AFRICA
MAGAZ I N E Issue 37, SUMMER 2018
MISS GAY W/CAPE STAYING FIT IN THE HOLIDAYS MCQ P TICK GIVE ET SEE -AWAY PAG E 13
SUPER TALENTED
FREE
BONGANI NDODANA BREEN
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES
1 EDITORS COMMENT: 4 TRAVEL: The World’s Best Gay Ski Places 7 School Gets Gay Books 7 New “Gat Party” Venue Opens 8 MCQP - The Year’s Biggest Party! 10 Gape Town Pride 2019 Launch 11 Being Social at a New Venue 12 Remembering The Decade 13 WIN WIN WIN - MCQP TICKETS 18 Cocktails, Mocktails & Other Drinks 20 INTERVIEW: Maestro - Meet Dr. Bongani Ndodana-Breen 23 MUSIC MOVES: Barbra Streisand - Walls 28 INTERVIEW: Charl-Johan Lingenfelder talks about Kanarie 32 Men Are Also Victims Of “Corrective Rape” 34 HEALTH: Festive Fitness 37 THE BUZZ: Snippets of News
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4
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28
FASHION
32
14 - 17 Get Festive This Season
SCENE OUT
24 Joburg Pride 25 Pretoria Pride 26 Halloween / MCQP Launch Event 27 Miss Gay Western Cape
REVIEWS
38 OUT ON DVD: With Daniel Dercksen 39 OUT ON FILM: With Daniel Dercksen 40 ON STAGE: With Daniel Dercksen
34 Mag 1
FROM THE EDITOR
H
i all - Its incredible that another year is almost gone and what a year it was. Cape town is finally on the mend from the drought and the summer season ahead it hopefully going to be a bumper one for everyone.
Pretoria and Johannesburg have both had record breaking Prides since our last issue and a big congrats goes out to all involved in making them such a success and winner with the community. I would also like to comment on the sudden spat of new “Prides” – whilst imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I am more than a little concerned as to why anyone would start a new pride (the jacaranda pride,) which is covering the same area as the very successful and long running Pretoria Pride – which is totally diverse, is a member of Interpride (the International Pride body and also enjoys the support of the Mayor, the City and the LGBTI community. I have had no press release as to who or why the same area is being covered and also as to why the name Jacaranda Pride has been chosen as it is already in existence and has been used in Harare, Zimbabwe for years. Personally, I believe that instead of starting a new Pride in the same area they should get behind the existing Pride and lend some much needed and deserved support there, or at the very least look to part of the country that has no Pride and assist that LGBTI community. Looking ahead, Cape Town once again is hosting MCQP (the largest costume party in AFRICA!) this year’s theme is Drag Race – which I’m sure will be one of the most popular themes yet with the gay community - I am told that sewing machines are busy clicking around the country. We have a few new kids on the block, The Prison (old Beaulah Bar) ,The Social Bar (at the Hothouse), the new “Gat Party” in the northern suburbs, The Village Drinks Club, Berta’s in Woodstock to name a few. Once again Barry and Mark truly excelled themselves with a spectacular sold out Miss Gay Western Cape Pageant – congratulations to the winner - Miss Wendy Larossa and indeed all the participants who looked fabulous. Christmas and New Year’s parties are happening at every LGBTI venue around the country, so wherever you maybe this year have a ball. Just when you are getting your breath back its time to plan your trip to Cape Town’s biggest gay bash – Cape Town Pride 2019, this year we have got the biggest line up on stage ever with Craig Lucas and the Trolley Dollies both making their debuts on the Pride Main Stage. With 10 days of events and parties planned all over Cape Town, and of course the biggest LGBTI parade in the country, Pride 2019 will rock! (we will have a special OUT Africa edition on the streets with all the info in February) Have a great festive season … and party, party, party … be safe and don’t drink and drive!
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 Bhekisisa Health PHOTOGRAPHY: Mambaonline, SDR Photo, Anna Morris, 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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PRESENTS THE
PA R A D E &
MARDI
GRAS “i am me”
02-03-2019 PRIDE: 23-02-2019 until 02-03-2019 LOCATION: REDDAM FIELD, GREENPOINT www.capetownpride.org @captownpride
TOP GAY SKI WEEKS WORLDWIDE
Whether you are a complete beginner or an avid powder hound a gay ski event is something for everyone’s bucket list ... and it’s not all about the skiing ... there are parties, jacuzzi’s and more, more & more! The accent is on fun and you’ll meet gay people from all over the globe! Mag 4
#1 Aspen Gay Ski Week | Aspen, USA
The Ski Area Aspen in the United States of America is internationally well known, even in Europe. It also can be listed as one of the most gay-friendly ski areas worldwide. The Aspen Gay Ski Week takes place already since 1977 in the historic mountain town of Aspen in Colorado. With its more than 480 km ski and snowboard runs on the four ski areas Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass, it offers a variety of skiing and snowboarding terrain. If you are a fan of cross-country skiing, snowshoe and winter hiking, the Ski area of Aspen offers all trails in the Elk Mountains of Colorado.
moth Mountain is the home of the Mammoth Gay Ski Week presented by Tom Whitman. South of Yosemite National Park and North of Sierra National Forest, Mammoth Gay Ski week takes place by the Mammoth Lakes not far from the Mono Lake we visited during our 1-mount road trip southwest of the USA. Create your own event by putting together the tickets for the events of your choice. Dates: March 13th – 17th 2019 /tbc
Dates: January 13th – 20th 2019
#2 Arosa Gay Ski Week | Arosa, Switzerland The Ski Area Arosa in Switzerland is one of the most gayfriendly Ski areas in the Alps with its rainbow flag swaying all winter long. Since the year 2005, the 7-days event is offering world-class entertainment in the Swiss mountains on its 220 km slopes full of snow, skiing, and fun for more than 600 lesbian and gay winter sports fans from over 30 different countries. See you on the slope of during Arosa Gay Ski Week! Dates: January 19th – 26th 2019
#3 Whistler Pride & Ski Festival | Whistler Blackcomb, Canada
Canada is known to be one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world. And in 2017, the North American country was celebrating its 150th anniversary as a united nation. The Whistler Pride & Ski Festival is not that old yet but will be celebrating in 2019 it’s 27th anniversary. Since 1992 women, men and everyone in between come together at Ski Whistler Blackcomb to enjoy gay-friendly Winter sports on more than 250 km ski slopes. The loaded entertainment program and the lively ski resort Whistler will make your Pride & Ski Festival in Canada an unforgettable experience. We had the pleasure to attend the 26th edition in January 2018! Read more about Whistler Pride Festival with Coupleofmen.com Dates: January 20th – 27th 2019
#4 Snow Gay Weekend | Boí Taüll, Spain
Even in Spain, it can be a winter wonderland! “Rainbow Barcelona Tours” is organizing a Snow Gay Weekend in the Spanish Pyrenees of Lleida at Ski Area Boí Taüll. The 47 km ski and snowboard run facing the North are offering perfect snow conditions and are the base for your Winter vacation in Spain. Sports, events, partying and the hosts Pupi Poison and La Nenuco will make sure this weekend will be an unforgettable one! Dates: March 21st – 24th, 2019
#5 Elevation Utah Gay Ski Week | Park City, USA
Next, to Aspen, the USA has more Ski areas to offer. For example, the Ski Area Park City – Deer Valley in Utah with its three ski areas Park City, Deer Valley, and The Canyons all together form about 250 km Ski & Snowboard runs up to an altitude of 3.050 meters. The Utah Gay Ski Week is inviting LGBT ski and snowboard fans for the 9th time in 2019 with a full program of events in a world-class ski resort. The long weekend in the mountains of Utah is about a fun time for new and old friends and the community coming together. Definitely worth a try after we have been at Zion National Park in Utah.
#7 SWING Gay Ski Week | Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Let’s call it the little, older sister of the Arosa Gay Ski Week. This year the SWING Gay Ski Week in Swiss Lenzerheide is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Good to know: Arosa and Lenzerheide are two ski resorts of the huge Ski Area Arosa-Lenzerheide with 225 km ski and snowboard pistes. Their slogan “Another Way of Skiing” stands for a gay-friendly personal organized ski week in a high valley with snow guaranteed and a full event agenda. Meet friends, enjoy the snow and have fun together with like-minded LGBT people from all over the world. Dates: March 10th – 17th 2019
#8 Jasper Pride Festival | Jasper, Canada “Jasper, Proud & Free” – Since 10 years annually in March Jasper is celebrating its Jasper Pride Festival including a rainbow flag skiing parade at Ski area Marmot Basin with around 100 km ski and snowboard runs. Jasper is a fairytale mountain ski resort in the Canadian Rocky Mountains with a traditionally diverse and open-minded community. It is for the resident queer community, the LGBT traveller and the many LGBT couples a wonderful place to enjoy their Winter and ski vacations in between Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. We loved our time in Jasper National Park for Jasper Pride Festival! Now we can show you more of the Canadian gay-friendliness and beauty of nature of the Rocky Mountains. Dates: March or April 2019
#9 European Snow Pride | Espace Killy, France
The French Alps are the stage for two Gay Snow Weeks in Spring. First, we have the European Snow Pride at Espace Killy, a 300 km ski runs big ski region with the two ski areas Val d’Isere and Tignes. Espace Killy is culminating at 3.450 meters for beginners to experts. An impressive line-up of Après-Ski
Dates: February 21st – 24th 2019
#6 Elevation Mammoth Gay Ski Week | Mammoth Mountains, USA
The Mammoth Ski Area is the origin of the Elevation Ski Week brand. Already since 16 years California’s best Ski area MamMag 5
DJs, vocal performers and dancers are rocking the Alps in France since 2011 with an extraordinary mountain scenery. Dates: March 16th – 23rd 2019
#10 European Gay Ski Week | Les Trois Vallée, France
Happy Birthday! The European Gay Ski Week celebrates in 2019 its 11th anniversary. Hundreds of other LGBT people will celebrate Europe’s No. 1 Gay Winter Sports and Music Festival, the European Gay Ski Week at Les Trois Vallée in France. The world’s largest connected ski area with the well-known ski resort Les Menuires is hosting the biggest gay-friendly Ski week in Europe for the 11th time. Our famous Dutch Drag Queen Lady Galore was there last year. Join the gay and lesbian ski and snowboard fans and celebrate an unforgettable Winter Ski Vacation in France. Dates: March 23rd – 30th 2019
#11 Skeive Ski – Scandinavian Ski Pride | Hemsedal, Norway European Gay Ski Week
Welcome in Hemsedal, the so-called “Scandinavian Alps”! Up to 45 km ski runs and a very gay-friendly Nordic vibe creating for LGBT ski and snowboard fans perfect conditions for one of the best Ski Pride Festivals in Europe. Unfortunately, the official website is only available in Norwegian at the moment. What we do know about the Scandinavian Ski Pride, is that the Norwegian LGBT community is doing since 2011 its best to provide on and off the slope, an amazing rainbow coloured Scandinavian Ski Pride that you don’t want to miss! Dates: March 7th – 10th 2019
#12 Gay Snow Happening | Sölden, Austria
The number one Ski Nation in Europe, Austria is hosting the Sölden Gay Snow Happening in one of the most famous Ski areas at Ötztaler Alpen. Since 1998 almost annually the Austrian LGBT community is celebrating on 145 km ski slopes the variety of LGBT life. The Ski area Sölden is offering a snow guarantee and a lively Après-Ski activity up to an altitude of 3.340 meters. Soon more details here on our blog about the Ski Week in Austria. Dates: March 23rd – 30th 2019
Whistler Pride Canada
#13 Gay Ski Week QT | Queenstown, New Zealand
While in Europe the summertime is ending, in New Zealand spring is about to start! This is the best time for Wintersport since warmer weather conditions are making the snow soft and the LGBT Winter sports fans from (almost) down under are getting spring fever. A perfect time for the largest gay & lesbian Winter Pride, the Gay Ski Week QT, in the Southern hemisphere at Cardrona Alpine Resort just 35 minutes from downtown Queenstown, New Zealand. Thus, when you are discovering the home of the hobbits around the end of August, don’t forget to bring your Winter clothes and join the LGBT community of New Zealand for a fun week in the snow. Dates: August 30th to September 8th, 2019
#14 Gay Ski Week Australia | Falls Creek Resort (VIC) | Hotham Alpine Resort
The updated and expanded, fabulous gay ski festival previously known as the Frosty Fruits Ski Trip (running since 2009) is produced by Points of Difference Travel & Events.
New Zealand
In celebrating their tenth year of snow play, they have upped the frosty fun and literally pushed the boundaries of the event. Now covering two amazing resorts and running over two weeks, you are guaranteed one HELL of a gay time! Dates: September 5, 2019 to 13 September 2019
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GAY BOOKS FOR SCHOOL LIBRARY
A
Rondebosch Boys’ High School Old Boy who lives in the USA generously donated 30 LGBTQI youth orientated books to the High School Library, that have become available over the past 20 years.
onormative story lines and can give them hope that what they are feeling is normal and ok’ he said. He went on to say:’ This is something to be Proud of. Not only in the sense that it is a first of its kind but at step in the right direction of acceptance and change.’
At the presentation were the Headmaster Mr Shaun Simpson, Mr Brandon Siljeur (RBHS Head of Civic & Social Responsibility), boys from the Civic & Social Responsibility portfolio, which includes the E2019 Deputy Head Perfect and school councillors, and Old Boy Matthew van As. Matthew Van As, the current Festival Director of Cape Town Pride, pointed out that this donation makes the collection the first of its kind in a South African school library. ‘These books are a safe space for young men at the school that can not relate to heter-
NEW “GAT PARTY” VENUE OPENS
D
on’t miss out on the new “Gat Party”, for the best Langarm Dance, that has opened in the the heart of the Northern Suburbs Cape Town (River’s Edge Business Park, Winelands Close, Bellville. Google maps “Gat Party”).
The venue has a fantastic dance floor, with seating for up to 120 people. The business park is fenced with guards at the gate, which makes it very safe. There is also lots of secure parking. Playing the very best “Langarm” hits of the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and
now, will keep you on the floor the whole night. The atmosphere is truly amazing, with awesome hosts. The “Gat Party” is open every 1st, 2nd and last Saturday of the month, from 20:30 till 02:00. Guests are more than welcome to bring their own drinks and snacks (cash bar available). Entrance fee is R50 p.p. Bookings - 082 962 9880
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THE YEAR’S BIGGEST PARTY! FROM THE RACY MASCULINE TO THE MOST FABULOUS ADORNED WITH WIGS, EYELASHES AND HEAVY MAKEUP - 2018 THEME FOR MCQP ANNOUNCED AS “MCQP PRESENTS: DRAG RACE” MCQP 2018 RETURNS TO CAPE TOWN STADIUM ON SATURDAY, 15 DECEMBER FOR 25TH SPECTACULAR EVENT - ALL DANCE FLOORS WILL BE INDOORS
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he theme for this year’s MCQP, Africa’s biggest costume party that annually rings in the festive season, was announced as “MCQP Presents: Drag Race” - returning to the Cape Town Stadium after five years, and taking place on Saturday, 15 December 2018. The Collins dictionary defines the term drag race as “a race between vehicles to test their acceleration from a complete stop, especially between specially designed cars on a short, straight course”. This definition will no doubt conjure up a favourite film scene for many, as drag races are depicted as a dramatic climax in several classic movies released during the last couple of decades. For others, “drag race” is synonymous with the American reality TV show, Rupaul’s Drag Race, which has been renewed for an eleventh season, and celebrates drag queens of any sexual orientation or gender identity in all their fabulousness. Says Ian McMahon, Director of MCQP: “I’m pretty sure everyone will agree that this year’s theme offers the most diverse opportunity for all MCQP enthusiasts to create teams of any outfits or costumes that can range from the most extreme masculine – racing car teams - to the absolutely fabulous strutting their stuff in high heels, the most outrageously sexy dresses, while wearing the most OTT wigs, eyelashes and heavy makeup - and everything in between. Expect to see muscle cars, touring bikes and lots of on-the-track grease and muscle.” He adds: “With MCQP Presents: Drag Race there will most certainly not be a limitation on just how creative those attending can be, as it without a doubt embraces the diversity of our South African societies and above all else, recognises each individual’s uniqueness and authenticity - something that is close to our heart as the organisers of the event.” “We have created TEAM ticket packages that helps team spirit and offers big discounts to promote putting teams together. Will you be “Sexy Sennas”, “Manly Mansells” or “Louder Laudas?” Back to the Mother City’s fabulous “eye in the sky” - the Cape Town Stadium Project Manager of MCQP, Candice Heyns, further enthuses: “We’re tremendously excited to return to the Cape Town Stadium after five years as not only was this venue a firm favourite with MCQP fans in the past, but is just as iconicly part of the Mother City’s ‘makeup’ as what MCQP is. Flying over Cape Town, one almost expects a wink from what looks like an ‘eye in the sky’, perfectly adorned with what looks like heavy eyeliner. Mag 8
Every dance floor will be indoors to help with Cape Town’s notorious wind in December.” So which way will MCQP itself “swing” this year - more to the masculinity of the theme, or the feminine side? “Replies Heyns: “Don’t limit us either in our creativity. As usual, we have some very clever tricks up our sleeve with MCQP Presents: Drag Race, so just like everyone else, we don’t want to reveal too much prior to the actual event of what the venue will be dressed like. But one only has to look back at the last 24 years to see that when MCQP presents something, we present it big, original, creative and above all else - in a way that takes everyone pleasantly by surprise.” MCQP Presents: Drag Race will once again offer a variety of dance floors, some of the best DJs from around the world, and several areas where drag racers can chill and take in what promises to be one of the best nights of the December festivities. MCQPs full line-up will be announced soon. Variety of ticket options available MCQP Presents: Drag Race will start at 7pm on Saturday, 15 December. Early Bird tickets, starting at R370 for general access, R1500 for VIP tickets, as well as several other TEAM Package options like Racing Team for 10 (at R2700), Team 15 and Team 20 packages are now available at www.quicket.co.za. VIP Includes all-night complimentary Bar in VIP lounge area, VIP shows and staging, sweets ‘n snacks and trackside seats, fast track access and a private parking area, photo setups and more. Limited Private Pitstop Trailers are also on offer at R30,000 for 20 persons, which will include all the benefits of VIP and much, much more. For more information, visit www.mcqp.co.za or facebook.com/ILikeMCQP. Also join the conversation on social media - Twitter (@MCQP), Instagram (MCQP) and Facebook (ILikeMCQP).
TO WIN TICKETS TO MCQP GO TO PAGE 13
15 DECEMBER 2018 - CAPE TOWN STADIUM
THE LAUNCH OF CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2019
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riday 23rd November saw the launch of Cape Town Pride 2019 at Tau in Cape Town... This coincided with the reveal o f Cape Town Pride’s new logo and branding, with a more modern, updated look which will be easily used on a variety of merchandise from caps to flags and underwear to t-shirts ... so keep a look out for these goodies which will be on sale at various Pride 2019 functions.
It was also announced that the headline act at the Pride Mardi Gras on Saturday the 2 March 2019 will be the highly sort-after and aclaimed Craig Lucas. The Trollie Dollies will also be appearing on the Pride stage as will your regular favourites such as 3-D and Manila Von Teez ... so save the date and don’t miss the biggest and best Pride celebration on the African continent!
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BEING SOCIAL
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he Social Bar is a very exciting new bar, upstairs at 18 Jarvis St, Green Point. Slap bang in the heart of Cape Town’s gay village. The new bar is open to men and women, whether you’re gay, straight, bi or transgender this is a freindly, safe place to meet with friends, or perhaps someone new. With stunning views from the terrace overlooking the harbour with Blouberg in the distance, it is the ideal venue for fun evening drinks or perhaps a warm up before hitting the clubs in the area.
Opening times 16 Nov to 14 Dec / Friday and Saturday night : 5-12pm Opening times 14 Dec to 13 Jan / Every day 5-12pm, (except closed on Mondays)
Photos: Joffrey Hyman
SEEN AT THE OPENING PARTY
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Photo: Errol Stroebel
REMEMBERING THE DECADE!
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n Saturday evening the 3rd November, the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone was filled to capacity as patrons from all over the Western Cape attended to witness the crowning of a new Queen. What made the evening even more special was that it was also the 10th edition of the Miss Gay Western Cape Pageant, as well as the 10th year in a row that the event was sold out! The evening began with the yearly three minute count down, with the audience chanting along to the countdown clock from the 10 second mark. As it hit Zero the screen indicated “Let’s take it back to 2009…” after which “Get this Party Started” began to play, and exactly the same opening from the 2009 edition started. Soul Desire Dance Group from 2009 were back in full force to give the audience what they remembered. As soon as the song ended there was a black out, just like 2009, and Earth Wind and Fire’s In The Stone bellowed as the Queens from 2009 to 2017 all came one by one through the audience, wearing the Theme Wear from their year of reign, each queen receiving a thunderous applause. A fitting tribute to the hard work and dedication the Queens have given to the Miss Gay Western Cape Organization over the years. The formal proceedings of the evening then began, MC’s Nathan Kayser and PJ Smith had the audience in stitches and kept the flow of the show going perfectly. Contestants were judged in three categories on the night Theme Wear, Swim Wear and Evening Gown. The Theme, appropriately named, “Remembering the Decade” had finalists displaying any of the themes from the previous 9 years. There were feathers, wings, glitz and glam to name a few. Swimwear was spectacular and the Evening Gowns were amazing, many a reveal and rhinestone to be seen! Entertainment saw Manila von Teez on stage with dancers from WeDfy and had the crowd bopping and clapping along to the beat right up to her now customary jump from the stage in to the audience. Ina Propriette was breathtaking, and revealing, and wowed the audience to thunderous applause. Idols 2005 Winner Karen Kortje’s vocals were on point, with a lump in the throat moment for the audience as she sang her second song paying tribute to the LGBTI Community at Large. Angel Lalamore was her usual fierce diva self and one can not see Angel without the rendition of End Of The Road!
Once all sections had been judged the Top 5 were selected and the Mag 12
Questions and answers section kicked in. One thing was for sure, no queen was being caught out. Beauty and brains had to be the theme for the evening. Ince the previous Queens had done their final ramp, including the final walk from 2017 Queen Emogen Moore, who paid and emotional Tribute to all her Friends, Family and Supporters, it was time to announce the winners. Results as follows: Miss Gay Humanitarian – Skylar Barrymore Best Theme Wear – Adrienne Galagatsi Best Dressed – Laylah Raja Novacek Miss Personality – Marcia Garcia Miss Body Beautiful – Zoe Cox 2nd Princess – Adrienne Galagatsi 1st Princess – Laylah Raja Novacek Queen – Wendy La Rosa Wendy La Rosa, 32, a teacher from Mitchells Plain, started her Drag Career in 2011. She entered her first pageant, Miss Pestova, in 2013 and won the pageant. In 2015 she was crowned Miss Cape Town Pride. She has been actively involved in the LGBTI community being involved in events as a choreographer as well as assisting where she could. Her passion has always been to inspire people and see them develop in to their full potential, flourishing in their true self. Her Facebook Thank You reads: “Number 8 - the number of renewal and resurrection” I started with Miss Gay Western Cape since its rebirth in 2009; a new born on the scene and not knowing anyone on the stage. But the passion, courage and bravery each one of them showed on stage was what drew me into the pageant. In 2011 I dragged for the very first time at the 3rd crowning of a new MGWC. Since then I wanted to be involved. I wanted to experience the glitz and glamour, the organising of the pageant, the running around and helping the girls backstage etc. The pageant made my heart happy and I felt at home. I was then sourced as a dancer and choreographer for the show, subsequently entering in 2014 for the first time. 4 years later with one year “leave” and here I am, the newly crowned Miss Gay Western Cape 2018! She continues to thank everyone before ending with: Then finally, to each and every one who has messaged, called, inboxed, spoke to me personally to wish me well and congratulate me, THANK YOU!! I have learnt over the years to look passed the negatives of this colourful community and to focus on what’s good and to work on that. Thank you for believing in me and seeing a leader and ambassador in me. It is with great pleasure that I take on this role to represent each one of you. Thank you once again for your love and support. See page 27 for more pics of the star-studded event
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WIN WIN WIN TICKETS TO CAPE TOWN’S BIGGEST PARTY
OUT AFRICA MAGAZINE & MCQP ARE GIVING AWAY 10 SETS OF TWO TICKETS TO 10 LUCKY READERS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO THE PARTY OF THE YEAR ... JUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION AND EMAIL YOUR REPLY WITH MCQP TICKET COMPETITION IN THE SUBJECT LINE, TOGETHER WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT NUMBER TO: OUTMAGAZINE@MWEB.CO.ZA
WHAT IS THE THEME FOR MCQP 2018? Mag 13
FASHION Designer: Tokyo James SA Mens Fashion Week SPRING / SUMMER 2019
ROCK THE L THIS FESTIVE Mag 14
LOOK SEASON Mag 15
Photographer / SDR Photo
Designer: XM Creations SA Mens Fashion Week SPRING / SUMMER 2019
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Photographer / SDR Photo
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COCKTAILS, MOCKTAILS & OTHER FESTIVE DRINKS
Cider, Thyme & Tonic Mocktail This refreshing mocktail is great for the designated driver or your guests who don’t imbibe ... simple and delicious .... Recipe: 30ml apple cider 60ml freshly squeezed lemon juice 60ml thyme simple syrup* 1 bottle (250ml) tonic water Additional thyme and lemon slices for garnish Directions: Add all ingredients except tonic water to a pitcher and stir until fully blended. Add ice to four glasses, filling each about halfway. Divide the cider mixture evenly among the glasses. Top with tonic water. Stir gently. Garnish with a sprig of thyme and enjoy! *Thyme Simple Syrup Half cup granulated sugar Half cup water 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme Directions: Add all ingredients to a small saucepan. Turn heat to low and stir until sugar dissolves. Simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until syrup coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Take out the thyme sprigs and allow syrup to cool completely before using. Store leftover syrup in a jar in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks. Mag 18
Traditional Eggnog No festive season is complete without a tasting of a delicious eggnog ... This recipe will serve 12 people Recipe 1 dozen Eggs, separated Half a 750-ml bottle VS cognac or other brandy 250ml rum 500g icing sugar 1.5 litres full cream milk 500g cream Half tsp salt Half tsp gound nutmeg Punch Bowl Directions: In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until light and lemoncoloured. While continuing to beat, add the brandy, rum, sugar, milk, cream and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and nutmeg until they form stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Serve in punch cups and enjoy!
Also known as mulled wine, vino caliente, glögg, vin brulé, bisschopswijn, vin chaud, candola, vinho quente…or literally a hundred other names, depending on where in the world life may find you... Recipe Wine: Red or white, you pick Oranges (or clementines) Cinnamon: I love the look of sticks, but you could whisk in some ground cinnamon if you prefer Other Spices: cloves and star anise are favourites, plus a few pods of cardamom Sweetener: add your favourite sweetener to taste. Sugar is classic, or a few tablespoons of maple syrup or honey Extra liqueur: it’s traditional to spike your mulled wine with an extra bit of liqueur, if you’d like. A little brandy or any liqueur will do
Old-time Glüwein
Directions: Place all ingredients into a pot and simmer on the stove ( The rule of mulled wine is just to be sure that it does not boil) for at least 15 minutes, - you can do it for longer if you like, so that all of those delicious flavours can come together. Then strain out the spices, and serve warm…
Festive Punch (Alcoholic or non...) No holiday is complete without a big bowl of punch filled with the best seasonal fruits, spices and if it’s you ... booze! Cheers! Recipe In a large bowl mix fresh seasonal fruits with cranberry juice, sparkling wine, and orange slices to keep the punch’s flavour light, bright, and dangerously easy to sip. Add rich, spicy ingredients such as rum (or brandy if you prefer), ginger ale, and apple cider give the punch a more dynamic flavour and ensure that it tastes like a real drink, not a juice box. Together, this combination of the light and bright with the deep and spicy makes this festive Punch verrry dangerous. It’s soooo yummy and easy to sip, and because it takes minutes to make, you can quickly continue refilling the bowl as the night goes on. Mag Mag 19 19
Acclaimed South African composer, Dr. Bongani NdodanaBreen has written a wide range of music encompassing symphonic works, opera, chamber music and vocal music. OUT Africa Magazine asked Bongani a number of questions to get to know him better …
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orn in Queenstown, E. Cape. He was educated at St. Andrew’s College and Rhodes University in Grahamstown, where he graduated with a PhD in Music Composition. Dr Ndodana-Breen also studied composition in Stellenbosch under Roelof Temmingh before moving to Chicago in the USA then later Toronto, Canada. I guess the most obvious question to ask is, what ignited or inspired your interest in classical music? Queenstown has historically been a musical city. Many jazz legends originated from there including Todd Matshikiza composer of the famous musical “King Kong” which was a hit on the West End in London in the early 60s. In classical music, there was an orchestra founded by Michael Moerane, the maternal uncle of President Mbeki. Most of this musical landscape was sadly laid to ruin by the apartheid regime. So it would be disingenuous for me to pretend that am an anomaly as a black classical musician given this history. I am a product of the remnants of that musical community that thrived long before I was born. What were your musical influences growing up which led to a passion for this genre? Obviously I took a keen interest in the traditional music of the Eastern Cape as it was all around me. One of my great aunts played piano - she hardly ever spoke by the way but would just play beautifully. My formal musical training started as a boy at St Andrews in Grahamstown with piano, orchestral instruments and of course theory and history. I was very fortunate that my grandmother could send me there in the late 80s and to have had such incredible teachers who went out of their way to encourage my passion for music. My piano teacher for example (who was a big influence in my life) had wonderful stories of the composer Benjamin Britten and the musical life of post-war Britain. Britten (who was gay) is one of my favourite 20th century composers. I also benefitted enormously from the vast archive of the International Library of African Music (ILAM) at Rhodes. As a teenager, I used to walk down from St Andrews to ILAM and spend an afternoon immersed in recordings from all over Africa. It was like traveling the whole African continent without a passport. A huge thrill for a teenage boy.
MAESTRO!!! DR BONGANI NDODANABREEN Mag 20
Photo: Anna Morris
Many people in this part of the world, I would imagine, see your artistic idiom as somewhat of a cultural paradox, in that “European classical music” and your Xhosa heritage don’t exactly go hand in hand, but your works combine African musical influences together with the traditionally classical music. How has your work been received within the Xhosa and other indigenous African communities? I don’t imagine that to be the case as music is truly a universal language. What you call “European classical music” has existed in black communities since the 1800s as a result of institutions such as Lovedale College in the Eastern Cape and the Ohlange Institute in KZN. It may surprise many that the first composition to be published in Europe by a South African composer was by John Knox Bokwe in 1875 a
Victorian hymn titled “Lovedale” and there is also his “Plea for Africa” of 1892 which many South Africans know. A dear friend and former classmate of mine at Rhodes, Dr. Grant Olwage published a very thorough paper on Bokwe’s piece for the Journal of the Royal Musical Association in the UK. Regarding how my music has been received, I was very moved by the reaction to the performance of my “Harmonia Ubuntu” by the Minnesota Orchestra at a concert in Regina Mundi in Soweto recently. This was the first tour to Africa by a professional American orchestra as part of the Mandela Centennial. The response from the Soweto audience was amazing not only to my music but to pieces by Bernstein and Sibelius. In my music I think folks faintly recognise the African themes, rhythms and techniques I use even though the context may be the symphony orchestra. Going back to the Soweto concert, the tour organisers from America had the foresight to arranged a broadcast partner to share this historic experience with audiences in North America and Europe via National Public Radio and its European counterpart. In 1997, you were awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music, yet it took leaving the country, before your work was acknowledged locally. Has this been a disappointment to you and what must be done to encourage youngsters of all races to embrace classical musical traditions? The Standard Bank Young Artist Award was a great boost for my career, I was based in Chicago then when I received the news, via fax of all things. Leaving South Africa was a necessary step in my development as it helped broaden my musical and life outlook so much. I particularly enjoyed the work we did in Canada, touring Africa with my Canadian colleagues, commissioning, performing new music by composers from Africa and Diaspora and the broadcasts we did for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is no secret that despite my international outlook and experience, I hold a very Afrocentric view when it comes to this artform and differ with some of my South African colleagues on issues of where our artform sits in this society and both its circumstances and prospects at the bottom tip of Africa. This is not unusual, the music of Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu for example is tinged by his heritage so is the case with Chinese composers Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, etc. I may have at times been perceived by my local colleagues as abrasive on this issue. This artform needs to be inclusive or it will atrophy, we as a profession ought to be aware of our geography. We cannot carry on as if we are a European artistic outpost in Africa fossilised in the late Edwardian era, even the Europeans and Americans have moved on from such an anachronism. Much of your work is drawn from the political events and people who fought for freedom and equality in South Africa, most notably “Winnie the Opera”. What was your motivation behind creating a musical about the life of such a controversial person, whilst being a giant on the South African political landscape was hated and loved in equal measure? This is a rather curious assertion as I would hardly characterise my work as being “political” – history appeals to me as an artist, I do not have time to waste on politics. Surely Shakespeare’s Plantagenets plays are not viewed as “political” but his piecing together of history and framing aspects of the human condition? Those particular plays examine the events and characters of a very turbulent period of English history that culminated to the founding of the Tudor dynasty and the English Rennaisance. One could cite numerous other examples from the Western cannon from visual art, theatre, music and literature where various artists sought to piece together a historical narrative through aspects of their output. If Beethoven or Verdi did not offer commentary to the events of their
time, we would not have had the 9th symphony or Nabucco. Yes, I grant you, my output so far in my orchestral music and operas, traces a theme of South Africa’s liberation. This theme is one that resonated with many people around the world. The global call for the liberation of South Africa was one of the significant international causes of the post-war era outside of the Vietnam war. It was on the agenda at the UN permanently through a special committee on apartheid, it filled stadiums in London, drew incredible support from Hollywood stars and top musicians, galvanised sports federations and trade unions in major countries, and had a presence in most university campuses in North America and Europe. So many ordinary people around the world identified with the South African cause, we cannot ignore that history. Mrs Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was at the forefront of that movement for 27 years. We cannot erase that history and her contribution to the journey this country took democracy, even if some disagree with her views and actions. Winnie Mandikizela-Mandela attended the World Première at the State Theatre in Pretoria and gave the production her blessing. Was that in any way a justification and endorsement, and had you collaborated with her during the process of composing the work? We never collaborated with Mrs Mandela nor sought her approval for the content of the opera. We did however meet with both her and Archbishop Tutu to let them know that they will be portrayed in the opera. Mrs Mandela was gracious and was very emphatic in not seeing the script, sets or costumes. She said to us “I want to be surprised”. The opera is by no means a hagiography or a whitewash – it deals with all the facts that were in the public domain at the time and is set around her testimony in front of Archbishop Tutu at the TRC and draws from various sources. South Africa’s liberation struggle seems to be a major theme in Dr Ndodana-Breen’s orchestral works such as his piano concerto “Emhlabeni”, and the short opera “Hani” on the anti-apartheid activist Chris Hani. Another iconic work is “Credo”, described as a “Musical Testament to the Freedom Charter” in which you collaborated with librettist/poet Brent Meersman. What was it that made you compose this choral/orchestral work? “Credo” was commissioned to commemorate the 140th anniversary of UNISA, an institution that has played a prominent role in the musical life of this country from their graded exams to their internationally renowned music competitions which have launched the careers of such people as Rene Flemming and many other big names. I was drawn to this project as the Freedom Charter, as far back as 1955, was a vision of a non-racial, non-sexist and socially inclusive democratic South Africa. Considering the many challenges this country currently
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faces, can you imagine how far this country would be economically, socially, etc if we had implemented a transition to democracy in the 1950s instead of the 1990s? In November 2015 the world premiere of your composition of three Ingrid Jonker poems for symphony and soprano, was performed at the City Hall in Cape Town with Venda soprano, Goitsemang Lehobye singing the works in Afrikaans. This was a milestone in South African classical musical theatre and the performance was triumphant, what was it about Jonker’s works that drew you to setting them to music? Ingrid Jonker’s writing resonates deeply with me. Her life and the tragic circumstances of her death always spoke to me. She saw the absurdity of the system she lived in and had the moral courage to raise her voice. Artists, scholars and journalists have a crucial role in society, their voice helps a society to examine where it stands in respect to core human values. Ingrid Jonker was one such person, which is why Nelson Mandela, one of the giants of the 20th century quoted her in her native Afrikaans in his inaugural speech in parliament. Jonker’s father by the way was a National Party politician who disowned her and when notified of her drowning said she ought to be thrown back into the ocean. History will always remember her and not her abominable father whose chief concern was navigating that cesspool that is party politics. By all accounts your music is receiving critical acclaim all over the World, has this been the case here in South Africa? I don’t know about all over the world but I have been fortunate to have had an international career that has allowed me to meet and collaborate with many wonderful people. You mentioned the soprano Goitsemang Lehobye earlier, it has been a pleasure to work with her both here and in the US, it is wonderful to see so many of South African singers doing so well abroad. As far as my own journey is concerned a large part of this was through my incredible colleagues from the arts community in Canada where I spent over a decade of my life in my 20s and 30s. It was a privilege to be mentored by one of Canada’s top arts managers Ottie Lockey for many years of my career, she was founding Managing Director of the acclaimed Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. I mention her particularly for your publication as her partner Eve Zoramba is a leading figure of Canada’s LGBTI community and the author of a lesbian detective novel series. I have only mentioned a few of what seem to be your most popular compositions, and I am aware that there have been a host of others. What new projects do you have in the pipe-line? I just came back from the US after the World Premiere of my “Harmonia Ubuntu” based on texts of Nelson Mandela and commissioned by the classical music agency Classical Movements. The text by Mandela affirm our common humanity and the spirit of ubuntu. The work was performed by the Minneapolis Orchestra led by one of my favourite conductors, Osmo Vanska. After that I went into final preparations and rehearsals for the premiere of my “Ma Sisulu Sinfonia” which was performed in a joint concert by the Johannesburg Philharmonic and KZN Philharmonic. A familiar face from my Chicago years, William Eddins who is former resident conductor of the Chicago Symphony, led the performance. He’s an incredible musician and had the audience in Johannesburg enthralled in a programme that included Brahms and Bernstein. As an openly gay man, whose works seem to be influenced by historical and intercultural themes, is there any chance that a future production will take on the Mag 22
challenges that the LGBTI community face in a conservative society, particularly here in Africa, that is so opposed to them? I am very glad you brought up the LGBTI and Africa issue as it is a pressing subject. It is a shameful tragedy that in our own country, lesbians who live in townships and rural areas face horrific violence and abuse. We have to do something about this as a community, we cannot ignore the plight of those who live beyond the affluent areas of our cities. In answer to your question, I feel I ought to point out that I am first and foremost an artist. Surely the fact that I am African or gay ought to be immaterial in this day and age. The civilised world has moved on since Oscar Wilde was tried for gross indecency. I am of the view that we should measure people by how they treat others, how good they are at their chosen profession and contribute to society. I utterly loathe this whole “first black this” or “first gay that” - it is tiresome. I can lay claim to one or a combination of these “firsts” for various milestones in my career but I choose not to as in the end what matters is how effective I am in what I do. I hope young LGBTI folks can realise that contributing to humanity through your talents is a better way of changing the world than being solely defined by your sexual preference. Be a good teacher or, god forbid, a good politician rather than a gay teacher or a gay politician. That is my view and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me on this. A former Canadian prime minister, father of the current Canadian prime minister once said “the state has no business in the nation’s bedrooms”. This is an attitude that we should try and cultivate on this continent. To answer your question, in 2006 I collaborated with my dear friend the Canadian filmmaker and activist John Greyson on a multimedia cantata “Orange Clouds” – it premiered it Toronto. It dealt with various international historical figures, including South African anti-apartheid and gay activist Simon Nkoli. John’s libretto used extracts of letters that Simon Nkoli wrote from prison to his supporters in Toronto. I hope a performance of this work in South Africa can be arranged South Africa soon. Dr Ndodana-Breen, you’ve had a meteoric rise, with an international career worth noting, is this what you set out to achieve and have your dreams been realised? I have been very fortunate as an artist to have been be trusted by funders and colleagues with the projects that I have been involved with. My dream as a composer has always been to leave behind a meaningful body of work that will, in some small way give an account of the times South Africans live in and how we got here. Hopefully this may inspire a future generation to dream of a better world. Dr Ndodana-Breen picture with his husband, James Ndodana-Breen before a premiere of his music at the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria.
MUSIC MOVES
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t the beginning of November, the iconic Barbra Streisand released her new album Walls. The long anticipated, and first original album since 2005, and once again, her talent has proved that the grande-dame of American music is as brilliant as ever. Walls was by all accounts, inspired by Streisand’s concern for the divided state of United States politics. The new album is not just about music. “This time,” as one fan Tweeted, “it’s a statement.” The opening two tracks are “protest” songs, What’s on My Mind and Don’t Lie to Me together with the haunting The Rain Will Fall are modern, moody, beat-driven ballads that perfectly express Streisand’s feelings about the state of the nation. The 2nd track, Don’t Lie to Me was written as a criticism of America’s political climate and Donald Trump in particular, with The Times of Israel saying: “Don’t Lie to Me, finds a passionate Streisand questioning the nation’s leader and pleading for change.” “I just can’t stand what’s going on,” the Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winner said in an interview with The Associated Press. “His assault on our democracy, our institutions, our founders — I think we’re in a fight. … We’re in a war for the soul of America.” However, the album is not all new protest music, but there is a socially conscious message weaving throughout, delivered in that perfectionist, clear, beautifully interpreted way that fans have come to expect from this awesome singer. Her vision comes through on the Album’s defining title track Walls, believed to be a reference to Donald Trump’s proposed great wall dividing the U.S. from Mexico. Continuing with the socio-political thread, reflecting her guiding principles and values, her rendition of the combined John Lennon/Armstrong classic, Imagine/What a Wonderful World is as vintage Streisand as you can get, with her impeccable breathing, full-octave glissando, musical enunciation and above all, her story-telling. Likewise, her faultless phrasing in track 5, Lady Liberty takes me back to her earlier recordings. The music that made millions of people worldwide, lifelong fans. In track 6, the genuine feelings evoked in her interpretation of Burt Baccarat & Hal David’s What the world Needs Now is soft, smooth, dreamy...with a touch of jazz. One of my
favourite songs from the new album is Better Angels. The song is full of hope and emotion, with a theatrical arrangement. Love’s Never Wrong, the album’s 8th track is beautiful. I wish so many more young people could have heard this from parents when they were afraid to tell them their own truth, in fear of rejection. Too many times that rejection has become a reality. I hope this song is heard by those who can gain some hope from its important message. For those searching for the hidden Broadway musical selection in this new album, Take Care of This House, is it. The song by Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner comes from the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The final track is the old Streisand standard, Happy Days Are Here Again, and while one might expect it to be a curtain-closing uplifting track, Streisand “delivers its final line in a fragile, almost extinguished fashion, followed by a sigh — as though despairing at what has been uncaged in her homeland.”, said the FT. For Streisand fans though, Walls is a work of love and advocacy, heart and truth - a true musical feast that
is destined to become one of Barbra’s biggest, most iconic albums! Streisand is the only recording artist in history to achieve a No 1 Album in six consecutive decades. She has recorded 52 gold, 31 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums in her career. She is the only woman to make the All-Time Top 10 Best Selling Artists list. With 34 albums making the Top 10 on the US charts, she’s the only female artist to have achieved this. She is also the female artist with the most number one albums in Billboard’s history. Widely recognised as an icon for her artistic achievements, she has been awarded two Oscars, ten Grammys including two special Grammys, five Emmys, three Peabodys, and eleven Golden Globes including the Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 2015, President Barack Obama presented her with the highest civilian honour the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She had already received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton in 2000, as well as France’s prestigious Legion of Honour. At the age of 76, this giant of stage, screen, song-writing and singing has showed that she is still at the top of her game – a true maestro or maestra in her craft, whatever the lady prefers – she‘s entitled to both. Mag 23
SCENE OUT
JOBURG PRIDE 2018
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PRETORIA PRIDE 2018
Pride 2018 photos courtesy Mambaonline Mag 25
MCQP LAUNCH HALLOWEEN
SOWETO PRIDE 2018
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Photos mambaonline
MISS GAY WESTERN CAPE
Photos: Errol Stroebel
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OUT CHATS TO...
CHARL-JOHAN LINGENFELDER ABOUT KANARIED
KANARIE (Afrikaans for ‘Canary’) is a coming-of-age musical war drama, set in South Africa in 1985, about a young boy who discovers how through hardship, camaraderie, first love, and the liberating freedom of music, the true self can be discovered.
Charl-Johan Lingenfelder has been an inspirational tour-de-force as a musician, composer, writer, performer and like-minded friend since I first met him 24-years-ago and Kanarie, his heavenly collaboration with director Christiaan Olwagen, is a proudly South African film taking the world by storm. Daniel Dercksen met with Charl to chat about the film ... Charl Johan Lingerfelder on the set of Kanarie
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his is the second collaboration on film between Lingenfelder and Olwagen, for which won a Silwerskermfees Award for Johnny Is Nie Dood Nie’ soundtrack.
Kanarie is most definitely one of the most important and relevant films made in South Africa. What sparked this masterful creation? Christiaan and I were driving to the KKNK in Oudtshoorn and I just started telling him about my military training. He had no idea that I’d been in the army and was very surprised when I told him about the Kanaries. He’d never heard of them either and as we drove, he kept asking me questions and that led to this idea of a film about this very strange set up in the apartheid military. He also immediately saw all the symbolism with regards to the idea of a bird in a cage and the canary in the coalmine. He read so much more into the story than I even imagined – and that was the beginning of it all. Was it a difficult journey from page to screen and how long did it take from inspiration to first audience? Kanarie was made in a shockingly short amount of time. Christian pitched the idea to kykNET without me knowing about it and he phoned me from the car afterward to tell me that he had just pitched my story and they wanted a screenplay. So we
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started writing the screenplay in August 2016 and by November of that same year we were shooting. Digging up all this history was extremely difficult, but necessary. We wrote the first draft in about three weeks. We started shooting on draft 4 of the screenplay. A few things changed during the shoot but that was mainly because of limitations of our locations. It’s most definitely a very personal film, your views on this?
Once again it is true, life being stranger than fiction, sometimes. Even though I exaggerated the characters for the sake of dealing with opposites, they pretty much did fall into those categories. An interesting statement from Johan that perfectly captures the essence of his journey: His reason for joining the Canaries will give him the opportunity to “live all that I believe, all that I love, and all that I am to the fullest.” Your thoughts?
I believe one of the strengths of the film is the fact that it is a very personal story and that it is true. People are very surprised when they find out that approximately 95% of it is factual. It’s not often you get to watch a film of this nature where the narrative is so close to what really happened. We didn’t have to invent a whole lot – it was all just ready to be told.
At every screening that I have attended thus far, people always laugh when the protagonist talks about his passion for his church and for his country.
Tell me about the one of the most mind-blowing opening scenes I have ever seen: Our lead character John, dressed as a bride, then walking down a street and through his life, with all the different versions of his younger self, cross-cutting to him in his Boy George incarnation, dancing with his younger selves to the stunning tune of Small Town Boy! What inspired this phenomenal scene and how difficult was it to bring it to life?
In those days, we simply did not question everything the way we do today. We didn’t know we had the right to question anything. We grew up in a patriarchal society that dictated what we thought and what we did. Johan’s response smacks of naivety and he has no idea how prophetic those words would end up being. All he is trying to do is be a good citizen and a good Christian at that stage, unaware of the journey he is about to embark on.
Christiaan always knew that he wanted to start the film with a sequence that would show our protagonist back in his home environment and what had led to him becoming who he was, by the time the audience meet him.
The scene with the boys being stripped of their identity and transformed into numbers is very powerful … what inspired this?
I had told him about the incident with the wedding dress and he immediately thought this would be a perfect opener to the film. I’d also played him an incredible amount of 80’s music and the first time he heard Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat, he fell in love with it. Something about the lyrics, the tone of it – it is very melancholic and he thought it would be perfect for the opening sequence. We approached choreographer Louisa Talbot, who choreographed all the dance sequences in the film, and she put together a group of dancers who did the opening sequence. In the sequence the character’s entire life is being depicted – from his childhood as a four-year-old boy to slightly older as a ballet dancer, and a pianist and doing floral arrangement and fighting over a Barbie doll. We shot the sequence on the second day and luckily everybody was still very fresh, because it was a very difficult shoot. There were so many elements involved – traffic, weather etc. etc. But we finally managed to get the perfect take, just as the municipality was reopening the main road to traffic. The film is brilliantly divided into chapters, taking us through a narrative guided by militant precision. The first thing Christiaan and I did was sit and collect all the stories from my military training. We sat with all these ideas on cards and started moving them around and tried to get a narrative that was coherent. But there was already something about the story that very easily fit into the constraints of a movie narrative structure. The way that the military structure functioned and with our basic training being the beginning of the film, the tour being the second section, and then Johan’s big crisis being the section leading towards the end – it all just made sense in terms of film writing. So that is how we got our structure, and once we decided on it, we didn’t have to make that many changes. The characters of the two Chaplains are another stroke of genius, giving us both sides of the same coin – the liberal versus the conservative – with out of this world performances by Jacques Bessenger and Gérard Rudolf.
The script at that point is literally just taken from what I know I would’ve said back in ‘84.
Christiaan has always had a thing for using the film camera the same way you would use stills camera. Having actors stare at the camera as if you are about to take a photo, but just letting it roll. Something happens in those moments. Initially there is an awkwardness and a shyness, but eventually that drops away and you get to stare into the soul of this person in front of you. We wanted to see these people for who they were at that age. And of course there’s the military machine of receiving your uniform, having your hair cut, going through your medical examination – it is one aspect of military training that everyone who has been through, will always remember. The nightmarish Basic Training scene is sure to stir some emotions … with Beer Adriaanse perfectly capturing the essence of a roughneck corporal from hell, breaking away from the stereotypical versions we have seen in other films, allowing the rawness to cut to the bone. Your views? It was a very difficult scene to film because the guys had to perform the physical exercises and it was really exhausting. But ultimately we were happy with the way that the scene came across. We couldn’t spend a lot of time on showing the audience the training that the Kanaries had to go through, so we had to try and condense it all into one or two scenes which would encapsulate the hardship of military training. The corporal’s language is quite extreme, but it is very true to what was being spoken in the army. We did a lot of research and found almost all of the quotes somewhere online or we were told by people who had encountered that in the army. So once again we didn’t have to exaggerate at all – it was all there all along. The connection, intimacy and love that develops between Johan and Wolfgang is heart-breaking … How perfect is the casting of Schalk Bezuidenhout and Hannes Otto. It must have been an emotional journey for everyone involved? Mag 29
What I love most about the casting of Hannes and Schalk is the fact that they are two normal guys. They both are beautiful people but they are not necessarily models and it was important to me that people can watch a gay film without perving over some hot boy on the screen the whole time. I wanted these boys to be believable and I want people to care deeply for the people they were – not because of what they looked like. It is so much closer to what life is and I think that is something that a lot of people have picked up on and can relate to. Let’s talk about Germandt Geldenhuys, who chews up the scenery as the gayest of gay characters who innocently does not buy into the whole issue of being gay, but just is, without knowing, still radiating such a positive role model for those struggling with their sexual identity? I have known many people like him in my life and I never refer to them as gay – I think of them as “tannies”. Sexuality is a very strange thing in their lives. I don’t think they necessarily identify with any label regarding sexuality. It is not who they are. Germandt immediately just understood this character and made it his own. There was always the fear that it could become a caricature, but luckily he is such a technical actor that he could play the part with great integrity. But the importance of his character in relation to the other two in this trio of friends is unmistakable. And that’s exactly the way it was with my friends when we were in the army. Then there’s the powerful connection with Anna Mart’s zany designer who encourages Johan to fly away away, “away from this God Forsaken country with all its sirs and madams and rules and regulations and all its bullies!” Telling him that the biggest bully is the one he stares at in the mirror. Your thoughts? This is such an important message in the film. This is a moment that every single person can relate to. The terror of staring into the mirror and acknowledging that you are the greatest bully of them all. People relate to this aspect of human nature all over the world, but it is very apparent with in the Afrikaner nation that we tend to put each other down and not encourage anyone to fly as high as they possibly can. And that is why it was so enlightening to encounter people like the ones on which AnnaMart’s character was based, in real life – people who could open your eyes to the idea of full potential. And then there’s Jennifer Steyn’s heated scene that truly reflect Johan’s angst, and the political angst of the era? Indeed. The scene is a big eye-opener. The political agenda outside the military had not been heard at all, by that stage of the film. Not by us as an audience; neither by our characters in the film. So as we discover certain things about South African society, our characters discover them for the first time as well. There was such naivety about politics back in the day. We all simply believed what we were told. Any other opinion was clearly wrong. But isn’t that the way that politics still goes today? Is anybody ever willing to listen to an opposing idea? The song “Ek Verlang Na Jou” will never be the same again, with Johan at a concert at the border, allowing us to see the troepies differently, blending homoerotic images culminating and the killing of terrorists and a young black boy clasping a bomb. It is also interesting that at in the border scene a seasoned Mag 30
white homophobic soldier wears a T-Shirt that states: “Happiness is 100 confirmed Killings”… and a black soldier’s T-shirt reads “I love Soweto!” Once again it is the idea of photographs coming to life. Every single one of those images (with the exception of the Canaries) are re-posed images we had found from the actual border war. Including Laudo Liebenberg’s “Happiness is a 100 confirmed kills” T-shirt. The feedback and string of International Awards are well deserved … did you expect the film to reach so far into the hearts of audience’s worldwide? Absolutely not. But obviously we are overjoyed. We have realized that clearly there is something within the narrative of this film that speaks to people everywhere. You do not have to understand the history of South Africa or the history of racial relations in this country, to understand this film. Kanarie is a film that is not only life-changing but an eyeopener to a past legacy tainted by divide and rule, inbred hatred and religious conservatism that destroyed many lives. In South Africa today we can celebrate our sexual preferences without shame. Was this one of the aims of making “Kanarie”? Christiaan and my motto on set was: what would it have been like if we had seen a film like Kanarie when we were 18? How would it have affected our lives? And by looking at young people watching the film and talking to me after about their lives and their experiences, I understand what this film can mean to so many people. It shows you that no matter who you are and what your situation, whether you are being bullied for being different or fat or whatever the case may be, you are not alone. What do you hope audiences will get from watching “Kanarie”? I am Afrikaans and we made this as an Afrikaans film to be seen by Afrikaans people. Obviously we’ve never wanted to limit it to them, but it is important that they see this film. The characters talk about acceptance and it is important for people to know that even today, questions about religion and sexuality are all at the forefront of making people feel as if they do not fit in or belong. There is so much unhappiness that has been caused by a society that will not embrace people who think and feel differently to them. And it is time for people’s eyes to be opened to the reality of what it feels like to walk around burdened by these thoughts and being in a constant turmoil. But it is also time for people to stare into the mirror and realise that they can overcome their own demons, their own wars that they are constantly fighting within themselves. They need to celebrate themselves and even though it is not easy, they should never stop working towards that.
CUM HARDER DECEMBER diary Friday 7th Leather Night - Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 14th Long Schlong Night - Free entrance for 20cm + · Sunday 16th Reconciliation Day Party - Come Reconcile with Your Lust · Friday 21st Fetish Night - Indulge your fantasies · Saturday 22nd Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Wednesday 26th Family Day – escape that family, make Santa Cum Twice · Friday 28th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund · Monday 31st Join us for New Year's eve celebration. Free bubbly at midnight. JANUARY diary Friday 4th Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 11th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm+ · Friday 18th Fetish Night - Indulge your fantasies · Monday 21st Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 25th Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund FEBRUARY diary Friday 1st Leather Night Free entrance with leather gear · Friday 8th Long Schlong Night Free entrance for 20cm + · Friday 15th Fetish Night – Indulge your fantasies · Tuesday 19th Full Moon – Celebrate hedonism with free libation wine · Friday 22nd Public Pigz Night Be a pig on the bar counter for an entrance refund Mondays: Daddies & Toy Boys – R50 entrance between 6 & 9 for under 20s and over 50s Every Tuesday is Buddy Night. Bring a friend for free! Thursdays: Student Night. R50 entrance with student card. We’ll be open every day as usual over the Silly Season, cum try the fresh meat in town.
Mag 38
MEN ARE ALSO ‘CORRECTIVE RAPE’ VICTIMS Words: Angelo Louw
Many men, thanks to social stigmas, are ashamed to report sexual hate crimes – but they are almost as common as they are against lesbians.
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alip Asvat is a talkative, self-assured and opinionated gay man. He speaks freely about his life, his struggles and his accomplishments, which include co-founding a chain of successful salons in Jo’burg. He is not shy and only lowers his voice when disclosing sensitive information about others – until we begin to speak about his brutal rape. Asvat was born in Klerksdorp, North West, and lived most of his life in conservative Indian neighbourhoods. In the early 2000s he moved to Hillbrow, which had become a haven for the gay and lesbian community during the 1990s. In the early hours of one morning in 2007, a gang of three men ambushed him in the foyer of his apartment building. “They thought I was a woman, and when they found out I was a man, that’s when they became even more violent,” Asvat says. “They kept saying ‘stabane … stabane’ [Sesotho for ‘you’re gay, you’re gay’]. They beat me so badly that my eyes were swollen shut. They hit my teeth out. There was blood everywhere. Mag 32
They even wanted to cut my privates off, but I’m lucky someone disturbed them.” As he recalls his attack, Asvat barely makes eye contact and strays from the matter several times. But, as hard as it is for him, he is adamant that his story must be told to help young people like him. In 2003, world-renowned photo-grapher Zanele Muholi and activist Kekeletso Khena set out to document the rapes of black lesbian women in a campaign called The Rose Has Thorns. Khena described these rapes as “corrective rape”, a practice by which men try to “turn you into a real African woman”. The term has since evolved to include the rape of any lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersexual, asexual or queer (LGBTIAQ) person to get them to “behave” the way heterosexuals do. A recent United States state department human rights report says that some gay men and lesbians in Zimbabwe have been
raped and forced into heterosexual marriages by people seeking to “convert” them. Instances of corrective rape in countries such as Jamaica and Thailand have since begun to surface in the media – all in an effort to put an end to this brutal practice. The dynamics are different when people born male are attacked, but one thing remains constant: the violent action of supposedly “teaching” those who deviate from society’s patriarchal norm a lesson. So gay men and trans-women – people who have or are in the process of having their sex changed from male to female – become targets of corrective rape. Not uncommon Although instances of corrective rape of men are thought to be uncommon, a 2003 study conducted by Out LGBT Well-Being (Out) and the University of South Africa Centre for Applied Psychology (UCAP) discovered a very different story. “We found that the percentage of black gay men who said they have experienced corrective rape matched that of the black lesbians who partook in the study,” says Professor Juan Nel, a specialist in hate-crime criminology at UCAP.
even more important for civil society to address them. The issue of stigma doesn’t stem from the police service but from the larger community,” he adds. A good start to addressing corrective rape would be recognising it for what it is: a hate crime. This is the sentiment of Phindi Malaza, advocacy officer at the Forum for the Empowerment of Women. He says the Equality Act, passed in 2000, only protects the public against hate crimes based on race and sex – not sexual orientation. “On paper we have freedom – the right to live how we see fit. But this is just on paper and not on the ground,” Malaza says. “These attacks are a message [of intolerance] to the entire [LGBTIAQ] community, and we get this message clearly.” Nel believes that attackers should be the receivers and not the senders of this message. “Strengthening hate-crime legislation will send a clear message to society that such crimes will not be tolerated.”
When asked whether this was reflected in South Africa’s crime statistics, Brigadier Bafana Linda says he cannot say for certain because rape statistics are not broken down in such detail. Linda, who is the section head of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Investigations Unit in the South African Police Service, adds that, given that most women don’t report their rapes, one can only imagine how few men come forward. “It might have something to do with the stigmatisation. It might have to do with misconceptions that, if they go there to [report it], people might laugh at them,” he says. During the course of an investigation by the youth organisation loveLife’s Uncut magazine team, we came across four cases of male corrective rape, but only one person agreed to have their story published. “I never reported my rape [to the police],” says Asvat. “I didn’t want my family to find out because that is like [embarrassing] for them. I dealt with it myself and with the help of my friends.” Nor did he have any confidence in the authorities. “I once reported a robbery to the police thinking maybe they will do something, but they didn’t.”
REPORTING RAPES CAN PREVENT HIV But his fear of being ridiculed by authorities and the community had dire consequences: he believes he contracted HIV from one of his attackers. This is something that could have been avoided if he had undergone preventative antiretroviral treatment within 72 hours of the rape incident. This HIV prophylaxis treatment is available free of charge in the public health sector to rape survivors who report their rape. Linda says it is very unfortunate when a rape survivor does not come forward because they fear discrimination, especially as all police are trained to handle sexual offences, as required by the Sexual Offences Amendment Act. He encourages rape survivors to report discriminatory behaviour by police to station commanders. “Yes, there is more work to be done within field services in terms of sensitising police towards issues of sexual violence, but it is
Earlier this year, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Jeff Radebe said government is preparing to strengthen its response to hate crimes, including hate speech. Linda is part of the working group tasked to make this happen. In consultation with the LGBTIAQ community, they are currently drafting a proposal for a Bill to address corrective rape and hate crimes, as well as establishing a national helpline to address these issues. Until such a time that these policies are passed by Parliament, gay men and trans-women like Asvat will have to “man up” – whether they choose to or not. Four years after his rape incident, Asvat decided to keep quiet about it any longer: “I started to speak out about it. There is no sense in [cooping] it up inside. You have to deal with the situation. Speaking out about it makes you stronger and helps you to face the situation. It’s better than keeping it inside and hiding from people for the rest of your life.” This article was originally published by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, bhekisisa.org Mag 33
HEALTH
FESTIV FITNES
Mag 34
T
he December holiday period is typically extremely busy and can also be particularly indulgent. In short, health and fitness is not generally found at the top of one’s naughty or nice list, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Yes, the festive season is a time of celebration, and often excess, frequently resulting in firm New Year’s resolutions to get fit and lose weight, so it’s not surprising that many people struggle to maintain a healthy focus over the season. If your fitness takes a back seat at this time of year, you’ll probably identify with some of the following problems:
IVE ESS •
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I’m too busy with festive preparations to fit exercise into my day
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I get invited to loads of indulgent parties
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I love this time of year, but I know I overdo the eating and drinking
In January, I always need to make amends for the effects of the festivities
If any of those phrases ring a few bells, these tips can help you to enjoy the holiday celebrations and maintain a healthy focus. Maintain exercise routines as much as possible, try time efficient exercise strategies and be aware of calorie saving opportunities. Following these will ensure that when the festive season ends, you don’t have a mountain to climb to get back in shape.
1: Maintaining exercise routines One of the hardest things to do when your time is in short supply is to maintain an exercise routine. If you usually exercise a few times a week, the extra demands on your time can mean that something has to give. However, reduced training doesn’t mean that your fitness levels need to plummet. Research has shown that a couple of weeks of maintenance training can result in minimal or even no fitness losses.
Quality over quantity If your typical training week includes some more challenging sessions, it is important to maintain them. Instead of interspersing them with recovery workouts where you exercise lightly, focus on every session being high quality training. You can then omit the easier sessions, which will save time. A recovery session now becomes a rest day. The key to success with this strategy is to make sure you don’t let up on the quality of each workout. That way you are keeping your fitness edge that you’ve worked hard to achieve.
2: Time efficient exercise strategies In addition to focusing on maintenance training, you can also employ strategies within your workouts that save time. An additional benefit of some time-saving strategies is that the quality of your training session also improves. Resistance training workouts A typical session with weights in the gym involves completing two or more sets of a range of exercises, with a recovery period of anything between 30 seconds and several minutes between each set. This recovery period is an essential component of your training, but it is time during the festive season that you can ill afford to spare. Instead of relaxing and recovering between sets, for a change, try carrying out complementary exercises during the recoveries, for example: alternating between the following muscles: Chest and upper back. Biceps and triceps. Abdominals and lower back. Quadriceps and hamstrings (front and back of legs). Cardiovascular (CV) workouts Every workout should include a thorough warm-up and cooldown so there is no opportunity to save time there. However, in the main body of your session, there is an opportunity to reduce the duration but still get calorie burning and quality training benefits. Instead of doing a ‘steady-state’ CV session, try a few of the following time saving alternatives: Five minutes intense followed with five minutes easy
Indeed, in certain cases performance can actually improve after a short period of reduced training because the body has the opportunity to recharge and rebuild. Hence on returning to full training, you can find that you have renewed vigour and enthusiasm for your sessions. If you enjoy regular workouts, try the following tips for effective maintenance training:
Whether you’re jogging outdoors or working out on a piece of gym equipment, alternate faster efforts with equal time recoveries. You get a greater training effect than just a steady workout and so you can cut your session time down yet stay fit.
Commit to stay fit Simply plan, inform and execute. Plan in some shorter and/ or less frequent exercise sessions. Explain to your friends and family the changes you’re making, but also the importance of keeping your fitness going, and then put your plan into action.
Again, any piece of gym equipment can be used, or walking, jogging or running outside. Decide on a time or distance that you’re going to exercise for and then after your warm-up, really go for it against the clock. It’s tough – but great training and a shorter session brings as many benefits as your usual longer workout. Always remember to include a thorough cool-down afterwards.
A little exercise is better than nothing
Hill training programmes
Accept that your workouts will be shorter but also realise that they can still provide training benefits.
For a change, select a hill training programme, vary the resistance on the rower, cross-trainer or bike, or simply put more effort in on the hills for your outdoor training. This way you are substituting more quality for steady-state training, so a shorter workout brings greater benefits.
For example: If you usually enjoy several jogging or running sessions, cutting your training time by half will still keep you fit. Instead of completing two or three sets of each resistance training exercise, reduce it to one or two sets. Your session will take less time but you’re still exercising the same muscles, so your strength won’t disappear.
A short, intense time-trial
3 Calorie saving ideas The festive season is always a challenge to keep your calorie intake at normal levels but with a little planning you can still Mag 35
enjoy all the festivities and keep the calories in check. Simply try the three calorie saving ideas to keep your weight under control at Christmas… Watch the home measures If you only get three glasses of wine out of a bottle, your 80 calories a glass shoots up to 160 calories a glass, so stick to standard measures if you can. All the trimmings Standard potions of stuffing, combined with other trimmings such as bacon, sausage and sauce can easily total over 500 calories. Just sticking to stuffing and using the roasting juices as gravy will slash those calories by half.
Puddings Christmas pudding and mince pies are delicious – but high in calories. However, when smothered in brandy butter or double cream, the calories go through the roof. Try some crème fraiche or yogurt as an alternative and you cut out fat and save those calories. All wrapped up Most people will struggle with limited time and tempting fare at this time of year but with a little planning, the festive season can be enjoyed and healthy. By training smartly and following a few sensible eating strategies, you can maintain your fitness, balance out your calories and arrive at the New Year in good shape.
Complements of the season and enjoy your exercise! (For more info visit www.realbuzz.com)
Mag 36
THE BUZZ LOOKING GAY
TEAM SA
BLESSED TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY
C G
rey’s Anatomy star Jake Borelli has come out, Borelli, who has played surgical intern Dr. Levi Schmitt on the long-running medical drama since 2017, opened up about his sexuality in public for the first time to coincide with a new coming out storyline for his character. The big reveal was done on Instagram. The actor shared a picture of himself (above) on Instagram wearing a rainbow bandana. The post came after the airing of a recent episode that saw his character declare his feelings for new gay surgeon Dr. Nico Kim (played Alex Landi). “As a gay guy myself, tonight’s episode was so special to me,” said Borelli. “This is exactly the kind of story I craved as a young gay kid growing up in Ohio, and it blows my mind that I’m able to bring life to Dr. Levi Schmitt as he begins to grapple with his own sexuality this season on Grey’s Anatomy. His vulnerability and courage inspire me every day, and I hope he can do the same for you. To all of you who feel like little Levis out there, know that I do too, that you are seen, and that we’re all in this together. And to everyone who has supported me over the years, I can’t thank you enough, and I love you more than all the stars...” Kudos to you Jake ... here’s to a long, fruitful (excuse the pun) career.
aitlyn Jenner, trans reality TV star, recently donated US$50,000 to LGBTI charities. The famous trans-gender personality made the charitable donations as part of her Caitlyn Jenner Foundation. Writing on social media, “I had a great time today distributing four grants to extremely deserving organizations in the Phoenix area. I am blessed to be a part of this community,’ Jenner wrote on social media.
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his time of year sees all out favourite stars, sporting hunks and real life heroes publishing calendars for us to drool over for the coming year. If you are looking to have one of the hottest, woofiest men hanging on your wall in 2019, check out long time LGBT ally and founder of the StandUp Foundation, hunky rugby player Ben Cohen’s is a must. Inspired by his father who was killed when he stepped in to protect a man who the victim of a gay bashing, Cohen’s foundation is dedicated to “combating bullying wherever and to whomever it occurs.” The limited edition 2019 calendar (only 1000 printed) features 12 months of Ben Cohen’s furry, beefy bod and blue eyes that will make each month something to look forward throughout the year. His calendars can be ordered online at www.bencohencalendar.com Time for Siya, Handre, Eben in fact SA Rugby to bring one out ...
Photo: SA Rugby
She added, “I want to concentrate on this next generation coming up, the ones that are 5 to 15 to 20 years old, this next generation coming up to make it easier for them. Don’t put all of these challenges out in front of them. Make it more normal”
HATE & INTOLERANCE Paul Makonda - The face of intolerance
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ay and transgender people in Tanzania have gone into hiding, fearing for their lives, after a senior government official called on the public to report suspected homosexuals so that they could be arrested. Paul Makonda, Governor of Dar-es-salaam, has created a team to round up gay people. The homophobic Governor said that gay sex “tramples on the moral values of Tanzanians and our two Christian and Muslim religions.” The backlash from the international community has been minimal - once again the silence from the South African government is deafening! Mag 37
OUT ON DVD LET’S WATCH DVD’S WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN CHECK OUT THESE GREAT GAY-THEMED MOVIES ON DVD
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upert Everett’s wrote-directed and stars in the charming The Happy Prince, an explosive journey into the mindscape and life of literary legend Oscar Wilde. This emotional and sexually charged biopic focuses on the stormy relationship between Wilde and Lord Alfred “Bosie – a stunning performance by Colin Morgan, who perfectly balances Everett’s overtly dramatic performance, what the critics call the “showcase for a role Everett was born to play.” Bosie and Wilde’s relationship ultimately resulted in the infamous indecency trial that ruined latter’s career, put him in prison for two years, and exiled him from society. The film deals with the broken, tragic, post-trial figure of Wilde. Welcome to Devil’s Path, a psychological-thriller that takes place in 1992 during the era of grunge and outdoor gay cruising. In a nature trail known to the locals as “Devil’s Path”, Noah (Stephen Twardokus) meets Patrick (JD Scalzo). Patrick is at the known cruising spot for a hook-up, but gets sidelined by Noah – a shy, naive individual who doesn’t seem to properly grasp the concept of cruising, and fits into this landscape as awkwardly as you’d expect. While wandering through the woods on their bizarre, pseudo meet-cute, a park ranger warns them not to stray into a certain area of the woods, where gay men have been disappearing after entering for hook ups. Despite trepidation from Noah, the pair eventually wander in to this part of the woods anyway; and things quickly get worse, when two seemingly homophobic men who Noah agitated earlier notice the pair, and become thirsty for violence. What unravels from here is less predictable than initially appears. Devil’s Path is a mental thriller that keeps the journey taut with tension and suspense while exploring the choices we make along with the consequences that follow. A prodigal son and a Syrian refugee are thrown together in the Finnish countryside in this spare, intense gay romance A Moment In The Reeds, a first feature by London-based Mikko Makela, set in set in his native Finland. Reminiscent of God’s Own Country, this bittersweet tale of attraction between thin, blond Leevi (Janne Puustinen) and Juoko (Mika Melender) is a strained reunion: Leevi clearly still blames his taciturn dad for murky circumstances around his now-deceased mother’s departure long ago, while Juoko can find scant common ground with a gay son who’s run off to Paris to study literature. The two young men establish a connection and spend a few days discovering one another during the Finnish midsummer. In the blood-curdling exciting thriller B&B, a married gay couple goes to a remote B&B in Wales to celebrate their legal victory over the homophobic owner. But when a mysterious other guest turns up and shows interest in the owner’s closeted son, what should have been a few days of gloating soon turns into a murderous nightmare in this highly entertaining crime thriller. The not to be missed After Louie is an unconventional romance featuring brilliant performances by Alan Cumming and Zachary Booth. Sam, an artist, and activist from ACT UP who lived through the early years of HIV/AIDS, is still struggling with survivor’s guilt. Cemented into an oppressive past, he is bewildered by a younger generation of carefree gay men with their uninhibited use of social media, sexting, and seeming Mag 38
Rupert Everett and Colin Morgan in The Happy Prince
political indifference. An unexpected intimacy with a much younger man challenges Sam’s understanding of contemporary gay life. Through this unconventional romance, he is forced to deal with the trauma that so informs his past, their present, and an unknown future. Girl tells the story of trans ballet student Lara, played by cismale Victor Polster, finding her way through her teens and navigating the demanding academy of dance. Surrounded by supportive family, Lara deals with the impatience of adolescence on a much more vital scale: approaching hormone replacement therapy and waiting for her body to reflect her true self. Writerdirector Lukas Dhont and co-writer Angelo Tijssens’ project took the Camera d’Or, the Queer Palm, and a gender-blind prize for best performance in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes this year. Legendary Disney lyricist (and unofficial director) Howard Ashman is profiled in Don Hahn’s documentary Howard: The Howard Ashman Story. An indomitable force who wrote canonical Disney songs like Be Our Guest, Under the Sea, and Poor Unfortunate Souls, Ashman worked alongside the voice actors and actresses who brought many of Disney’s most precious characters to life, including Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach, pictured in the clip above. Ashman tied many of the themes in his work to LGBTQ issues, as he saw them. Of Beauty and the Beast, Howard director Bill Condon told Attitude the character of the Beast was innately personal: “Specifically for him, it was a metaphor for AIDS,” noting Ashman wrote the lyrics at home shortly before his death from AIDS-related illness. “He was cursed, and this curse had brought sorrow on all those people who loved him, and maybe there was a chance for a miracle—and a way for the curse to be lifted. It was a very concrete thing that he was doing.” The controversial Mapplethorpe illuminates the life of one of gay art’s most prized and controversial provocateurs. His graphic depictions of sadomasochism, bondage, and other nonnormative sexual content along with celebrity portraits of figures like Andy Warhol and Philip Glass earned him fame, stigma that would lead to struggle for commercial viability, and a spotlight at the center of respectability discourse that ultimately had a hand in changing obscenity law.
OUT ON FILM ON THE BIG SCREEN WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN LUCAS HEDGES If you remember Lucas Hedges’ heartbreaking performance in Mancester by The Sea, you can see him in Ben Is Back (28 Dec), which was written and directed by his father Peter Hedges, with Julia Roberts as a mother trying the help her addict son after he returns home from rehab. Hedges also raised praise for his performance in Boy Erased (22 Feb), the true story of the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) at age 19 after a classmate rapes him. He is faced with an ultimatum: attend a gay conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. The film also stars South African born Troye Sivan (Spud) as Gary, a fellow gay man in the conversion programme.
with a recently paroled convict (Kevin Hart). In Can You Ever Forgive Me? (8 Feb) Melissa McCarthy stars in the adaptation of the memoir, the true story of best-selling celebrity biographer (and friend to cats) who turned her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).
OPERA LIVE ON THE BIG SCREEN
Julia Roberts & Lucas Hedges - Ben Is Back
DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS Hunky Jason Momoa is Aquaman (21 Dec) in an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breath-taking underwater world of the seven seas, sexy Taron Egerton plays the war-hardened Crusader Robin Hood (28 Dec); and 54 years after the original film, Rob Marshall’s musical fantasy Mary Poppins Returns (28 Dec) stars Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep.
JANUARY 2018 Beautiful Boy (4 Jan) chronicles the heart-breaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years; Brad Pitt plays an Army Corps Astronaut who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet in the scifi adventure Ad Astra (11 Jan); The Favourite (18 Jan) focuses on the behind-the-scenes politics between two cousins jockeying to be court favourites during the reign of Queen Anne in the early 18th century.; On The Basis Of Sex (25 Jan) is an inspiring and spirited true story that follows young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) as she teams with her husband Marty (Arnie Hammer) to bring a ground breaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination.
FEBRUARY 2018 The Upside (1 Feb) is a remake of the French 2011 film The Intouchables which was itself inspired by the life of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo. The film follows a paralyzed billionaire (Bryan Cranston) who strikes up an unlikely friendship
Timothee Chalamet is a struggling meth addict in Beautiful Boy
Opera lovers can indulge in the 13th Season of The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live highdefinition cinema simulcasts at Nouveau cinemas, with the U.S. premiere production of Nico Muhly’s Marnie (15 Dec), based on Winston Graham’s suspenseful thriller, directed by Michael Mayer with Isabel Leonard as the title character; Mayer’s new staging of Verdi’s La Traviata (12 January, 2019), conducted by incoming Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and starring Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Flórez, and Quinn Kelsey; Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur (9 February 2019), starring Anna Netrebko in the title role, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda in Sir David McVicar’s new staging, Richard Eyre’s acclaimed production of Bizet’s Carmen (9 March), starring Clémentine Margaine as the alluring gypsy, opposite Roberto Alagna as Don José; Laurent Pelly’s whimsical reimagining of Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment (30 March 2019), with Javier Camarena and Pretty Yende as Tonio and Marie; and the most popular of Wagner’s four epic Ring operas, Die Walküre (27 April 2019), with Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde, and Poulenc’s 20th-century masterpiece Dialogues des Carmélites (8 June)for the first time in cinemas, conducted by Yannick NézetSéguin. For all queries, call Ticketline on 0861 Movies (668 437).
THE FUGARD BIOSCOPE You can enjoy some of the world’s best recorded live theatre, opera and ballet productions on Sundays at 10am: the Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker (23 Dec), the National Theatre’s The Madness Of George III (6 Jan) and Julie (13 Jan), the Bolshoi Ballet’s La Sylphide (20 Jan), the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Merry Wives Of Windsor (27 Jan), ComédieFrançaise’s The Misanthrope (3 Feb), Scapin The Schemer (10 Feb) and The Fop Reformed (17 Feb), and the Royal Opera House’s The Queen Of Spades (24 Feb). Call the Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 For the latest film releases visit: www.writingstudio.co.za
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ON STAGE
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AT ITS BEST WITH DANIEL DERCKSEN The world’s most-loved tribute show Michael Jackson HIStory Show showcases all of MJ’s greatest and most popular hits performed by Johannesburgborn singer, Dantanio, accompanied by a live six-piece band and four backup dancers. The SA tour kicks off in Durban at Sibaya Casino on 14 December 2018, including a special New Year’s Eve performance, and runs through to 6 January, then travels to Carnival City’s Big Top Arena in Boksburg for a special one-night only showcase on 11 January, before returning to Cape Town (for the first time since January 2017) at The Artscape Theatre from 17 January until 10 February 2019. Booking is at Computicket.
CAPE TOWN Artscape Theatre Centre is buzzing with Matilda – The Musical (11 Dec to 13 Jan); Cape Town City Ballet’s The Little Mermaid (14 Dec – 4 Jan) and Sean Bovim’s Swing Time (20 Dec to 5 Jan) ; SAMA winner Anna Davel and Sima Mashazi celebrating Ella Fitzgerald – a Century in Song (19 – 22 Dec); Hairspray The Musical (2 – 16 Feb); Design Indaba (27 Feb – 1 March); and the musical Chicago (15 March – 14 April). Bookings at Computicket or you can call 021 421 7839. At the Masque Theatre you can indulge in the music of ABBA performed by Cape Town’s top musicians and directed by Cape Town’s own Mike McCullagh (3 – 23 Dec), the dynamic Christine And The Kilts (27 Dec – 5 Jan) , featuring new irrepressible Scottish traditional songs; and the sensational Fashion show musical Lovely To Look At (30 Jan – 2 Feb). Book on Computicket or with the Masque Theatre on 021 788 1898 Langarm (until 31 Dec) is the muchanticipated new musical by awardwinning, South African legend David Kramer that tells a story of love and intrigue set in the story-world of Cape Town’s ballroom dance culture in the 1960s. Bookings at The Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through The Fugard Theatre’s website at www. thefugard.com. At the Baxter Theatre Nik Rabinowitz returns with this hilarious comedy Dry White (18 Dec – 12 Jan); Marc Lottering’s Aunty Merle the Musical swooshes back on to the stage from 3 Dec – 5 Jan, and The RAW Fest will bring Mag 40
together 180 amazing acts in 20 mindblowing shows from 10 Dec – 5 Jan. Booking is on 086 111 0005, or www. webtickets.co.za. At the divinely luscious Gate 69 in Cape Town you can see the saucy The Three Little Pigs until Dec 23, and the fabulous comedy female impersonator, Ceri Dupree makes a welcome return from 6 Feb – 16 March. Call 021-035 1627 / 071 589 2915 or book online: www. gate69.co.za
DURBAN At the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in Durban this year’s pantomime is a magical, brand new production of Cinderella from 7 Dec- 6 Jan, featuring Darren King and Bryan Hiles as the Ugly Sisters, Mthokozisi Zulu as Buttons, Nathan Kruger as the Prince, Lyle Buxton as Dandini and Angela Valverde as the Fairy Godmother. Book at Computicket or 0861 915 8000
Following in the same theme as past three season shows (Bon Soir, Au Revoir and Caliente), Followspot presents their latest creation, Bijou at the Kalk Bay Theatre until Dec 31, a little spicy, a little naughty and a lot of fun. Call 021 7887257 from 3pm – 6pm Tuesday to Saturday
JOHANNESBURG At the Joburg Theatre you can see Janice Honeyman’s Snow White, The Fairest Panto in All The Land (until 23 Dec); Aunty Merle the Musical (1 Feb – 3 March), and Guitar Wizards (27 Feb – 2 March), a new, exciting fusion of guitar sounds. Bookings 0861 670 670 or www.joburgtheatre.com You can see Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at Theatre on The Bay (5 Dec – 19 Jan) and Montecasino Theatre (23 Jan – 3 March), and the musical Into The Woods at Theatre On The Bay (25 Jan – 2 March) and Montecasino Theatre (8 March – 14 April). Bookings at Computicket.
THE SHOWROOM THEATRE PRINCE ALBERT At The Showroom Theatre in Prince Albert you can celebrate the New Year with The Oldies But Goldies show featuring the sensational James Marais and Monique Cassells, along with MC and comedian, Fanie Schoeman (Dec 31), Pieter-Dirk Uys sorts out 40 years of distress, disguise and disgust in When in doubt say Darling! (22 Feb), and An Evening with Evita Bezuidenhout (23 Feb) features South Africa’s most famous White Woman. Bookings: www. showroomtheatre.co.za or 023 5411 563 Experience Theatre Live and visit www.writingstudio.co.za, featuring listing of theatres in South Africa and internationally.
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