme law of the land.”
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Film and Publication Board (FPB) Appeal Tribunal has overturned the classification rating of 16 LS given to the film Inxeba – The Wound and gave it a rating of X18 with the classifiable elements of Sex, Language, Nudity, Violence and Prejudice.— FPB (@FPB_ZA) February 14, 2018
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Banning it or not. the film is already out there. as i’m typing now, someone is watching it online i don’t know how. banning it on cinemas or any tv play, it will still be available on the street for R10, is that what our films are worth now. choose the struggle.
I’m in utter dismay at South African logic: happily and blindly adopting all kinds of American narratives (Tyler Perry is God, Beyonce is Goddess, Solange is Saviour, Black Panther is BOUND to be a MASTERPIECE!); idolising mediocre shit shit shit local TV programming which reinforces shocking and oppressive Judeo-Christian gender stereotypes; tweeting relentlessly till the little fingers bleed about cheap wedding shows/videos or mind-numbing soaps, whilst consistently and vigorously ignoring/blocking/stopping/silencing/banning interesting, innovative, experimental, provocative, thought-provoking local art from cartoons, paintings, live performance, writing, photography or film. This takes the cake as #TheWound is most definitely not porn. Trust me, I know what porn looks like.
THE WOUND
Cape Town Pride is saddened and outraged at the obvious homophobia and bigotry which has once again pressured a supposedly unbiased body into flaunting the constitution and restricting the viewing of a story of gay love within the context of a traditional African environment. This type of denial and bias sets the progress of natural acceptance back years not to mention encouraging bullying, and cultural stigma of the gay community
Every time we think we have made a bit of progress along comes a rabid anti gay hate preacher or a controlling body that does not have the courage to stand against this mindless bigotry.
This is Pride month in Cape Town and I think that all proud members of our community should show how outraged we are at this blatant attack on our rights.
We are busy trying to include a screening during Cape town pride week.
Tommy Patterson
Cape Town Pride
Gay men are welcome to tell their stories, but not with our initiation ritual. Our ritual has nothing to do with the gay lifestyle – this is a very confused movie – very opportunistic. As per our culture, the journey through manhood should include one marrying a WIFE, not another male — and that is how our custom is understood. Gay males are welcome to devise their own way of a journey or definition of manhood, or way of initiation — why must they force us to change how we define or identify ourselves as Xhosa men??? They are guilty of what they accuse us of.
I have watched this development mostly quietly because I did not hear those protesting object to this film on the basis of the homosexuality shown. It came across as though the Gay card was being played by the producers to some extent. I was mistaken. Here it now comes to the fore that the inclusion of homosexualty within a narrative that also shows a cultural practice is one of the main reasons it has been raising tensions with traditional leaders and cultural institutions within the Xhosa community. This is indeed homophobia clear as day. The cross sectionality of this film has been something I applauded right from the beginning. It is a brave thing to be doing I thought. One person’s idea of brave is another’s idea of opportunistic as one of the top comments demonstrates. These cross sectional areas in our current contemporary reality is where the future is being fought over, sometimes negotiated. They are the new forefront and in this instance the dicision to in effect ban the film is a huge step backward in the fight for equality and freedom. I don’t believe this area should be ignored, brushed over or underemphasised, it should be highlighted because this is where work like this breaks new ground (never mind the beauty and art of the film, which is simply breathtaking)
To: The Film and Publication Board of South Africa
As a coloured queer man I was deeply disturbed that the film Inxeba (The Wound) was reclassified to a rating of X18 for strong “pornographic” content as well as “perceived cultural insensitivity and distortion of the Xhosa Circumcision tradition (Ulwaluko)”. There are several problems with this line of argument.
Labeling something as pornographic is tantamount to calling it “obscene” “crude” or even “lewd”. Watching the film, I see no scenes that depict such obscenity. Every scene in which intercourse occurs is only suggested and never fully exposed. To suggest that two males having discreet intercourse on screen is obscene sets a dangerous precedent in a country whose constitution prevents discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In addition, labeling the movie pornographic is a direct insult to the LGBTQ community of South Africa whose stories, like everyone else’s, need to be told. I find it quite ironic that films like Fifty Shades of Grey—a film bordering on the pornographic depicting white people having BDSM sex— are able to pass the censorship board but when writers and directors want to tell LGBTQ South African stories then this is relegated to the obscene. The lack of consistency and the blatant support of a heteronormative society is (in all honesty) deeply offensive.
From the beginning of the film it appears that the Xhosa initiation rite is an integral, male-grooming cultural process where caregivers bring up young initiates into their manhood—a similar male-grooming, cultural process that can be observed in many great civilizations like the Ancient Greeks for example. I do feel that the film pays attention to that sense of brotherhood while still attempting to make a clear distinction between the initiation rite itself and a queer man’s experience of that initiation rite. It is in this distinction between individual experience and tradition that the film begins to move towards arguing for a broader conception of African masculinity. In my personal capacity the film has enlightened me on the vital cultural processes that the Xhosa culture has in place in order to bring young boys up as men. Moreover—as a cultural artefact— the film calls viewers to engage in a dialogue with it that is important for South African communities. Notions of masculinity within traditional structures of culture need to be discussed and critiqued in South Africa if cultures are to be reinvigorated and renewed to include LGBTQ identities. To exclude these identities on the basis of them being “unAfrican” is an old and tired argument that plays into the hands of European Christian colonizers who came to Christianize the African continent. What I mean by this is that the notion of queer identity as “unAfrican” is a myth: there have been countless instances of queer life in Africa before colonialism and I urge those who are interested in the topic to do the research themselves.
Though cultural sensitivity is important we cannot place all cultures and traditions beyond the pale of criticism and exploration. To do this would limit us as a rigorous democratic society engaged in fostering a nation that is accepting of diversity in all its hues and orientations. Culture and tradition are important structures that ground and guide society but we must be mindful of oppressive patriarchal ideologies that hide behind culture and tradition in order to enforce a fragile fabric of heteronormative morality. In a country like South Africa where women are raped, abused and oppressed excessively (and where men have died or been seriously hurt during these initiation rites) it must be the task of cultural artefacts like Inxeba to question traditional notions of masculinity and how these ideologies guide embedded thinking around what it means to be a man and how a man should love another man or woman.
Where some people see prejudice and cultural denigration, I see a film that uncovers the homoerotic love and support existing between African, Xhosa men. The Wound is much more than a film depicting a Xhosa initiation ceremony. In the interactions of Xolani and Vija we as viewers see two men who have been warped under the expectations that traditional ideas of masculinity have heaped upon them. Inxeba is—therefore— about men attempting to help heal each other from a deeper, more substantial, wound: the wound of what society dictates a man should be.
The banning of this film sets a dangerous precedent for LGBTQ stories in Africa as well as cultural artefacts that critique and interrogate tradition and culture. There is nothing wrong with cultural debate, but the censorship of art is a perilous road that silences the stories of Africa that most desperately need to be told. I emphatically beseech the tribunal to reconsider their decision and unban Inxeba (The Wound).
Sincerely
Jarred James Thompson