The pain we all share

– in memory of

Thapelo Makhutle

by Sokari on June 23, 2012

A beautiful and moving film that is both a celebration of Thapelo’s young life and a mourning that he and his family should suffer from such a horrific act of violence.

“Each time a Lesbian, Gay man, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Gender-Variant person is killed in South Africa our trauma is heightened and our call to act against these increasing attacks continue.

There is a quiet attack taking place against LGBTIQ persons. I say quiet because it goes unnoticed by the system, we still remain outside the system as the Department of Justice and Others in Government try and work through how to address this notion of a “hate crime”. Our trauma and our identity lie below the State’s radar and in fact violence in South Africa affecting poor vulnerable communities fall below the State’s gaze.

Due to the lack of awareness and reporting on homophobia and transphobia in Africa, Iranti-Org was created. Iranti in Yoruba means memory. We are affected by the public trauma of hearing the news of another LGBTI death in South Africa. I was deeply affected by the death of Thapelo Makhutle a young Gay activist from Kuruman. I made this video in memory of hiim, but most importantly to create a body of work that begin to speak to our feelings, our trauma and how we embed this in addressing issues of inequality.” Jabu Pereira
Director Iranti-Org