Cape activist uses art to advance agenda of queer South Africans

A 20-YEAR-OLD queer youth activist is committed to transformation in queer education and politics.

Abongile Qutu hails from Kayamandi in Stellenbosch and is a third year international relations student at Stellenbosch University.

He is a founding member of the Triangle Project’s youth programme, the Phefumla Queer Collective.

The programme has been in operation since 2019 and members are aged 14 to 21.

The group uses art as activism and to advocate for queer rights. The group gathers on weekends, painting, singing, dancing and expressing themselves.

Phefumla is the Xhosa word for “breathe”.

“It is a space where you get to breathe and do what feels comfortable in that moment, to express yourself,” Qutu said.

“The learners also get to learn about the different types of sexualities that exist and learn about the background of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Qutu works as the head of the Phefumla social media task team and described being part of the group as liberating.

“Our voices equate to our freedom. The more I speak about the issues that prevail in our societies, the more I am freeing myself and others. This is liberation,” they said.

Qutu works as the deputy secretary for the South African Student Congress in Stellenbosch and is a convener for the LGBTQIA+ round table.

Qutu was also head of sports, arts and culture for the ANC Women’s League’s LGBTQIA+ division.

As a queer youth activist, Qutu wanted to help navigate and tell the stories of queer people.

“Every position I take on should align with my impact in this world. There are so many young people suffocating under societal ‘norms’,” they said.

“I’m in pursuit of dismantling the systems that oppress the queer community,” they added.

Qutu said queer education means discussing topics like the importance of queer education at schools.

“Learners need to get to know the gender spectrum and understand gender diversity. They must understand the difference between gender and sexuality, which is often confused.”

Qutu added: “Understanding these basic concepts can lessen discrimination against the queer community.

“Even if our country has not given us a seat at the table, we’ve created that seat for ourselves through our activism.

“There is minimal representation of queer leadership in our government and there is gross negligence of our community,” they added.

They said the implementation of policies and safety security for the LGBTQIA+ community should be prioritised.

“Investment in policies that queer people can contribute to will make us feel safe in this country. Queer people are being killed all over the country.”

Qutu added: “Our government needs to invest in the safety of queer people.

“They need to prioritise this.” Qutu said Pride Month was a chance for expression.

“I see Pride as much more than just being proud, I see it as a time where we can continually teach the community to know who we are, overcome ignorances, and celebrate humanity.”

“Pride is all about empowerment of queer people and always standing up regardless of social ills.”