Inxeba: The Wound.
ALTHOUGH local film Inxeba, also known as The Wound, has won several awards overseas, it has sparked controversy in Mzansi.
The movie, about a gay love affair that develops between two caregivers at a Xhosa initiation school, has still not been shown locally.
Xhosa king Mpendulo Sigcawu has called for a boycott of the film, saying it is an insult to Xhosa tradition.
He has been trying to get an interdict to stop the film from being shown in South Africa.
The film, based on the novel A Man Who Is Not A Man by Thando Mgqolozana, is due to be released in February.
Speaking to the SunTeam about the outrage around the film, Thando, who also wrote the film’s script, said: “It’s not explicit in any way about circumcision but tells a love story in the context of the mountain.”
Prince Xhanti Sigcawu, the king’s spokesman, said they felt the movie looked down on sacred rituals.
“We want an interdict so the movie is not shown. We are currently in the process of obtaining one,” he said.
When asked whether their opposition to the film was homophobic, he said: “For people to refer to others as homophobic is an insult. We cannot answer that because we are not homophobic.
“As cultural activists and as people based in culture, custom and tradition, we are against this movie.”
On Monday, the filmmakers said in a media release that they had been receiving violent threats on social media.
The statement said the Constitution protected their rights to freedom of speech while outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The movie, about a gay love affair that develops between two caregivers at a Xhosa initiation school, has still not been shown locally.
Xhosa king Mpendulo Sigcawu has called for a boycott of the film, saying it is an insult to Xhosa tradition.
He has been trying to get an interdict to stop the film from being shown in South Africa.
The film, based on the novel A Man Who Is Not A Man by Thando Mgqolozana, is due to be released in February.
Speaking to the SunTeam about the outrage around the film, Thando, who also wrote the film’s script, said: “It’s not explicit in any way about circumcision but tells a love story in the context of the mountain.”
Prince Xhanti Sigcawu, the king’s spokesman, said they felt the movie looked down on sacred rituals.
“We want an interdict so the movie is not shown. We are currently in the process of obtaining one,” he said.
When asked whether their opposition to the film was homophobic, he said: “For people to refer to others as homophobic is an insult. We cannot answer that because we are not homophobic.
“As cultural activists and as people based in culture, custom and tradition, we are against this movie.”
On Monday, the filmmakers said in a media release that they had been receiving violent threats on social media.
The statement said the Constitution protected their rights to freedom of speech while outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation.
