While it is no secret that our country has for years been at the forefront of racially discriminatory practices, what is often overlooked is the struggle endured, during the colonial and apartheid era. This means that any person who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or any other person who found their identity within the LGBTQ+ community, were considered aberrant from societal norms which were at the time largely influenced by religion and a conservative view of gender and sexuality. This article wishes to take you as the reader on a journey into the history of queer art in South Africa, historical figures that have helped shape the inclusive democracy we hold today and lastly the way in which queer art and the LGBTQ+ community are presently viewed. This article will use the story of Simon Nkoli to highlight queer art history and the way he has contributed to the advancement of queer art, identity, and activism within South Africa.
Up until recently, it was not seen as 'socially acceptable' to be openly out as a LGBTQ+ person. During the period of the 1960s – 1990s the South African Police force would regularly carry out raids on behalf of the apartheid government of all the queer clubs/bars, bathhouses and private residences (Muller, 2019:05). In 1979 one of these raids took place at a nightclub called The New Mandy’s, the police were armed with cameras, lined people up against the wall and took as many pictures as possible (Muller, 2019:05). They then gave the press access to these raids and photographs which could later be published in the daily newspaper (Muller, 2019:05). This was done as a tactic to instill fear in the hearts of the LGBTQ+ community, to deter any future gatherings, artworks and protests. Therefore, during these periods in which being a LGBTQ+ person was seen as contra bonos mores (contrary to public policy) people had to find new and inventive ways to express their art and raise their voices.
An example of a queer activist who found new and inventive ways to express their art and raise their voice is Simon Tseko Nkoli. During the apartheid regime, Nkoli was best known for his relationship with clothing and style and the way he used it to express his political ideologies and fight the apartheid government (Mchunu, 2023:10).
Nkoli used clothing and style as a way of expressing his queer identity. People described him as a vibrant, passionate and flamboyant person, they described the clothing he wore as bold, unconventional and 'statement pieces' (Mchunu, 2023:03). Nkoli was loud, proud and unashamed of his queer identity, this sparked a domino effect as many other LGBTQ+ people become confident in their identity.
For Example, Nkoli helped Beverly Ditsie co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of Witwatersrand (GLOW), when she expressed that she had a strong desire to wear 'ties' which was a clothing item traditionally associated with men (Mchunu, 2023:03). In response Nkoli said to her 'Ja, wear your tie and confuse the enemy', later that day she wore her first tie and has worn them ever since (Mchunu, 2023:03). Nkoli’s relationship with clothing not only inspired other LGBTQ+ people to become confident in their identities but also served as a political strategy contributing to the fight against the apartheid government, pushing against and testing their conservative ways (Mchunu, 2023:04).
In the mid- 1970s Nkoli joined the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) as the general secretary (Mchunu,2023:04). After announcing his homosexuality, he was called in for a meeting by the regional executive to discuss his position as general secretary (Mchunu, 2023:04). The belief was that his homosexuality was 'un-African' and his silence about it for so long was seen as dishonest (Nkoli, 1994:253). Nkoli stated that his coming out had affected his work and standing within COSAS, as now he was hesitant to put forward ideas out of fear of rejection (Nkoli, 1994:253). This incident emphasises the way in which queer people were policed into accepting the 'normative orders' of society to fit into the cis-heteronormative world.
It is because of his personal experience with this forced acceptance, that Nkoli became an instrumental figure in the political and social development of the LGBTQ+ community. For example, when Nkoli was imprisoned in 1984 because of his participation in an anti-apartheid march he openly came out as gay man in prison (Mchunu, 2023:05). This was done to challenge the anti-apartheid movement to determine how LGBTQ+ rights fit into their 'equal society' based on human rights (Mchunu, 2023:05). Nkoli cemented the idea that homosexual rights usually do not fall within the ambit of this 'equal rights for all' notion. This is because homosexuality was a topic that was often shunned even by the anti-apartheid movement, as 'equal rights' in most cases only extend to marginalized groups that are heterosexual (Mchunu, 2023:13). One of the ways Nkoli expressed the above ideology was through his clothing, he often wore one of his most iconic t-shirts which had the words 'NO LIBERATION WITHOUT GAY AND LESBIAN LIBERATION' printed over a pink triangle. (Mchunu, 2023:12).
Upon his release in 1988, Nkoli started GLOW as he believed that organisations such as the Gay Association of South Africa, did not adequately enough represent the political and social needs of the LGBTQ+ community (Mchunu, 2023:05) . GLOW is most known for its advocacy to include the sexual orientation clause in the drafting of the ANC's Bill of Rights, which is now included in S9(3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Furthermore, GLOW was also instrumental in organising one of the first Pride March in 1990 (Mchunu, 2023:05).
Nkoli’s work during the apartheid regime, challenges the misbegotten idea that being a homosexual is 'un-African' (Mchunu, 2023:13). The way in which he incorporated his political ideologies into the clothing he wore constitutes a form of visual activism that till today cements itself as one of the most historic queer artworks to emerge from the apartheid regime (Mchunu, 2023:14). His activism shaped the future of the LGBTQ+ community in South Africa, moving away from a society with restrictive, parochial ideas about gender, sexuality, and identity, to an open-minded society based on equality and non-discrimination.
Although our country has endured an egregious history of discrimination and exclusion of marginalised people, our present-day society has taken monumental steps towards inclusion and equal rights for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Our society norms have changed from heteronormative to a homonormative egalitarian society which openly and actively advocates for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, in conversations and spaces where they would normally be excluded. Our Constitution makes it virtually impossible to discriminate against anyone on a vast number of grounds including sexual orientation found in S9(3) and provides for freedom of expression found in S16(1). It also provides a platform where all forms of expression are protected and respected. This would not have been achieved without the help of Simon Nkoli and many other activists who took it upon themselves to rewrite and reshape what society deems 'normal' and 'acceptable' in terms of gender and identity (Mchunu, 2023:19).
True liberation cannot be achieved without dismantling all forms of oppression. This is what Simion Nkoli aimed to solidify in the minds of the apartheid government with his unconventional style and innovative ideas, effectively challenging the preconceived notion that homosexuality is un-African and inhumane. Our present-day society is more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community because of foot soldiers like Simon Nkoli, who planted the seeds of liberation so that we, the upcoming generation could reap the bountiful harvest that is equality, freedom and human dignity.
Bibliography
Articles
Mchunu, K. 2023. The Queer Activism of Simion Nkoli’s Clothed and Styled Body at UJ. University of South Africa Press, 11(1): 3-19.
Muller, BM. 2019. Under Pricella’s eyes: State Violence Against South Africa’s Queer Community During and After Apartheid at UCT. Scientific Electronic Library Online, 33:5.
Nkoli, S.1994. Wardrobes: Coming Out as a Black Gay Activist in South Africa. In Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa, edited by Gevisser M and Cameron E. Ravens Press, 57:253.
Edited by Flavia Davids
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