Inxeba cuts to the heart of traditions
The film Inxeba: The Wound, which opened at cinemas last Friday, has been screened without disruption at cinemas in most cities and towns.
In the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape, screenings of the film were cancelled after threats from people opposed to its content — particularly the issue of initiation.
The 88-minute film has won accolades at major international festivals since 2017.
It was also nominated for an Academy Award in the foreign film category.
Last Friday, when the local film showpiece awards, the South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas), were announced, Inxeba: The Wound topped the nomination list with eight nominations in various categories including best actor, best directing and best film.
To all intents and purposes, the film should be celebrated throughout SA for its feats, especially for the integrity with which it handles the delicate subject of culture and its aesthetical aspects.
It is directed by John Trengove and was written with the assistance of, among other contributors, novelist Thando Mgqolozana, whose debut novel A Man Who is not a Man deals extensively with male initiation practised by Xhosa people.
Judging by the number of people who have thronged cinemas throughout the country since Friday, the film has been embraced by the larger public. Independent cinema house Bioscope in Maboneng, Johannesburg is sold out for the entire run until February 15.
But several civil society organisations, particularly those representing conservative traditional African values including the Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA and the Man and Boy Foundation, have demanded that the authorities act.
They believe the film misrepresents what happens at Xhosa initiation schools that operate on the principle of sacredness and secrecy, and that the producers have been culturally insensitive.
The groups approached the National Film and Video Foundation, which funded the film, and the Film and Publications Board, which has put a 16 age restriction on the film that has sex scenes and a gay love theme running through it.
Another state institution that has been approached to act is the Commission for the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.
The commission says the National Film and Video Foundation “will ensure that the producers put a disclaimer which clearly indicates that the portrayal of the initiation practice in the film is not a true representation”.
In addition, “this disclaimer will also address the reference to Jesus and Shaka Zulu potentially being gay, which is blasphemous, and that it infringes on the dignity of both amaZulu and Christian communities”.
The commission also wants the National Film and Video Foundation to issue an apology for funding a film that affects the dignity of cultural, religious and linguistic communities.
If some of these demands are acceded to, this would amount to replicating the apartheid government’s strict application of censorship laws when it decreed films unsuitable for consumption by the public.
The National Party applied draconian laws through the Censorship Board, the predecessor to the Film and Publication Board.
And quite worryingly, the actions taken against Inxeba have the potential to set a precedent for silencing film productions in democratic SA.
If acceded to, the disclaimers the commission wants would render the essence of the film irrelevant, as the issue of traditional initiation is a topical one. Many initiates die every year following botched circumcisions by inexperienced surgeons motivated into the practice by commercial gain.
Hundreds of initiates are victims of botched operations every year, some even losing their penises.
Kidnappings, especially of teenagers, but also children as young as 11, are prevalent, especially during the winter initiation period.
Initiates are reportedly sometimes assaulted and denied food and water, raising the question of whether circumcision should continue enjoying the privilege of secrecy.
Like Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Inxeba pits modernity against tradition. In such a clash, something must give.
This debacle also raises the question of whether traditionalists have the right to insist that their norms be obeyed by all, or whether society can defend the right of the producers to make a film they believe in, which is being endorsed left, right and centre by the film industry.
Inxeba has been hailed by critics wherever it has been screened and, to date, has won 19 awards at 44 festivals in more than 25 countries, including SA.
“We are overwhelmed and incredibly honoured by the positive response from the judges,” says Trengove.
“No other film has racked up as many Safta nominations, and it is particularly rewarding to receive this level of recognition today, when the film has opened on the local circuit to much criticism for its perceived cultural insensitivity.”
Responding to violent threats against the film’s cast, the producers have been forced to lay complaints with the South African Human Rights Commission and the Commission for Gender Equality.
“Human rights, freedom of expression and freedom from gender oppression and inequality are protected by our Constitution,” says Trengove.
“Inxeba is not for everyone, but there are many young South Africans, particularly from the black gay community, who have every right to watch and engage with it because it reflects something of their own experience,” he says.
“The backlash against Inxeba seems to be proportionally much larger than it was to Mandela’s
THE BACKLASH AGAINST INXEBA SEEMS TO BE … LARGER THAN IT WAS TO MANDELA’S LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
Long Walk To Freedom. You could look at that [outcry] and speculate that perhaps there is a homophobic subtext.
“This is disgraceful and should be troubling to all of us, especially to those who believe in the freedom granted to South Africans by our Constitution. That is why we are now fighting back to make sure that our rights are protected while the threats persist.”
The Film and Publications Board has rated Inxeba: The Wound for “no persons under 16”, advising that it contains scenes with strong language, sex and nudity.
The board says that despite “complaints that have been received based on perceived cultural insensitivity, restricting the launch of the film would be a direct contravention to Section 16 of the South African Constitution as well as the provisions of the Films and Publication Act No 96 of 1996 as amended.”
“Inxeba is not the first piece of work to speak about initiation and I’m certain it won’t be the last,” says Trengove. “It’s a complete fallacy to say that the film exposes anything that is not already known.
“I must state categorically that we did a tremendous amount of research, working with Xhosa men who have been through initiation, in writing and developing this film.”
The film’s producer, Elias Ribeiro, says nobody is being forced to see Inxeba.
“But South Africans have every right to watch and engage with it,” he says.