Inxeba premiere suspended in East London

The Hemingways Mall in East London announced on Friday morning that it has suspended the screening of Inxeba: The Wound, a movie that tackles the lived experiences of gay men in initiation schools, in the isiXhosa culture.

The mall’s marketing manager Neville Austin said that the reason for the suspension the screening was because of a protest by traditional leaders including a local chief.

“We will reevaluate the feasibility of the screening of this film at a later stage after consulting with all the stakeholders,” he said. He further apologised for any disappointment to movie may have caused.

Ntsindiso Mdunyelwa, the Eastern Cape provincial chairperson of the Congress of Traditional Leaders, which is also boycotting the movie, said in an interview with The Daily Vox that suspension of the screening of the movie marks a victory for the organisation. “Management has contacted us, and we have applauded them for taking that stance,” he said.

Mdunyelwa said the movie exaggerates and displays the initiation ritual inaccurately. Mdunyelwa said the movie promotes gay relationships at initiation schools. “It also seeks to promote gay relationships, it has nothing to do with the initiation school but more to do with promoting gay relationships. It is distorting what happens there,” he added.

Mamkeli Ngam, director for corporate communications at the in the traditional affairs department said in an interview with The Daily Vox that he was not aware that the screening was suspended because of an outcry coming from traditional leaders in the province. “I am also trying to get access to the movie, so we that can watch it, and have an official position as the department, working with the House of Traditional Leaders, as to what is our standpoint as far as far as that is concerned,” he said.

The movie, which features queer author and actor Nakhane, premiered on 2 February in cinemas throughout the country, but many people on who were against the screening Inxeba on social media pledged to boycott and halt all cinemas showcasing the movie.

You can watch Inxeba at the following cinemas country wide.

Featured Image via Twitter