AFRICA
MAGAZ I N E Issue 34, AUTUMN 2018
TEST DRIVE THE NEW AUDI Q2
A SENSUAL TALE OF FIRST LOVE THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT
FREE
KYLIE GAY ICON AT 50
L L U F DE I R P NDAR E L CA OF S T N E EV
MARY
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES
1 EDITORS COMMENT: 3 TRAVEL: Gay Paree 6 THE 10th Gay Games - Paris 2018 8 THE STORY OF US: Making a family 10 ICON: Kylie Minogue - Golden Girl at 50 18 INTERVIEW: There’s Something About Mary 20 PRIDE CALENDAR OF EVENTS 26 FEATURE: Call Me By Your Name 28 Audi Q2 - Ready To Take On Anything 30 Bigger, Better, Brighter - The NEW Ivan Tom’s Centre 30 Mr Gay World 2018 32 Growing Edibles In A Drought 33 LIBERTY BANKS 34 Stonewall & the History Of Gay Pride 36 MEN’S HEALTH ISSUES: Testicular Cancer...
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FASHION 14 - 16 Latest trends on the catwalks of Africa
SCENE OUT
22, 23, 24 Who’s been spotted out and about on the party scene... MCQP URBAN ANGELS LAUNCH JOHANNESBURG OPENING OF THE NEW IVAN TOM’S CENTRE CAPE TOWN
REVIEWS 38 OUT ON FILM: With Daniel Dercksen 39 OUT ON DVD: With Daniel Dercksen 40 ON STAGE: With Daniel Dercksen
36 Mag 1
FROM THE EDITOR
A
s Cape Town swelters in temperatures in the 30’s and the water crisis day zero looms, it’s time to celebrate the City’s Annual LGBTI+ Pride event. This year the Pride Festival kicks off on Friday 23rd Feb with the Pink Party, which all the gay & lesbian venues are a part of. There follows a full week packed with events and workshops to suit everyone, including a movie night where Call Me By Your Name will be screened, which you can read about in a revealing article on page 26. Then there’s , the Mr & Miss Gay Pride Pageant, a night with the Divas, the Pride Rainbow Fun Run, which is a first and many more. The week culminates with the Pride Parade and Mardi Gras at Reddam Field where we hope that everyone in Cape Town regardless of your sexual identity will make an effort to be a part of. It’s 4 years since the last Gay Games, this time they take place in Paris, France and what better opportunity can there be to visit the city of romance. Our cover features one of Cape Town’s best known fag-hags, the slightly eccentric, always glamorous, and friend to us all - Mary. The ultimate party princess and gay icon, Kylie, turns 50 which coincides with the release of her latest album Golden, which looks like it’s going to keep the singer at the top of her game. As always there’s fashion, who’s been out & about, reviews and interesting features. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a safe and fabulous Pride Tommy Patterson - Editor
Cover Credit Mary at MCQP 2017 by Joffrey Hyman MANAGING EDITOR: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358 ISSN 2304-859X Published by: PATTERSON PUBLICATIONS P.O. Box 397, Sea Point 8060 Tel/Fax: 021 555 1279 E-mail: outmagazine@mweb.co.za outmagafrica@telkomsa.net outlet@telkomsa.net ADVERTISING SALES: Tommy Patterson 082 562 3358
CONTRIBUTORS: Daniel Dercksen Liberty Banks Evan Tsouroulis ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: SDR Photography Joffrey Hyman
Printed by ABC Press, Cape Town
Copyright: All articles, stories, interviews and other materials in OUT Africa Magazine are the copyright of the publication or are reproduced with permission from other copyright owners. All rights are reserved. No materials may be copied, modified, published or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of OUT Africa Magazine. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by those providing comments in this publication are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of OUT Africa Magazine or any employee thereof. OUT Africa Magazine and Patterson Publications cc., will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in any information contained in the publication.
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Star t Refreshed with real, natural cider.
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TRAVEL
GAY PAREE WITH SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO, AS WELL AS BEING THE HOST CITY FOR THE 10th GAY GAMES, AND SITUATED AT THE CROSSROADS OF EUROPE WITH EXCELLENT AIR, RAIL AND ROAD CONNECTION TO EVERY OTHER EUROPEAN CAPITAL CITY WHAT BETTER PLACE TO START YOUR 2018 DREAM HOLIDAY
Eiffel Tower lit up in the rainbow colours for Pride
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Paris is undeniably one of the world’s most famous cities, a true European capital of culture. Packed with some of the most well-known monuments, art, and history, it’s a must-visit destination for any European traveller. This city of romance is a true symbol of France and one of Europe’s best. Paris is a massive city and it might be overwhelming to some visitors. Where do you start? What do you see? There’s so much available that you could spend weeks here and not even see half of what the city offers. Certainly if it’s your first visit to France, there are a few quintessential things to see and sample like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, as well as some fine wines, cheeses and desserts. Yes, even for the repeat visitor, Paris doesn’t disappoint.
T
he Marais is considered the gay neighbourhood and it’s a great central location to stay, known as the beating heart of the queer capital, but it only became the gay centre of Paris relatively recently in the 1980s.
But Paris is historically a gay mecca, as a result, most Parisiennes are used to gay people and there’s less prejudice. Indeed, the city has been a bit of a gay haven since the early 20th century and before that in 1900s, gays gathered in Montmartre and Pigalle areas. “In the first part of the 20th century, the visibility of such wellknown figures as Natalie Barney or André Gide, as well as the flamboyance of meeting places in Montmartre or Pigalle, helped to construct the image of Paris as a ‘queer’ capital,” wrote Florence Tamagne in the 2014 book Queer Cities, Queer Cultures: Europe since 1945. In fact in the early 1920’s the likes of Oscar Wilde set up home in Paris to escape persecution in London. In the mid-20th century the gay hub moved to Saint-Germaindes-Pres in the sixth arrondissement, and by the 1960s it had shifted again to Rue Saint Anne in the first. Although this street has now been taken over by Japanese restaurants, you can still find a few historical venues, the last remainders of some of the best gay nightclubs of the 60s and 70s. But, these days, it is indeed the Marais that can claim to be the gay centre of Paris. This vibrant, trendy neighbourhood, which spreads across parts of the third and fourth arrondissements, is an internationally renowned “gaybourhood”. Rainbow flags and penis-shaped baked goods abound in this area, with the southwestern portion especially awash with gayfriendly establishments, gay bars, and gay nightclubs such as the not to missed, Le Depot, one of the largest gay clubs in Europe. But there’s more to gay Paris than the Marais Pigalle is another neighbourhood popping with gay-friendly nightlife. Then there’s the famous nightclub Le Queen on the ChampsElysées. Although it’s now more gay-friendly than strictly a gay nightclub, it was the place to be for gays in Paris in its 90s heyday, when the famous French DJ David Guetta was its artistic director. Same-sex marriage was legalised in May of 2013, and until recently the city had an openly gay Mayor, Bertrand Delanoë. France as a whole ranks fifth place on the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, a global comparison based on factors such as anti discrimination legislation, marriage and civil partnership, LGBT marketing, anti-gay laws, hostile locals, prosecution, and murders. France came in behind winner Sweden, the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands. (Interestingly South Africa is ranked 35 ahead of the USA in 36th position, with Argentina ranked 34.) For gay travellers there are a few sites you must see, apart from the obvious like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre ... The Gay memorial stone - In 1750, a gay couple were burned to
death in front of the Hotel de Ville for being gay. They were the last to be punished for homosexuality in France. A memorial to them has been laid at the intersection of Rue Montorgueil and Rue Bachaumont, where the two were caught by police. Decades later, in 1791 during the French Revolution, the new government decriminalised homosexual relations. “Only” 222 years later, in 2013, France finally legalised same-sex marriage. Paris’s original gay scene, There was no one gay location throughout the 1800s, but gays would hang out in the gardens (and still do by the Carrousel du Louvre), along the Champs Elysées, by the Bourse, and elsewhere. When sexual liberation began to hit, Rue Sainte Anne became home to the original gay scene with some of the best nightclubs of the 1960s and 1970s. While few of these venues remain, you can still visit the sauna TiL’T and the nearby Club 18. There are few lesbian bars in Paris today, though in the early 1900s lesbian couples often congregated around Montmartre and Montparnasse. In one popular ladies-only nightclub, Le Monocle, women would dress up in tuxedos alongside other women sporting traditionally feminine garb. It was a sort of golden era of lesbian nightlife that Paris hasn’t seen in decades. But according to TimeOut Paris, Le 3W Kafé in the Marais could be a good place to go considering the 3W stands for “Women With Women”. The magazine also gives La Champmeslé, which opened in the 1980s and is the oldest lesbian bar in the city, a four-star rating. While we’re in the Marais... there is a bakery selling penis shaped baked goods. Check out the aptly named Legay Choc bakeries in the Marais which are stocked with penis-shaped edibles. If it’s not bread, it’s the galette des rois, a raspberry tart, or a brioche in the shape of men’s privates. How’s that for pride? After marriage was legalised for all couples in France in early 2013, there were still plenty of protests from conservatives. None, perhaps, were as shocking as that of 78-year-old homophobe, Dominique Venner who in May 2013, entered the popular tourist attraction of the Notre Dame cathedral, left a letter on the altar, and then shot himself dead in front of shocked visitors. The last ‘gay urinal’ - In the 19th century, gay men were arrested for indecent exposure in the many public urinals installed during the 1830s. While the structures evolved over time, these vespasiennes (public urinals) were generally known as meeting points for homosexuals and male prostitutes across the city. Today, just one such urinal still exists in Paris, on Boulevard Arago in the 13th arrondissement. It’s less of a scene these days though. Drag shows may not be huge in Paris’s gay bars, but head to the nearly 60-year-old Cabaret Michou in Montmartre for some true kitsch. It’s not quite on the level of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, but it’s still entertaining drag, if you speak French. The first gay bar opened in the Marais in 1978, and today, the oldest existing bar, the Duplex, which opened in 1980, is still a popular watering hole. Before that, the Marais was a hub of Jewish life and Chinese immigrants. Mag 5
GAY GAMES T
THE WORLD’S LARGEST SPORTING & CULTURAL EVENT
he games are held every four years and this year, its from 4 August to 12 August, Paris will be hosting the 10th edition of the Gay Games.
Dave Nel
Attracting some 15,000 participants from around the world, and many more thousands of spectators, the games are the largest hetero-friendly sports, cultural, festival event in the world! This year's theme is "ALL EQUAL" and the games are open to everyone ... young or old, athlete or artist, experienced or novice, gay or straight... and since 1982, the Gay Games have brought together people from all over the world, with diversity, respect, equality, solidarity, and sharing. And of course they are a platform for LGBTI+ visibility and being welcome to everyone, no matter their sexual orientation, gender, religion, nationality, ethnic origins, political views, their physical, athletic or artistic capabilities, their age or health status. No performance standards are required, only what is essential is the desire to uphold the objectives of the games, the Gay Games thus offer the opportunity to openly express oneself and to enjoy the spirit of friendship through sports, culture and art – all in an environment of tolerance. And what better city to be in ... Paris, apart from being one of the World's major cities, is known as the City of Light. Perfectly situated in the heart of Europe the Games should attract huge numbers of visitors, many for the pure convenience of getting there and of course, who doesn't love Paris? Cape Town was short-listed to host the 2018 games, but our bid was unfortunately unsuccessful, Hong Kong will host the 2022 Gay Games, fighting off bids from cities in the United States and Mexico to become the first Asian city to stage the sports and cultural event. Perhaps our turn will come in 2026 ... However, some of the city's gay residents have participated and excelled in the games. Ian McMahon, the very well known owner of Crew Bar, and doyen of the Cape Town gay community, has participated in the games... Ian attended the games in Amsterdam 1998, Sydney 2002, Chicago 2006, Cologne 2010 - he won a bronze medal in 2002 Sydney for Javelin and Silver in 2006 Chicago for long jump. Ian is quick to point out that one competes in your age category making the entire experience so much fairer. Another Capetonian who excelled in his sport is Dave Nel. Dave competed in his first Gay Games in Cologne 2010 and scooped an awesome 5 gold medals. He also broke 2 South African Masters swimming records in the 30-35 age group, as well as 5 Western Province records - phew!!! When chatting about the games, Dave said, "the great thing about the Gay Games is that anyone can compete. 300-400 people competed in every race. The guys at the top of their game are very competitive." He added that, "South Africa's participation wasn't really publicised, although 39 athletes went to Cologne." Well-known, Survivor South Africa contestant Zavion Kotze, Mag 6
competed in the Gay Games in Cleveland, Ohio, USA in 2014, in track and field, taking part in 12 events. He walked away with an astonishing 8 Gold Medals, 3 Silver Medals and a Bronze medal ... saying in an interview afterwards that, "It was an amazing experience! Hopefully we can get the games here to South Africa in the future." When asked what he most enjoyed about the games, he replied, "The pure love and acceptance all around me. There was no discrimination at all. Everyone was happy and there to compete or to support their loved ones... Its truly an amazing competition." Asked whether he would be going to Paris 2018, "Absolutely!!" He replied. To anyone who is traveling to Paris to compete in the games we wish you all the best and look forward to a huge pile of medals coming back to South Africa.. Good luck to you all ...
Ian & Dave at the Gay Games Cologne 2010
Ian McMahon goes for gold at Cologne Gay Games 2010
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THE STORY OF US
I
met Myrna 15 years ago, it was love at first sight. As there is an age difference of 27 years it was by no means an easy road. Never mind all the other people I had to convince that my feelings were rock solid, I had to win Myrna over and that was no easy task. Needless to say I won and here we are. For years we spoke about wanting to have a baby, but it was just that, speaking. We dreamt about what the baby would be like, but it was just that, dreaming. There was no active plan, and no real thought put into it. One thing I knew for sure though was that I desperately wanted it. As time went by, I wasn’t getting any younger and my need grew stronger. I had turned 35 years old and realised that if something didn’t happen soon, it probably never would. That thought left a dark feeling inside me and I knew that if I didn’t end up having kids, I would most definitely regret it and I didn’t want to live with that kind of regret. We had discussed our thoughts around paternity and both felt that ideally we would like the father to, at the very least, simply be available for the child to know. We would set no demands on him, but felt that every child needs to know where they come from. My feeling was that in the absence of knowing who their father was they would inevitably spend a lifetime wondering. So with this in mind we set about trying to find a man who would be willing to be the donor, but allow us the autonomy to raise “our” baby while still featuring in said baby’s life, on our terms? Truth be told we were willing to accommodate any amount of involvement that any prospective father would want. None of this mattered however, when every guy we approached said that they would get back to us, never to be heard of again. We were getting desperate and I started feeling hopeless. Then Mag 8
on New Year’s Eve 2015 I went to Beaulah and ran into friends of ours from Durban. We had met Gavin and Craig many years ago and used to run into them from time to time. While having a tequila with Gavin we had a little catch-up and he told me that they had adopted a daughter and how it had changed their lives. I said that it was amazing and how we were also desperate to have a baby but were struggling to find a donor. He struggled to understand why and I explained that I thought some men found it scary to commit to bringing a life into this world, and that they were probably afraid of the kind of expectations we would place on them. Without any hesitation he said: “we’ll do that for you!!” He said he would have to talk to Craig about it, but that he was keen. They didn’t have space in their life to be actively involved, due to having their own daughter, and all of that sounded great. Seconds later, Craig came bouncing across the dance floor to me and said: “I hear we’re having a baby!!” I told Myrna the news and we were very excited. We both realised that alcohol probably had a lot to do with it, but we were hopeful nonetheless. We decided to wait a few days, and see what happened, and that if the boys were serious, they would contact us, or not, depending on the post-party regret. The following morning, at about 9am, we hadn’t even fully recovered from the night before, we got a message from them saying that if we were serious, they were happy to have a discussion about having a baby. We couldn’t believe it! We made plans to meet up the following day. On the 2nd of January 2015 we all met for breakfast. By the end of that morning, we had committed, decided on names and discussed the basics of how to go about it. We all felt that
Author Olwen MAKINGGAY A FAMILY PARENTING
we didn’t particularly like the clinical nature of insemination, or going to a clinic to “make” a baby. The overriding feeling was that this would be an adventure, and that we all needed to have fun. Initially I think the boys were just going to do us the favour, but by the end of that breakfast we were all on board to become the new nuclear family. Myrna and I would be the primary parents, but the “dads” would have as much access as they wanted. We even discussed that they would be there to experience the birth, and cut the umbilical cord. We made plans about what would happen next and our goal was to try this as far as possible without intervention, but if that failed, we would consult a fertility clinic. On the 5th of January the boys went to see their GP, who ran a barrage of tests, just to ensure that they were fighting fit. I in turn downloaded an app that would assist us in gauging when I was ovulating. Once the decision was made, there was no stopping this steam train. We were all on board for the biggest adventure of our lives. Based on the app I went for blood tests to see when I would ovulate, and once I knew that I had synced the app, we were able to determine when the next ovulation would be. With amateurish luck, we calculated that I would ovulate round Valentine’s Day and that was that. The boys started their prep by only wearing boxer shorts (to prevent limitation and strangulation in the “business area”) and they booked their flights to Cape Town. The plan was to do it at home. They would do their business in a room and then hand it over to us, where we would take over and do the rest. The internet is a very helpful tool. It turns out there is more than just porn on it, there are also in-depth websites on how to get pregnant at home. For this endeavour we used both though. We decided that nothing gets pregnant like a drunk
teenager, so for that weekend we acted exactly like that! We drank, went to ULTRA and made a baby! After that weekend, what felt like an eternity, the first week passed. We started taking pregnancy test almost immediately, despite knowing it was impossible for them to be positive yet. We were all on board, excited, but mostly impatient. Then 2 weeks later, once we had all almost given up hope, thinking it hadn’t worked, the craziest thing happened. I woke up at midnight thinking it was time for work, and decided to pee on one last stick. Not really believing that it would amount to much I left it there when Myrna alerted me to the fact that it was the middle of the night. She then went to the bathroom, when I half asleep mumbled for her to look at the pee-stick. “Babe…I don’t have my glasses on, but I think it says pregnant!” I will never forget those words. The electronic pregnancy test said “PREGNANT – 1-2 weeks” … well that was it. Nobody slept after that. We contacted the boys and the lot of us sounded like screeching girls, chatting through the night, excitement uncontrollable. The boys came down regularly for scans, gynae appointments and, of course, nursery and baby goodies shopping and by this time were fully committed to be part of the baby’s life. Gabriella Katherine Andrews-Nel was born on 1 November 2015 with Myrna and the Dads in attendance with Gavin cutting the chord. This little girl has had a huge impact on all our lives and is absolutely adored by all of us. Gavin and Craig visit at least every 6 weeks with a family holiday at the end of the year and loads of FaceTime calls in between. If you want to have a baby …. There’s nothing stopping you today. Just make it happen in a way that works for you. Mag 9
T
he Australian singer/songwriter has come a long way since her days as Charlene Mitchell on the soap-opera Neighbours. Since those days of big shoulder -pads and even bigger hair the diminutive entertainer has become a household name, and won a huge following of gay men the world over. Kylie is without doubt Australia’s biggest recording artist ever and is one the biggest stars in the world, commanding top-dollar for any appearances, such as in 2008 when she was paid a cool £2m to perform a 60-minute set at the opening of Atlantis - the Palm an exclusive hotel at the Palm Jumeirah man-made island in Dubai. One of the most expensive performances in entertainment history, and then again in 2016 when the pop princess jetted into Sydney and earned a million dollars for one 30-minute set at a glittering Harbourside party.
BEAUTIFUL PERFORMING ARTIST SONGWRITER ACTRESS SEXY ICON
Quite some achievement but more importantly an acknowledgement her status in the entertainment industry to command these kind of fees. Kylie burst on to the music scene in 1987 when she signed with Mushroom Records. Her first single, “The Locomotion”, spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles charts and became the country’s highestselling single in the 1980s. Since then she hasn’t looked back. Her next single, “I Should Be So Lucky” reached number one in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Israel and Hong Kong. Her debut album, Kylie was released in July 1988. The album was a collection of dance-oriented pop tunes and spent more than a year on the UK Albums Chart, including several weeks at number one. In the meantime Kylie dated fellow Neighbour’s actor Jason Donovan, the two of them recorded a single, Especially For You which topped the charts in 1988. The romance wasn’t to be and Kylie, whose star was on the rise, dumped Donovan and began a relationship with INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence. Jason Donovan admitted in a recent interview that the split was a “pretty big punch to take” adding, “It was an extremely painful parting of the ways and, without doubt, I took a long time to recover from it, - Years, definitely.” Michael Hutchence was a rocker and Kylie was the girl next door, their public images collided, never-theless, despite this they were utterly in love. Photographer and friend Richard Simpkins, who recently released previously unseen photographs of the couple said, “She absolutely adored him, Mag 10
THE ONE THE ONLY GOLDEN GIRL KYLIE
it was clear. She was star struck, just like I was. And he loved her, he later joked years afterwards that he spent most of the time corrupting her’. He changed her image, he sexed her up and loved seeing the change. She was no longer the girl next door.” In 2015, Kylie opened up about the relationship during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. She said: “He was Byron-esque, he was poetic, he was cultured and hilarious and tender, he was all of these other things.” She also credited the rocker with building up her stage-confidence. She dated the INXS frontman for two years and the pair remained firm friends until his death in 1997. By 1991, Kylie had completed her first concert tour, the Enjoy Yourself Tour, which kicked off in February 1990, and went around the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and Australia. Her 3rd album, Rhythm of Love was released in November 1990, and striking while the iron was hot, she then embarked on the Rhythm of Love Tour that same year. There was no time for relationships, the determined singer and actress was carving her niche in the music industry. Pop was her genre and her fan-base, especially her gay fans, couldn’t get enough of the Kylie sound. One fan described his love of the singer saying, “It is obsessive, sometimes repressive, always expressive and, over the last 30 years, particularly expensive.” So we are forced to ask ourselves. “What is it with gay men and Kylie?” One fan said on Facebook, “No other female star has been around for the amount of time Kylie has and remained classy, sexy and sophisticated,” Another commented: “Kylie is just a part of my life, after being a fan from the age of 10.” “At each stage of our lives the music has been there and, for me at least, it’s been the perfect, fun soundtrack to forget your worries and smile. Don’t take yourself too seriously, enjoy life and stay classy,” said another. But visiting the page is an eye-opener and the literally thousands of devoted fans share experiences, opinions, gushing and glowing reviews - “she’s like a religion to me,” one devotee wrote. Kylie’s film career which had pretty much been on hold was to be revived with a role opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in the film Street Fighter. The film was a moderate success, earning US$70 million in the US, but received poor reviews,
with The Washington Post’s Richard Harrington calling Minogue “the worst actress in the English-speaking world”. Undeterred, the she took a minor role in the 1996 film Bio-Dome starring Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin. She also appeared in the 1995 short film Hayride to Hell and in the 1997 film Diana & Me, none of which were any great shakes. And there was a cameo, playing herself, in the successful TV series The Vicar Of Dibley . By 1997, Kylie was in love again, this time with French photographer Stéphane Sednaoui. It was time for the release of her sixth album, a mostly dance album, Impossible Princess. The album title was unfortunate as the release coincided with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The album title was changed to Kylie Minogue, but it became the lowest-selling album of her career except in Australia where die-hard Kylie fans remained loyal, the album spent 35 weeks on the album chart and her Intimate and Live tour in 1998 was extended due to demand. She also gave several live performances that year, the biggest being the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras entrenching her iconic status as pop diva to the gay community. Once again the multi-talented entertainer was to try her luck at something different and in 1999, after performing a duet with the Pet Shop Boys’ on their Nightlife album, the actress chose to tread the boards spending several months in Barbados performing in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In September 2000, Kylie released her seventh studio album, Light Years, a collection of dance songs. The lead single, “Spinning Around”, became her first number one in the UK in ten years, and its accompanying video featured the singer in revealing gold hot pants, which have since come to be regarded as a Kylie “trademark”. She also embarked on the On a Night Like This Tour, which played to sell-out crowds. 2001 also saw her win a “Mo Award” for Australian live entertainment as “Performer of the Year” and she appeared in the film, Moulin Rouge! as “The Green Fairy”. She was busy recording and touring with little time left for relationships and in October that year she released her eighth studio album Fever. But it was the album’s lead single, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”, that became the biggest success of her career, reaching number one in more than forty countries and selling over 5 million copies. The awards rolled in: She won four ARIA Awards including a “Most Outstanding Achievement” award, and two Brit Awards, for “Best international female solo artist” and “Best international album”. Kylie was at the top of her game. Mag 11
Capital Records in the USA released the album where it was a huge success - subsequent singles “In Your Eyes”, “Love at First Sight” and “Come into My World” were successful throughout the world, but more importantly Kylie had broken in to the mainstream North American market, particularly in the gay club scene. In April 2002, she embarked on her biggest production to date, the KylieFever 2002 tour. In 2002 Kylie and 51-year-old übersexy, french model, Olivier Martinez, hooked up. The relationship which lasted five years saw Kylie through one of the darkest periods of her life. In March 2005, she commenced her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour. After performing in Europe, she travelled to Melbourne, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and was forced to cancel the remainder of the tour. She acknowledges the support of Martinez, saying to Elle magazine, “On particularly dark days, I’d be lying on the bathroom floor wailing and he’d say, ‘OK, honey, you can cry for just five minutes, then I’m taking you on the bike for a ride around Paris’.” After an intensive round of treatments, Kylie was back to work and resumed the tour in November 2006, under the title Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Her dance routines had been reworked to accommodate her medical condition, with slower costume changes and longer breaks introduced between sections of the show to conserve her strength. The media reported that she performed energetically, with the ever supportive Australian press, Sydney Morning Herald, describing the show as an “extravaganza” and “nothing less than a triumph”. Her relationship with Olivier was at a time when career-wise Kylie was enjoying unprecedented success and yet healthwise she was at her lowest. Then, in 2007 amid rumours if unfaithfullness on his part the couple issued a statement: “Olivier Martinez and Kylie Minogue have officially confirmed that they are no longer a couple. They have made it clear that the decision to go their separate ways was mutual and amicable. The media’s false accusations of disloyalty have saddened them both. The two remain very close friends.” Not one to dwell on bad fortune, in November 2007, Kylie released her tenth and much-discussed “comeback” album, X, but the album had a lukewarm reception. The year hadn’t been her best, one high-light was the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special episode, “Voyage of the Damned”. The episode was watched by 13.31 million viewers, which was the show’s highest viewing figure since 1979! It seemed that next year could only be better, and in May 2008 she launched the European leg of the KylieX2008 tour, her most expensive tour to date with production costs of £10 million. But it was an awards year, she was appointed a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the junior grade of France’s highest cultural honour. And then in July, she was officially invested by The Prince of Wales as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). She also won the “Best International Female Solo Artist” award at the 2008 BRIT Awards. She also revealed that she had started dating, model Andrea Velencoso, their relationship lasted five years from 2008 to 2013. The couple met while filming an advert for her perfume range. In 2009, she co-hosted the BRIT Awards and that same year embarked on the For You, for Me tour which was her first North American concert tour. July 2010, saw the release of her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite. Debuting at number-one, exactly twenty two years after her first number one hit the album’s lead single, “All the Lovers,” rocketed to the top of the charts becoming her thirtyMag 12
third top ten single. Once again Kylie had reinvented herself, listened to the moods and trends and sent her loyal fans of more than 20 years now, into a frenzy. Especially, when she embarked on the Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour in February 2011, travelling to Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and finally to Africa, where she performed a somewhat watered-down version of the show to sold-out crowds in Johannesburg and Cape Town. In 2012 Kylie celebrated 25 years in the music industry. Her anniversary started with her embarking on the Anti Tour in England and Australia, which featured b-sides, demos and rarities from her music catalogue. The tour was positively received, grossing over two million dollars from four shows. She then released the single “Timebomb” in May, and the greatest hits compilation album, The Best of Kylie Minogue in June. She performed at various events around the world, including Sydney Mardi Gras, Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Concert, and BBC Proms in the Park London. She also released the compilation album, The Abbey Road Sessions in October 2012. March 2014, saw the release her 12th studio album, Kiss Me Once. More importantly, a 48-year-old Kylie, announced that she was in a relationship with British actor Joshua Sasse, a man almost 20 years her junior! At the time, she gushed: “I can’t actually put into words how happy I am.” And it wasn’t long before the 29-year-old love-of-her-life, proposed and she was spotted wearing a dazzling diamond ring on her engagement finger. In 2014 she went on the road again with the Kiss Me Once Tour, and performed at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. In 2015 she appeared as a guest vocalist on Giorgio Moroder’s single “Right Here, Right Now” providing her 12th number one hit on the U.S. Dance Chart. She was back on the movie screens appearing in the disaster film San Andreas, alongside Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino. She also released her first Christmas album, Kylie Christmas in November. 2016 was a much slower year for the usually busy Kylie, she recorded the theme song “This Wheel’s on Fire”, from the soundtrack Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. Her album Kylie Christmas was re-released in November entitled as Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition. On a personal level 2018 hasn’t started off very well, once again love was to evade the workaholic performer... Kylie called off her engagement to Joshua Sasse amid rumours that he has grown close to Spanish actress Marta Milans. Kylie announced the split with an Instagram post which read: “Thank you for all your love and support throughout this recent chapter of my life.” To her fans she noted “Thank you now for your love and understanding with the news that Josh and I have decided to go our separate ways. We wish only the best for each other as we venture towards new horizons.” True love it seems has yet again evaded the beautiful, multitalented, singer, songwriter, actress and performer. But we all know Kylie - she picks herself up and brushes herself off, and as recently as the last week in January the golden girl was back in the spotlight. Since releasing her new single Dancing in late January a beaming Kylie has been spotted looking glamorous and attending shows at Paris Fashion Week. ‘Dancing’ is the first song to be released from the highly anticipated album ‘Golden’, and fans have been saying the hit is “pure joy”. Kylie has described it as her most personal album yet after her break up. At 50 the super-talented Kylie is still at the top of her game and doesn’t look like she’ll be slowing down for years to come... Great news for her loyal, ever-supportive fans.
DRINK IT WITH PRIDE NOT FOR SALE TO PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18
FASHION CATWALKS
FASHION
KING AND QUEEN
ALEXANDRE KANGALA VENANCIO
KATENGULU MWENDA
Mag 14
KAMANA FELIX KYUTEN
MOZAMBIQUE FASHION WEEK
Photographer / SDR Photo.
FROM THE OF AFRICA
Photographer / SDR Photo.
SWAHILI FASHION WEEK 2017
Mag 15
GOZEL GREEN
KENNETH IZE
LAGOS FASHION DESIGN WEEK
DAVIDO X ORANGE CULTURE Photographer / SDR Photo. Mag 16
ABOUT THAT CURVY LIFESTYLE
JOHNSON JOHNSON
CAPE TOWN TOURISM PARTNERS WITH NEW YORK CITY FOR 2018
B
INTERVIEW
orn in the UK, Mary lived through those heady days of the social upheaval that typified the sixties, knocking around with the likes of Rod Steward (before he was famous) and living through an era noted for Mods and Rockers, Carnaby Street and fashion icons like Twiggy and Mary Quant. The BBC had Splitting Images and the sexual and cultural revolution erupted as youngsters rebelled against the establishment. A time when Mary Jane and LSD were the recreational drugs of choice and the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Cilla and Lulu were ruling the airwaves. Mary married and moved to South Africa. When a lucrative job came up the family moved to Zimbabwe where she raised her two children. After being widowed, Mary raised her children alone and when they moved to Cape Town she followed, and immediately fell in love with the City. Its natural beauty enthralled her and the vibe ... she loved the markets, the winelands, the vibrancy of the art-scene, the diversity of the city’s people. She loved gate-crashing and getting to know the models at Cape Town Fashion Week, enjoying sundowners with the surfers, watching fire-eaters and sipping wine at sundown on the rocks, meeting Cape Town’s colourful drag community and judging pageants, exploring the quirkier and quaint streets of downtown on the hunt for a bargain. As a prolific collector of anything at all, Mary has become well-known at the city’s various auction houses, street-markets and 2nd-hand shops. She has a keen eye and buys and sells, with a great degree of success.
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY Hailing from the UK and Zimbabwe and now living in Cape Town, Mary is a fixture on the gay party and pageant scene ... The lady, who is well-known needs no introduction .... Mag 18
Photo: Joffrey Hyman
Her passion is art, and to this end satisfies her need to create by painting, but she is a woman of many talents... Described in a recent article in Elle Magazine as “Hat maker, art lover and collector” with a style as “eclectic as her personality” Mary is known to dress for every occasion, “even when there isn’t one, I make it an occasion”, she’s been heard to say. Always looking for an opportunity to be creative, Mary is currently busy making hats and she has become known for her hats and their individual style, and now has people contacting her asking for creations, be it for the Sun Met, Africa Burns or MCQP Mary is always busy with orders. When interviewed, she admitted that the people she creates the hats for are “all trendy and crazy individuals”, who “just want something different.” She has a very youthful attitude to life, open-minded and non-judgemental, she “loves meeting all kinds of people, and there’s good in everyone if you take the trouble to find it.”
Mary, never sits still, she is an avid theatre-goer, loving everything from Artscape musicals to Ceri Dupree, the fabulous female impersonator who will be visiting Cape Town again. A fixture at gay pride, Mary attends all the big events on the LGBTI+ calendar, she loves the creativity of the costumes at MCQP, the effort and glamour of the girls at the various drag pageants throughout the year, the exuberance and zest for life of the gay people at Pride and being somewhat eccentric herself she is a magnet for photographs at all these events. Mary loves a good story, like the one about a house she bought in Zimbabwe which was used as a tryst for Prince Charles and Camilla (Park-a-coil as she was aptly named) - this was in 1980, and the toilet was famous because they had used it and it had an all-seeing, blinking eye on the bottom of the bowl. When they decided to renovate the house, they took great pride in keeping the royal throne intact until a massive wind blew down a tree and smashed the “masterpiece” to a thousand pieces - the eye was still winking. On another occasion she was hospitalised and by the end of her stay, she had a few of the male nurses, who were as camp as pink tents, modelling outfits which her daughter was instructed bring in. On yet another occasion Mary was a victim of the Mugabe regime’s homophobic attacks when she was a judge at the annual Jacaranda Queen Pageant. Whilst the glamorous beauty pageant was in full swing, members of the ZanuPF Youth Brigade slashed the tyres of cars in the parking lot, one being Mary’s car. By the end of the pageant, Mary who’d had a skin full, and was unable to drive with a slashed tyre, decided to sleep in the car. The following morning a dishevelled and slightly worsefor-wear Mary awoke to find that some kind gentlemen from a nearby garage had replaced the tyre and she was able to make her way home. Mary has literally hundreds of stories and is great fun at a dinner party as she regales the best of them.
!! ! S T A H E H L ABOUT T
IT’S AL
Always one for an adventure, one day you’ll meet her shopping at the market and the next she’ll be helicoptering to a fancy restaurant in the winelands, or you get a Whatsapp from a yacht in the Med. Life is a roller-coaster and one thing you can be sure of is that there’s definitely “something about Mary”
Mag 19
FRIDAY 23 FEB PRIDE PINK PARTY ulah Participating venues are: Bea he & rtac Bar, Crew, Babylon, Hea The ... 021 Zer Vine, Versatile and is TY PAR K PIN the idea behind you k pin ring wea from rt apa that ers pay at the first venue and all oth ugh tho d min are then free. Bear in rge that Crew and Babylon will cha R30 the ve abo and r ove ge a surchar which goes to Pride ...
SATURDAY 24 FEB COZY POOL PARTY PRIDE EDITION ty Cape Town’s famous Pool par . Let you for ting wai is tion Edi Pride g nin ope e us celebrate the Gay Prid n’s Tow e Cap weekend at one of s. best outdoor Pool Party location t ron terf Wa A V& , Red n Radisso 7pm Sat 24th of February, 1 DJ Our amazing DJs Sole Elos and es tabl turn the g kin Groovy Q are roc ly bird Cover charge: Presale R190, Ear 18) tickets: R150 (until 15/02/20 t 50 Door: (No tickets available) Firs bly bub of s glas a ive people will rece so be early. i Tickets available: 1) Frank Kos 2 662 071119 02) 2) Cafe Manhattan (from 16/ 3) Quicket
SATURDAY 24 FEB THE BIRDCAGE E ... Don’t miss THE BIRDCAG be l wil tion duc pro This iconic forper e tine ma cial spe a staged at the at pm 2:30 at ting star nce ma r Rd, Milner ton Playhouse, Pienaa cted dire is w sho Milner ton. The per ng bei is d war by Bar rie Ho s. yer Pla tia stan Con the by formed ZES PRI - Dress OUTRAGEOUS etc on Tickets are R100 and available ited lim y, earl k boo ET ICK QU rious availability, don’t miss this hila !! sic! gay clas
a in Happening at Dez Tshisa Inyam IDE -PR PRE ual ann the hu, Gugulet ws a CHILL is FREE and always dra wd. great cro
PRIDE WOMEN’S NIGHT pen at WOMEN’S NIGHT will hap rance Ent Beaulah Bar starting 9pm. onle ilab ava is R50 and tickets are r... doo the at or line at QUICKET
PRIDE MEN’S NIGHT penMEN’S NIGHT this year is hap 8pm m Fro e... Vin & ing at heartache by n spu g bein es tun and onwards a hot for f rsel you ce bra Q VY GROO R50 at party by men for men ... Tickets r doo the at QUICKET or
LOVE HAPPENS HERE
MR & M PRIDE P
Probably the mo in the week lead is the MR & MI PAGE The show staged pageants in Cape and his team pro tering, glamorou entertainment c crowning of a ne Pr
Venue is at Josep um, Starting at 8p ets are available at
THE KASI PRE-PRIDE CHILL
s on The event starts at 3pm and goe Get od, mo the to in Get . 8pm till down in to the groove and party on s... Gug
RCH 23 FEBRUARY - 3 MA
SATU 24 F
SUN 25 F
RAINBOW RU
New on this yea RAINBOW
Participants will g house in Mouille will follow the p circle at BANTR There will be pr outlandish outfits campest pooch girl ... we will ha a drag race ... the and is about 5k the
Registration is on ... so whether yo heels or in train down - the choice criteria is that y
SATURDAY
PRIDE PARADE
Celebrate PRIDE - Join the MARCH which leaves from P 12 noon - Then party at the MARDI
URDAY FEB
MISS GAY PAGEANT
ost popular event ding up to PRIDE ISS GAY PRIDE EANT d by the master of e Town, Barry Reid omises to be a glitus night of superb culminating in the ew Mr & Miss Gay ride.
ph Stone Auditoripm to 11pm. Tickat COMPUTICKET
NDAY FEB
W PRIDE UN
ar’s calendar is the PRIDE RUN.
gather at the Lighte Point and the run promenade to the RY BAY and back. rizes for the most s, the cutest couple, and gayest guy or ave our version of e run starts at 8am ms. Come & join e fun!
nly R50 per person ou walk it run it, in ners, dressed up or e is yours - the only you have FUN!!!
MONDAY 26 FEB BOOK EVENING The BOOK EVENING is bac k this year and it promises to be very popular. This year we have auth ors, Fiona De Kock, Anastacia Tom son, Retha Benade & Chwayita Nga mlana, who will engage in an eve ning of insights and revelations. The BOOK EVENING is free and will start at 6pm at Zer021
THE SALON’S VARIETY SHOW A first on this year’s Pride Calend ar is the THE SALON’S VARIE TY SHOW featuring the very tale nted Eugene Matthews & friends the evening is sure to be very wel l supported. Happening at Zer021 the PRI DE COMEDY NIGHT starts at 8pm and ticket price is R20. Tickets are available online at QUICKET . Once again you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.
TUESDAY 27 FEB MOVIE NIGHT One of the most popular events is the MOVIE NIGHT and this year we hoping to secure the local gay movie - INXEBA (The Wound )venue to be announced The Oscar nominated Call Me By Your Name will be screened at Nu METRO CINEMA NOUVEAU at the WATERFRONT from 2 Ma rch so book your tickets early and don’t miss this awesome film.
WEDNESDAY 28 FEB PRIDE KARAOKE NIGHT KARAOKE NIGHT will be hosted by the lovely Gregoire and will take place at Versatile (old Barcod e in Cobern Str). Normally a men only establishment - for PRIDE KARAOKE the bar is open to all... 6pm - entrance R20
THURSDAY 01 MARCH PRIDE DIVAS EXTRAVAGANZA The DIVA’S EXTRAVAGANZA showcases some of the bes t showgirls in the city and this year the event is at Zer021. The eve ning of glamour and glitz, sequins and satins starts at 8pm and entry is R50 - a not-to-be-missed night as the fabulous Diva’s strut their stuff ... ..
PRIDE ART EXHIBITION
FRIDAY 02 MARCH
Young gay artists work will be on display at Tau (upstairs at CR EW BAR) - Entrance is free and the exhibition opens at 7pm...
POETRY & ART One again Pride hosts an evenin g of POETRY & ART at Upstairs on Bree. The evening starts at 7pm and entrance is R20. Tickets are ava ilable online at QUICKET or at the door.
THURSDAY 01 MARCH PRIDE BEACH PICNIC
PRIDE SHABBAT
The annual beach picnic take s place in Camps Bay and this year picn ickers will meet at Clifton 3 at 6pm to take in a spectacular summer sunset and sip on a sparkling juice...
After a ver y well supported PR IDE SHABBAT last year, Temple Israel in Sea Point will once again host PRIDE SHABBAT
THURSDAY 01 MARCH
SATURDAY 03 MARCH AFTER PARTIES
HOTHOUSE MIXED NIGHT
The OFFICIAL PRIDE AFTER PARTY is at Babylon. Starting at 8pm. Entrance R100 HOTHOUSE AFTER PARTY with DJ Gambis & Bash
All sexes welcome at the HOTHOUSE PRIDE MIXED NIGHT. 18 Jarvis Str, de Waterkant
SUNDAY 04 MARCH
PRIDE GAMES NIGHT
Join us for a night of fabulous board games... the event starts at 7.00 pm till late at the BIG BOX CAFE, 18 Roeland Street, CT. Entrance FREE Donations to PRIDE are welcom e.
03 MARCH
An Inter-faith service organis ed by the Goodhope Metropolitan Com munity Church (GHMCC) in Green Market Square. The service begins at 18:00
& MARDI GRAS
PRESTWICH STREET SCHOOL, DE WATERKANT at I GRAS at REDDAM FIELD till 8pm
SUNDAY SERVICE
LOVE HAPPENS HERE
SCENE OUT
MCQP- DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Mag 22
Photos courtesy MCQP by Joffrey Hyman Mag 23
URBAN ANGELS - JNB
OPENING OF IVAN TOMS CENTRE - CT Helen Struhers CEO - Ivan Toms Centre
Dr Kevin Rebe & Prof Ntobelo Ntusi Head Medicine at UCT
Tommy Patterson & Jan Richter from Pride Shelter
Consul General US Embassy, Virginia Blaser & DA’s Roberto Quintas
Mimi Daki, Clinic Manager with Drs Johan Hugo & Dr Msokoli Qotole Mag 24
CAPE TOWN 23 FEB - 3 MARCH
www.capetownpride.org
HEA RTACHE
HEARTACHE
VINE
VINE
HEA RTACHE VINE
Mag 25 MAIN ROAD SEA POINT CAPE TOWN
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
A sensual and transcendent tale of first love
C
all Me By Your Name is a film intended to sweep over an audience like sunshine. It vividly evokes the feeling of an Italian summer, filled with bike rides, midnight swims, music and art, luscious meals under the sun, and the heady awakening of a 17-year old-boy’s first passion.
Born in Palermo, Italy and raised in Ethiopia, where his father taught history and Italian, Guadagnino’s international outlook and insatiable appetite for creative expression were calibrated early. He graduated from Rome’s University La Sapienza with a degree in History and Critics of Cinema, and did his thesis on Jonathan Demme.
When Elio (Timothée Chalamet) falls for Oliver (Armie Hammer), the charismatic grad student staying at his parents’ villa in northern Italy, it sets in motion an experience that will linger with both of them forever.
Call Me By Your Name closes a trilogy of Guadagnino’s films on desire, together with I Am Love and A Bigger Splash.
“I don’t want Call Me By Your Name to be perceived as a hyper-intellectualised opus,” says director Luca Guadagnino, “but as a tender love story that affects an audience in an uplifting way. I want it to be like a box of chocolates.” Mag 26
“Where in the former one’s desire was driving to possession, regret, contempt, need for a liberation, in Call Me By Your Name we wanted to explore an idyll of youth. Elio, Oliver and Marzia are entangled in the beautiful confusion of what once Truman Capote described when he said that “love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.”
“Call Me By Your Name is also my homage to the fathers of my life: my own father, and my cinematic ones: Renoir, Rivette, Rohmer, Bertolucci…” The film is based on the acclaimed first novel by André Aciman, which he wrote in a whirlwind three months. “I was writing faster than I have ever written in my life,” says Aciman. “It was as if I was in love. The writing took me places I would normally have never dared to go. There are things in the book that I say, ‘I can’t believe I wrote this!’ But I did. It just kind of dictated itself to me.” When the book was published in early 2007, it was quickly heralded as a modern classic of the literature of first love, and praised for its stark eroticism (its New York Times review opened with “This novel is hot.”) and the deep emotional impact it had on its readers. Two producers, Peter Spears and Howard Rosenman, read the novel independently, and in 2008 joined forces to produce it. “I think the novel evokes the sensuality and sexuality and eroticism and anxiety of what a first love is like, in a way that very few other books have,” says Rosenman. While the book was embraced by the LGBT community and has become accepted as a landmark of gay literature, it has always transcended barriers. “It strikes a responsive chord in almost anyone who has read it about the idea of first love and the haunting of first love and the pain of first love, regardless of gender or sexuality,” says Spears. As a longtime friend and admirer of writer/director/producer Luca Guadagnino, Spears reached out to him, but as he was busy with other projects, he could only commit to join them as producer, through his company, Frenesy Films. Years passed as Spears and Rosenman attempted to put the project together with various directors and casts. In 2014, they brought in legendary writer/director James Ivory (Howards End) to pen a new screenplay and serve as additional producer. One change Ivory made to the novel was to refine the father’s profession. “He was a classics scholar, but you can’t just put the camera on somebody thinking or writing,” says Ivory. “So I made him into an art historian/archeologist type.” The novel is a memory-piece (Aciman is a noted Proustian scholar), told from the perspective of Elio, but the filmmakers set it in the here and now. “We wanted to reflect the essence of the book, but that didn’t mean doing it literally the same way,” says Guadagnino. “We had to take some routes that were different.” While the novel is set in Liguria, on the Italian Riviera, the Guadagnino moved the location away from the seaside to the town of Crema in Lombardy where he lives. Knowing the landscape and the way of life as intimately as he did, he felt it illuminated the essence of the Perlman family, intellectuals who expose their son to the world of literature and music and art through summers in a peaceful idyllic setting. Timothée Chalamet, who had the most to do, arrived five weeks early before filming began. While Chalamet is fluent in French and was able to understand Italian somewhat, he had no Italian language training before his arrival in Crema. Hammer arrived shortly after, and Chalamet was one of the first people he met. “I heard somebody practicing piano, and they said, ‘Oh, that’s Timmy!’ and I said ‘I want to meet him!’” The two actors became inseparable in the weeks leading up to shooting. “We rode bikes, we listened to music, we talked, we went to meals, we hung out in many of the same places you see us in the movie,” says Hammer. After shooting commenced, the two rehearsed their scenes every night before shooting. The intimacy
and chemistry that became palpable on screen grew out of the closeness the two actors developed in real life. A large percentage of the story focuses on the myriad steps forward and backward between Elio and Oliver before their relationship finally becomes physical. Stressing anticipation through an unhurried buildup is common in Guadagnino’s films. While his films are praised for their eroticism, Guadagnino doesn’t depict sexuality gratuitously. “Sex on screen can be the most boring thing to watch,” he says. “In general, if the lovemaking is a way to investigate behaviour and how this behaviour reflects the characters, then I’m interested. But if it’s only about the illustration of an act I’m not interested.” Says Chalamet: “When you first see Elio and Oliver kiss, and the first time they really make love, the shots play out for a while. You see the awkwardness and the physical tension in a way where, if there were a million cuts, would be lost.” Says Hammer: “I think a lot of movie sex scenes are about: ‘What angles look best?’ But in this movie what you see are two people hungrily exploring each other’s bodies. And I think it feels organically like the first time you have a sexual experience with someone new: where there’s uncertainty, there’s that unknown, there’s all those things that you’re figuring out as you go.” The famous peach scene from the book shows how eroticism is utilised in the film to illuminate the inner lives of the characters. “What’s going on with Elio in that scene is a combination of that longing for Oliver and also the all too relatable phenomena of not knowing where to place your overabundant sexual energy when you’re 16, 17, 18,” says Chalamet. “But when Oliver arrives, the weight of him leaving for what could be forever is hitting Elio for the first time, in addition to the shame and embarrassment of being caught in this almost feral act. I think the combination of those sensations proves to be tremendously overwhelming.” Elio’s conflicted emotions leads to conflict between the two of them when Oliver playfully tries to eat the peach. “When Elio’s character becomes emotional, that’s the moment Oliver realises a line has been crossed that he didn’t realise was there,” says Hammer. “Now, instead of being domineering, now is the time for him to slow down. This isn’t just about me, this has to be good for both of us, and it becomes a really sweet tender moment where they both end up on the same exact page.” Call Me By Your Name will be screened Cinema Nouveau at The V& A Waterfront from 2nd March Mag 27
Q2 - READY TO TAKE ON ANYTHING!
Words Justin Atkins
So what do you do when a representative from Audi Claremont calls you one morning to ask if you’re up to writing a piece on the New Q2, and before you do so you get to drive it for 3 days? Well in this guys case I sat down slowly and answered instantly with a resounding “YES!” Now don’t get me wrong I’m probably not your average Audi driver (I’m 6ft3, wear Iron maiden t-shirts, bald, bearded and generally write about things that are a little more rough and ready), but I know the brand and have always been impressed by what I’ve seen on the road. So when I was offered the chance to get my hands on this little stunner, there was no way in hell I was ever going to turn them down. Now at this point I would like to be completely honest with you, this decision could probably be chalked up as one of the best automotive decisions I’ve made in my life, because not only has it turned me into an Audi convert, but I’m now seriously considering purchasing one of these mean machines for myself.
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rom the moment I was handed the keys to the 2018 Audi Q2 by Audi Claremont’s Marais van der Merwe it simply felt right. From its 2 tone styling right up to its aggressive predatory looks, I could instantly see that this Small SUV is as big on attitude as it is on ambition and more than ready to take on the likes of the Mini Countryman, the BMW X1, the Mercedes GLA, and even Audi’s own Q3. As one would expect for a test vehicle the Audi Q2 I was given to drive arrived with all of the bells and whistles, and although I have always professed to never have been impressed by “optional extras” in any vehicle, that all changed the moment I sat behind the wheel of the Q2. After the initial confusion of not being able to find a handbrake (it has an automatic one) I was like a kid in a candy shop and could not keep my hands off of anything. If there was a button it was pushed, if it was a switch it was flipped, and you can only imagine the childish glee I experienced when I realised that I could send the SatNav mapping from the MMI Navigation Screen (which also doubles up as the infotainment system screen) onto the Audi Virtual Cockpit while driving. Mag 28
This overwhelming feeling of fun and excitement continued as I pulled away from my offices into heavy Friday afternoon traffic, which for once in my life did not make my blood pressure instantly rise. Yes it did help that the slightly elevated driving view I had from the Q2 made me feel a little more high and mighty than usual, but I can truly say that it was the sun streaming down onto my head through the sunroof (all of my future cars now need to have to have one) and Rodriguez blasting from the impressive sound system that set the carefree tone for the weekend to come. Day 2 of my Audi adventure saw my wife decide that today was the day we were going to tackle all of those DIY jobs that I never got to last year. This invariably meant that I had to spend the morning running from hardware store, to paint shop, to supermarket (a boring task on most days), but for once in my life I was raring to go as it gave me the chance to yet again take the Q2 out and about on my own. To say I was still not disappointed by this car is an understatement, as I took the long road to everywhere and had a real opportunity to put this Audi Q2
through its paces. In fact, the back roads of Durbanville proved to be the perfect place to do this (and I highly recommend you try it if you have a Q2), as both hill and winding road were continuously eaten up by what I later learned was a 1 litre engine (I thought it was at least a 1.6 turbo the way it punched me back into the leather seating). My only complaint of the day was that once I got home I was not exactly Mr Popular with the misses, but of course no matter how I spun it I simply could not make her believe it was all the cars fault. The final day arrived, with what I was fast starting to think of as “my Q2”, and it immediately kicked off with a twinge of regret. The knowledge that I had to give this magnificent beast up in 24 hours galled me and spurred me on to make the most of my time with her. This was made so much easier by the fact that my wife had completed many of the DIY tasks she’d assigned to me the day before (due to my absence in the Audi). Because of this I was yet again free to mess around with the Q2, but this time there was a catch as the family wanted to come along for the ride. Not surprisingly the Q2 once again impressed, both as a great all round car and a family vehicle. At this point it would be remiss of me not to point out that both my wife and 5 year old daughter also lavished praise on the Q2, with the only quibble being the slightly cramped back legroom ( the wife pointed this out not the 5 year old). That aside, it turned out to be a glorious day on the road as we swung through the suburbs and raced down the N1. It was a fitting farewell for a car that had wormed its way into my heart within a weekend, and as I took it for one final ride into the warm Sunday afternoon sunset I knew that I’d soon be behind the wheel of a Q2 again. So was it worth it all? Without a doubt! From my first view of the car until I exited it for the final time there is not a moment behind its wheel that I would alter. The Audi Q2 is in my opinion a game changer, not only for me personally but also the automotive industry. It is a premium car that is exciting, fun and easily competes (and beats) every one of its rivals. To top it all off it is an immensely affordable Audi SUV (although be it a small one), and at the time this hopefully goes to press you should be able to pick an entry level Audi Q2 up for about R 434,500.
Visit Audi Centre Claremont to test drive the Audi Q2 or any other vehicle in the Audi range email: marais@claremont.co.za or phone: 021 6577111.
Mag 29
BIGGER, BETTER, BRIGHTER!
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ealth4Men’s Centre of Excellence, the Ivan Toms Centre for Men’s Health, has moved from Woodstock where it has been located since 2010. The new clinic, adjacent to the Green Point Community Health Centre, just a short walk from the V & A Waterfront, opened its doors in mid-October. The clinic offers the same excellent free services to MSM (Men who have sex with men) in a bigger, better and brighter space. The official launch in December was attended by Health4Men’s partners at the Western Cape Government’s Department of Health, City of Cape Town Health officials, representatives from USAID (H4M’s major funder), as well as the Mission Director of the US Embassy John Groarke, and the Consul General Virginia Blaser, who addressed the gathering. Also present were LGBT community leaders as well as some of the clinic’s clients. (See photos on page 24) The Ivan Toms Centre for Men’s Health is located at Block B, Green Point Community Health Centre, Old City Hospital Complex, 1 Portswood Rd, Green Point. The telephone number remains the same: 021 447 2844 Eric Butter, President of Mr Gay World, revealed that three other cities had expressed interest in hosting the next Mr Gay World, but “when the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival Knysna 2018 came forward I couldn’t have been more overjoyed.” He explained: “The 10th Mr Gay World marks a milestone and is very important for our organisation. We have worked with the team in South Africa twice and it has always been a great pleasure; they have the very best work ethic and they always deliver a world class event.”
he Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival recently announced that it will make history by hosting the 10th edition of the Mr Gay World competition in Knysna in May 2018.
Butter added: “We also decided on South Africa because we wanted the international community to support the rebuilding of Knysna after the devastating fires in June by incorporating it with the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival Knysna 2018.” Since the blazes ravaged the region, the Pink Loerie organisers have played an active role in raising funds, sourcing material assistance and bringing awareness about the crisis in order to bolster the local community.
This will be the third time that South Africa has presented the prestigious event; a world first. It will also be the second time that the contest will be held during the Pink Loerie, Africa’s biggest LGBTIQ+ cultural festival.
This was acknowledged by the Executive Mayor of Knysna, Eleanore Bouw-Spies, who thanked the festival for its efforts. She and the Knysna Municipality also enthusiastically welcomed the town’s hosting of Mr Gay World 2018
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Mag 30
DO IT LIKE LIONS
18th’
MARCH diary Friday 2nd Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 9th Leather Night - Free entrance with leather gear · · Friday 16th Long Schlong Night - Free entrance for 20cm + · Wednesday 21st Human Rights Day – Claim your right to lust · Friday 23rd Fetish Night - Indulge your fantasies · Friday 30th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine APRIL diary Friday 6th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 13th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm+ · Friday 20th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Friday 27th Freedom Day – free entry for those who voted in 1994 · Monday 30th Workers day party: Come work it MAY diary Friday 4th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 11th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 18th Factory's 17th Birthday Party – Join us for Bubbly and cake at midnight; thanks for your support · Friday 25th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund · Tuesday 29th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine Also, Mondays: Daddies & Toy Boys – R50 entrance between 6 & 9 for under 20s and over 50s Thursdays: Night. R50 entrance with student card. MagStudent 38
YES, YOU CAN GROW EDIBLES IN A DROUGHT….
Words Tracey Cole
FINDING THE BEST WATERING SYSTEM FOR YOUR EDIBLE LANDSCAPE DURING THE DROUGHT SEASON.
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ur biggest focus as a province now is conserving water, however, we still need to grow our food and if there’s one thing any edible landscaper knows is that a drought gravely affects your produce, as the quality and quantity of your produce does rely on how much you water your plants. Sooooo the question is how do we find a middle ground. And the answer is as simple as finding the most water conscious way of watering. So here at Village gardens we have broken down a couple of edible landscape watering systems to help you find your perfect fit for your garden. Hand watering: • Direct watering (watering can): although you can be precise and go directly to where you want to water your plant with this system, it however is not the most effective when you don’t have time, and as humans we often get lazy and either end up wasting water or not watering the plants thoroughly. This option is more so for individuals with a smaller garden that can focus on each individual plant or for someone whom has edible plants grown in a container or planter. •
•
Furrows: This option is the ultimate water saving option as this is a watering system that is directed at plants roots, ensuring your vegetables and herbs are receiving water where it is needed the most. This is accomplished by simply incorporating trenches in between your mounds of planting, it’s not actually complicated science it’s just thinking out of the box ... also it maximizes your water saving capabilities, plant your plants closer to together to reduce surface area. Do keep in mind not to cluster your edibles. Another neat trick would be to plant your more water needy plants in front and the not so needy at the back, this is simply because the plants at the beginning of watering furrows, receive the most water. Watering basins: Although this is a trick mostly used for your larger plants, such as trees, it definitely works for your edible garden to. Very similar to furrows, basins are depressions we create around individual plants to maximize their chances of receiving adequate amounts of water. This technique also implements watering your plants directly at their roots.
Drip irrigation: • At this stage of our drought condition, this watering system is almost essential. Not only do you get direct focus on root watering with this system but you also get precision in terms of each individual plant getting watered and no wastage being done. With this system, one also has the option of timers to decide when to water, and this gives the owner a break from remembering to water their garden, not to Mag 32
mention taking advantage of the best times to water during the day. Village Gardens love this one Soaker hoses: • These are perforated hoses connected to your wall taps that release water directly to your soil. Although a cheaper option compared to your drip irrigation, soaker hoses unfortunately will not have all the added benefits one would receive from drip irrigation either then your produce being watered directly to their roots. I get asked a lot if you can water your edibles with gray water… in short yes, however make sure you do not get the water on any fruit. Washing machine water and dish washer water I would not recommend although can be used I would not trust it… unless you use ORGANIC powder then it’s good to go… yet another great thing one can do for the environment. We hope this information has been helpful and for any other queries, quotes or general information for your garden needs, Contact us at Village Gardens, Landscape and Edible Gardens More related topics: http://www.villagegardens.co.za/waterswales/ http://www.villagegardens.co.za/harsh-summer-weather/
LIBERTY BANKS EXPOSED Liberty Banks aka Glenton Matthyse regularly writes for OUT Africa Magazine ... she’s well-educated, well-read, has written a book, has won a number of pageant titles, she’s outspoken and is a spokes-person, but who is the real Liberty Banks?
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Photo Anthony Leggit
orn to a poor working-class single mother and brought up in the dusty rural roads of Darling, Liberty/Glenton fought against social, economic and political marginalisation to obtain her/his/their Master’s Degree in Law (cum laude) focusing on transgender human rights pertaining to marriage law and is currently pursuing a cross-discipline PhAD in community health sciences and law focused on the needs of trans and gender diverse persons. Liberty Glenton Matthyse who is a vibrant, young, respected, qualified and experienced trans non-binary activist has recently been appointed as the new Executive Director of Gender DynamiX. She/he/they previously worked as the National Advocacy Officer for Gender DynamiX.
As a young trans and gender diverse leader, Liberty/Glenton has joined a dynamic team of experienced activists with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. With commitment, passion and drive Liberty/Glenton promises to take Gender DynamiX to new heights in the tenure to come.
Liberty/Glenton has a history in programmes at the University of the Western Cape where she/he/they ensured the implementation of projects across six student programmes focusing on LGBTI human rights, food security, critical writing and publishing, women’s rights, children’s rights as well as the rights of persons with disabilities (differently-abled persons). She/he/they have a history in student activism fighting for the rights of trans and gender diverse persons. As someone that supports and embodies post-structural and post-modern feminism Liberty/Glenton also has an in-depth understanding of the theory of intersectionality in practice. Liberty/Glenton’s has extensive experience as a critical leader in human rights and social justice activism as well as community work, and as a member of the African Key Populations Expert Group, with experience in security and health, a position on diverse human rights and social justice focused committees and task teams including a background in law, their history in higher education as well as work in basic education systems will serve the organisation well in understanding and addressing the diverse lived realities of trans and gender diverse persons makes her an ideal and valued candidate for the position at Gender DynamiX.
Liberty also holds a Financial Management Certificate from the University of Cape Town as well as a certificate in Project Management. Her/his/their hobbies include exercising, reading and writing, as well as shopping for clothing that best express their gender identity. Liberty especially enjoys spending time connecting with family and a great night out with friends is made when “I can enjoy a cosmopolitan cocktail whilst balancing serious political talk and frivolous conversations.” She said.
With a number of academic and popular media publications as well as authoring of a self-published book ‘A Darling’s Journey to Liberty: A compilation of experiences of a young gender nonconforming (fluid) person’ she/he/they have showcased their intellectual astuteness.
Out Africa Magazine congratulates Liberty/ Glenton and wishes her/ him continued success in the future. Mag 33
STONEWALL & THE HISTORY OF GAY LIBERATION
The ‘69 Stonewall Uprising in New York City was the spark that ignited the United States’ gay rights movement and susequently gay rights movements around the world. Tommy Patterson
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his iconic event was a turning point for millions of gay people, finally some people had found the courage to stand up and say ENOUGH!
And no! it wasn’t the butch boys, the muscle Mary’s or the “straight-acting” gay boys that made a stand... It was the 28th June 1969, at a seedy bar in Greenwich Village that a group of people on the fringe of gay society - drag queens, butch dykes, transgender people, effeminate young men and male prostitutes said no to the authorities. When the New York City police decided to raid the bar yet again, this assorted group of people who had gathered at the Stonewall Inn to commemorate the death of an icon, Judy Garland, who had been buried that day, said NO! Armed with a warrant, police officers entered the club, roughed up patrons, and, finding bootlegged alcohol, arrested 13 people, including employees and people violating the state’s gender-appropriate clothing statute (female officers would take suspected cross-dressing patrons into the bathroom to check their sex). Fed up with constant police harassment and social discrimination, angry patrons and neighborhood residents hung around outside of the bar rather than disperse, becoming increasingly agitated as the events unfolded and people were aggressively manhandled. At one point, an officer hit a lesbian over the head as he forced her into the paddy wagon — she shouted to onlookers to act, inciting the crowd to begin throw pennies, bottles, cobble stones, and other objects at the police. Within minutes, a full-blown riot involving hundreds of people began. The police, a few prisoners, and a Village Voice writer barricaded themMag 34
selves in the bar, which the mob attempted to set on fire after breaching the barricade repeatedly. The conflict over the next six days played out as a very gay variant of a classic New York street rebellion. It would see: fire hoses turned on people in the street, thrown barricades, gay cheerleaders chanting bawdy variants of New York City schoolgirl songs, Rockette-style kick lines in front of the police, the throwing of a firebomb into the bar, a police officer throwing his gun at the mob, cries of “occupy -- take over, take over,” “Fag power,” “Liberate the bar!”, and “We’re the pink panthers!”, smashed windows, uprooted parking meters, thrown pennies, frightened policemen, angry policemen, arrested mafiosi, thrown cobblestones, thrown bottles, the singing of “We Shall Overcome” in high camp fashion, and a drag queen hitting a police officer on the head with her purse. After six days of skirmishes between these young gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals and the New York Police Department the situation was finally brought under control but attitudes had changed and whilst the Stonewall uprising may not have in truth started the gay rights movement, it was a galvanizing force for LGBT political activism that spread throughout the United States and beyond ... but that was the USA, and it wasn’t long before that new-found activism found its way to the UK, Europe and the rest of the former British Empire nations such as Canada, Australia and of course South Africa. Little is documented about gay life in South Africa before this time, but some of us were around and can speak from experi-
ence ... but as was the situation of apartheid my experiences can only relate to gay-life in South Africa from a well-educated, privileged, white background. But what I can vouch for is that the activism for gay rights was spearheaded by white LGBTI’s and of course the invaluable contribution of the few gay activists of colour like Simon Nkoli can’’t be denied. In those days, only a handful of activists dared to challenge the homophobia and sexism that pervaded every aspect of South African life as well as each culture within the South Africa. By that I mean homophobia was practiced, encouraged, in all communities, black, coloured and white. As far as the law was concerned anti-gay laws were on the statute books. Gay venues, bars and clubs were raided. The homes of known gay men were searched, LGBT’s were fired, harassed, arrested and hassled. The brunt of all this homophobia was of course endured by the camper, more effeminate men, drag queens and transgenders in all societies and the butch lesbians had their fair share of discrimination too. During the 1980’s a number of organisations were formed, mainly in Johannesburg but in smaller metropolitan areas as well. I was one of the organisers of BENEFIT, a group of 20 organisations which held a large gay festival called SHAFT 8 at Crown Mines in 1986, this was the closest to a gay pride event ever in South Africa and it happened a year before Simon Nkoli was acquitted and released from jail. SHAFT 8 was a gay fund-raising day where there were highprofile performers such as the Pink Lady herself - Marloe Scott-Wilson as well as prominent gay community leaders speaking on stage. The event was not political but as a community fund-raising drive was a huge success. I was a compėre and we raised money to fund various AIDS awareness campaigns as the government, believing the disease to be a “gay plague”, were doing very little to help gay men with AIDS. In fact hospitals staff were refusing to treat people with AIDS. If they did, many wore masks and gloves fearing that touching a person with AIDS would spread the illness.
eron as an acting judge of the High Court and in 1999, Cameron was given an acting stint on the Constitutional Court. On 31 December 2008 President Kgalema Motlanthe appointed Cameron to the Constitutional Court, taking effect from 1 January 2009. He is considered a crucial member of the Court’s progressive wing. Simon Nkoli was a founder member of GLOW and campaigned to have LGBT rights included in the South African constitution. He was one of the first gay activists to meet with President Nelson Mandela in 1994. Simon died of AIDS related complications in 1998 but is remembered for his contribution to the freedoms gay people enjoy in South Africa today. I knew Simon - he was a brave man.
In 1988, GLOW (the Gay & Lesbian Organisation of the Witwartersrand) was formed and they organised of the first Gay Pride March on the African Continent. As a member of BENEFIT I participated in the march which took place in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. It was both exciting and daunting as the marchers, some 800 of us walked through the streets, many with brown bags over our heads for fear of being recognised, mainly by the State security police. Speakers at this very politically energised event included famous gay activists Edward Cameron and Simon Nkoli. Edward Cameron, Dennis Sifris, Simon Nkoli, Peter Tatchell, Ivan Toms, Sheila Lapinsky and Julia Nichol and the many whose names I either don’t know and perhaps weren’t as high profile, but were all instrumental in lobbying and pressurising the people responsible for drawing up South Africa’s new postapartheid constitution to include rights for LGBTI+ people of this country. - To these people we owe a huge debt of gratitude, without them our lives may have been very different as illustrated in an interview Peter Tatchell had with ANC Executive member, Ruth Mompathi in 1987,. When he raised the issue of the human rights of lesbians and their role in post-apartheid South Africa, she replied, “I hope that in a liberated South Africa people will live a normal life. I emphasise the word normal ... tell me. Are lesbians and gays normal? No! It is not normal”. In October 1994, President Nelson Mandela appointed Ed CamMag 35
TESTICULAR CANCER Symptoms, risk factors, and treatment
We know a lot about avocados, but what about their private past. It turns out the word avocado comes from the Aztec word āhuacatl, which means “testicle,” - named for its shape and reputation as an aphrodisiac ... and check out how these babies dangle off trees.
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hat is testicular cancer? Testicular cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of one or both testicles. The testicles are 2 egg-shaped glands located inside the scrotum (a sac of loose skin that lies directly below the penis). The testicles are held within the scrotum by the spermatic cord, which also contains the vas deferens and vessels and nerves of the testicles. The testicles are the male sex glands and produce testosterone and sperm. Germ cells within the testicles produce immature sperm that travel through a network of tiny tubes and larger tubes into the epididymis (a long coiled tube next to the testicles) where the sperm mature and are stored. Almost all testicular cancers start in the germ cells. The two main types of testicular germ cell tumors are seminomas and nonseminomas. These 2 types grow and spread differently and are treated differently. Nonseminomas tend to grow and spread more quickly than seminomas. Seminomas are more sensitive to radiation. A testicular tumor that contains both seminoma and nonseminoma cells is treated as a nonseminoma. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men 20 to 35 years old. If the disease is found before it spreads to other Mag 36
organs in a process known as metastasis, the 5-year survival rate is 99 percent. After fifteen years, this decreases to 96 percent. Once the cancer metastasises, or spreads, the 5-year survival rate decreases dramatically to 29 percent. Most importantly - Regular screening can help detect testicular and other cancers while they are still treatable.
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Many symptoms and signs of testicular cancer are similar to those caused by noncancerous conditions. • •
• • •
Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer include swelling or discomfort in the scrotum.
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A painless lump or swelling in either testicle. A change in how the testicle feels. A dull ache in the lower abdomen or the groin. A sudden build-up of fluid in the scrotum.
A change in size or a lump in a testicle A cyst called a spermatocele that develops in the epididymis. The epididymis is a small organ attached to the testicle that is made up of coiled tubes that carry sperm away from the testicle. An enlargement of the blood vessels from the testicle called a varicocele. A buildup of fluid in the membrane around the testicle called a hydrocele. An opening in the abdominal muscle called a hernia.
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Pain or Infection. Infection of the testicle is called orchitis. Infection of the epididymis is called epididymitis. If infection is suspected, a patient may be given a prescription for antibiotics. If antibiotics do not solve the problem, tests for testicular cancer are often needed.
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Injury or Twisting
These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by testicular cancer or by other conditions. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following: •
Pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum.
If you are concerned about any changes you’ve experienced, please talk with your doctor. Early detection of any condition, particlularly cancer, is crucial.
Let your pride reflect your actions
# b rav e e n o u g h
Mag 37
OUT ON FILM ON THE BIG SCREEN WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN NOW SHOWING
at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock.
Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman. (see page 26) You can also see Arnie Hammer in Final Portrait (from 9 March) as an American writer and art-lover is asked by world-renowned artist Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush), to sit for a portrait. It is not only the story of an offbeat friendship, but, seen through the eyes of Lord, an insight into the beauty, frustration, profundity and, at times, downright chaos of the artistic process. It is a portrait of a genius, and of a friendship between two men who are utterly different, yet increasingly bonded through a single, ever-evolving act of creativity.
Writer-director Kagiso Lediga’s dark South African romantic comedy Catching Feelings (from 9 March) follows an urbane young academic (Lediga) and his journalist wife (Pearl Thusi), as their lives get turned upside down when a celebrated and hedonistic older writer (Andrew Buckland) moves into their Johannesburg home with them.
Arnie Hammer - Final Portrait
From the inspired mindscape of master storyteller and visionary Guillermo del Toro comes an astounding and mind-blowing cinematic experience: The Shape Of Water. Del Toro casts an other-worldly spell, merging the pathos and thrills of the classic monster movie tradition with shadowy film noir, then stirring in the heat of a love story like no other to explore the fantasies we all flirt with, the mysteries we can’t control and the monstrosities we must confront.
The sumptuous Goodbye Christopher Robin (16 March) offers a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh.
Loving Vincent is a masterful animated drama film about the life of painter Vincent van Gogh, and in particular, the circumstances of his death. Each of the film’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as Van Gogh, created by a team of 125 painters. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a darkly comic drama from Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh (In Bruges). After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated.
Matt Damon - Downsizing
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Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool (23 March) is based on Peter Turner’s memoir, and follows the playful but passionate relationship between Turner (Jamie Bell) and the eccentric Academy Awardwinning actress Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening) in 1978 Liverpool. What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and her young lover quickly grows into a deeper relationship. Their passion and lust for life is tested to the limits by events beyond their control. The Leisure Seeker (30 March) stars Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren and two-time Golden Globe- winner Donald Sutherland as a runaway couple on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call the Leisure Seeker.
WHAT TO WATCH
The alluring Phantom Thread (2 March) is set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, where renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are
Matt Damon is delightful in Downsizing (from 9 March), a wacky sci-fi adventure that imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to 5 inches (13 cm) tall and propose a 200-year global transition from big to small, but with one catch: the procedure cannot be reversed.
Woody Harrelson - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing ...
Hampstead (6 April) is a charming and funny life-affirming tale about how love can be found in the most unexpected places and proves once and for all that age is no barrier to second chances, with Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson. For more information on the latest film releases, visit www. writingstudio.co.za or visit us on Facebook – Let’s Go To The Movies
OUT ON DVD LET’S WATCH DVD’S WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN THE TOP MUST SEE FILMS Gay-themed films today are easily available on the Amazon, Loot and Takealot sites, streaming and flash-sharing, so there’s no excuse to be up-to-date and not passé. Here are 5 films you have to add to your collection!
GOD’S OWN COUNTRY - This sexually charged love story between a hot-headed and randy
young sheep farmer in Yorkshire, whose life is transformed by the arrival of a rugged Romanian migrant worker, will definitely live in your heart long after watching the film. Described as a British Brokeback, it’s not as commercial, but a realistic slice-of-life journey into the souls of two strangers who fall in love. “I was interested in telling a story about two men, about masculinity, I guess, or the way in which men communicate physically and emotionally,” says Yorkshire-born filmmaker Francis Lee, who didn’t make this exquisitely crafted film because he thought it would be a sure fire hit or stoke enough controversy to get him recognized as a director, he made this soaring queer love story, because the story was burning inside of him and he needed to get it onto the page and onto the screen, regardless of who saw it. Josh O’Connor and Alex Secareanu definitely gets my vote for sexiest coupling since Brokeback.
Nicholas Galitzine
OUT IN THE DARK - Prepare yourself for an emotional journey into the lives of Roy, an Israeli
lawyer, and Nimer, a Palestinian psychology student, in this mesmerizing Israeli drama. The film is set in Israel, where Palestinian student Nimr Mashrawi (Nicholas Jacob) is heading to Tel Aviv to meet his friend Mustafa N’amnais (Loai Nofi) at a gay bar. While at the bar, he meets a local Israeli lawyer named Roy Schaefer (Michael Aloni). The pair fall in love, though Nimr struggles with the reality of their relationship. Palestinian society rejects Nimr because of his sexual orientation, whereas Israeli society rejects him due to his nationality. The situation is made worse for Nimr when he realises his brother Nabil Mashrawi (Jamil Khoury) is hiding a weapon stockpile for his militant friends. It marks the directorial debut of Michael Mayer and is definitely a socially relevant film that will hit you like a ton of bricks.
FROM BEGINNING TO END (DO COMEÇO AO FIM) - Have you ever felt morally
uncomfortable, but turned on like hell at the same time? This Brazilian romantic drama deals with two types of relationship that are often considered taboos (homosexuality and incest). Two brothers develop a very close relationship as they are growing up in an idyllic and happy family. When they are young adults their relationship becomes very intimate, romantic, and sexual. Two extremely sexy actors, Rafael Cardoso and João Gabriel Vasconcellos, will definitely keep you glued to the screen with this gentle and super-romantic drama from Aluizio Abranches. The release of the film in Brazil, with only nine copies, was seen by almost 100,000 spectators, leading the film to be on the list of the top 10 most watched Brazilian films of 2009. It was shown in more than 30 national and international festivals, and it was also commercialized in more than 30 countries. In France, after a very successful premiere in the movie theaters, the first edition of the DVD and Blu-ray was sold out in less than two weeks, and it became a best seller till nowadays in international websites.
PARIS 05:59: THÉO & HUGO - In our previous issue we recommended Andrew Haigh’s sensational
Weekend, a British romantic drama featuring Tom Cullen and Chris New as two men who meet and begin a sexual relationship the week before one of them plans to leave the country. Prepare yourself for the heartbreaking and hard-hitting French Théo et Hugo dans le même bateau. The film stars Geoffrey Couët and François Nambot as two gay men who meet during the film’s opening 20-minute scene in L’Impact, a gay sex club, and follows them as they get to know each other during the next two hours, biking and walking in northeast Paris, visiting a hospital for HIV testing, riding the subway, and visiting one’s apartment, encountering a woman on the subway and a counter server in a kebab shop. Directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, it’s an important reminder of safe sex during physical lustful encounters, especially if the encounter turns into an emotional love affair. Monster Pi7esMy Night With Reg - a stageplay CLAPHAM JUNCTION - If you’re a fan of Kevin Elyot, who wrote
that was also filmed and is available on DVD) – you will not be able to resists this 2007 British television film, written by Elyot and directed by Adrian Shergold. In this riveting film that deals with sexual tolerance in modern society, the paths of several gay men intersect during a dramatic thirty-six hours in which their lives are changed forever. From a civil partnership ceremony to a heated dinner party, five stories are woven into London from school and work, to bars and clubs, during one hot summer’s night. During the opening scene Rupert Graves plays a writer trying to sell a script he’s just finished. The script is rejected because “the whole gay thing...has been done”. This sets a general narrative for the whole film, questioning the idea that legal equality and general media acceptance makes being gay no longer an issue. Luke Treadaway is superhot as a teenager who cruises an older man, and you will also enjoy the liaison between Rupert Grave who goes cruising in the public toilets where he meets Julian (James Wilby). Although the film is peppered with humour, it poignantly shows how the homosexual community of Clapham Junction comes together to bring the assailants to justice after another man falls victim to a violent gay-bashing incident.
For the latest DVD and Blu-Ray releases, visit www.writingstudio.co.za
Mag 39
ON STAGE
LETS GO TO THE THEATRE WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN SNIP / TUCKED – A MINI MEDICAL MUSICAL
S
NIP / TUCKED: a mini medical musical is a melodious romp through the trials and tribulations of the fight against nature. Who better to guide you through the minefield of cosmetic Do’s and Dont’s than three seven foot goddesses covered in every anti-ageing cream known to man? Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, selfies, gym check-ins, reality shows, blogs, vlogs, live feeds… The list of ways in which modern life is continually under surveillance is endless. We are constantly bombarded with images and videos of people living their best lives, and with the advent of the instant filter, everyone is a f****ing model. Self-improvement is the new world religion and it’s not buggering around. It demands that we have 6 pack abs, foreheads like alabaster, a twerk-worthy bootie, tits that face the heavens, a tan fit for the Bahamas and pearly whites that are best beheld behind a pair of Jackie O-my-Godthose-are-enormous shades. Cathy, Holly and Molly - your favourite Trolley Dollies - have spent too long relying on the benefits of cabin pressure to keep their youthful good looks. These middle-aged matrons are grounded until further notice and they’re pounding the pavement in search of modern medicine’s most drastic marvels to combat gravity’s merciless assault. As always, you can expect big hair, big tits (we probably went too big) and even bigger numbers as the Trolley Dollies tell you everything you should - and shouldn’t - know before going under your friendly neighbourhood surgeon’s knife. Ladies and gents, we’ve swapped the First Class lounge for the Surgical Safari waiting room… You’ll need more than a pre-med for this one! SNIP / TUCKED carries an age restriction of 18 and is on at Gate69 from 28 Feb until 26 May, starring Brendan van Rhyn, Christopher Dudgeon and Rudi Jansen as The Trolley Dollies. It was written by Brendan van Rhyn and Christopher Dudgeon, with music direction by Melissa van der Spuy and choreographyby Sven-Eric Muller. Book your seats: 021-035 1627 / 071 589 2915 or visit www. http://gate69.co.za Mag 40
Snip/Tucked - a mini medical musical
THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS
A
fter receiving rave reviews across the board from critics and audiences alike, Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre’s smash hit production of West Side Story will return to Cape Town at the Artscape Opera House from 7 March. The exceptional Lynelle Kenned (Orpheus in Africa, Blood Brothers, Showboat) will reprise the role of Maria for which she won the Fleur du Cap for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016. Tony, will be played by US-born actor Kevin Hack who has performed the role almost 400 times and recently completed the international tour playing the role in the 60th anniversary international tour of Michael Brenner’s production of West Side Story. Book at Computicket. Eric Abraham presents Road To Mecca in honour of iconic playwright Athol Fugard’s 85th year. The play will open at the Fugard Theatre on 27 March 2018, on World Theatre Day, and run for a limited season, with Sandra Prinsloo and Marius Weyers. Bookings: 021 461 4554 Popular Comedian Marc Lottering’s most beloved character, Aunty Merle Abrahams from Belgravia Road in Athlone, sashays back onto the stage for a return season of the musical-comedy Aunty Merle, The Musical at the Baxter Theatre from 2 to 28 April. Visit www. baxter.co.za / Bookings: 0861 915 8000 A lavish production of The Sound Of Music is on in Johannesburg at the Teatro at Montecasino from 31 March to 29 April, and at the Artscape Opera from
6 – 27 May. It stars Andre Schwartz as Captain von Trapp and Carmen Pretorius as Maria. Book at Computicket. Created by the multi award winning team who brought you, Big Boys, Bon Soir, Au Revoir, Caliente, His Masters Voice, Elton and Friends and many more, Alchemy of Rock is on at the Kalk Bay Theatre from 26 April until 2 June. This show is designed to get you laughing, singing, dancing, toe-tapping, clapping, booty-shaking, tear-jerking and maybe even twerking. Just shut the front door and come out for a night of music and happiness to set your winter blues on fire. Visit http://www.kalkbaytheatre.co.za After its sold-out season in Cape Town, the edgy, multi-award-winning punk-rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch will hit Johannesburg like a sledgehammer from 2 March at Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre, starring Paul du Toit and Genna Galloway. The musical follows Hedwig, her roadie, Yitzhak, and their fictional rock band, The Angry Inch, as they shadow Tommy’s tour while exploring Hedwig’s past and her complex gender identity. Book at Computicket. When In Doubt Say Darling features an entertainment with Pieter-Dirk Uys and other darlings at the Montecasino Theatre Studio / 3 – 22 April. At a time when a casual greeting or embrace can be seen as racist or harassment, the advice is simple: when in doubt say darling. Book at Computicket. Experience Theatre Live and visit www.writingstudio.co.za, featuring listing of theatres in South Africa and internationally.
Our ancestors.
Our camping.
Kruger Park
Cradle of Humankind, Sterkfontein
Our night lights.
Our workout.
Karoo Desert
Cape Town
Our supermarket.
The Old Biscuit Mill, Cape Town
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