Inxeba (The Wound): Sexual, Gender, Cultural and Religious Traumata on the African Screen

Abstract

This article is divided into two distinct parts. The first part contextualises John Trengove’s internationally renowned, award-winning, feature-length isiXhosa film, Inxeba. The second part of the article is an interview with Batana Vundla, conducted by Mark Kirby-Hirst (Film Theory and Visual Discourse Subject Manager at The Open Window), held in mid-2018, shortly after the High Court’s decision was made public regarding the final classification of Inxeba. The interview ranges from Batana Vundla’s history in the South African film and television industries, to the production processes behind the scenes of the film and concludes with a focus on the nuanced manner through which the film often broaches a wide variety of physical and psychic traumata.

Keywords:

• Inxeba
• “The Wound”
• traumata
• “ulwaluko kwa Xhosa”
• “amaXhosa”
• masculinity
• ubudoda/“manhood”
• #TheWoundMustFall
• Mr Batana Vundla
• #InxebaMustFall