Inxeba (The Wound), Queerness and Xhosa Culture

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the controversy caused by the release of the film Inxeba (The Wound). Inxeba depicts a complex intersection of rites of passage, masculinities, queerness and the relationships between men in a homosocial environment within a Xhosa cultural setting. I argue that the subject matter of same-sex intimacy in the film challenges dominant constructions of Xhosa masculinities by going to the foundation of dominant Xhosa masculinities, namely the male initiation process. The film poses a challenge to Xhosa culture by boldly asking: what is the position of Xhosa culture on same-sex intimacies? The film depicts same-sex intimacy that takes place in one of the most sacred of Xhosa cultural spaces. In the article, the film is analysed as a conversation initiator, through which ideas about same-sex desire, Xhosa culture and ultimately African sexuality can be scrutinised and debated.

KEYWORDS:

• Xhosa culture
• same-sex desire
• queer
• Inxeba
• masculinity

Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the Centre for Humanities Research of the University of the Western Cape for the fellowship award that facilitated the writing of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The word “boy” is used here specifically to make clear the difference between “boys” and “men” in Xhosa culture in that “boys” have not gone through the initiation process, whereas “men” have.