Inxeba straight out insensitive to wishes of Xhosas
A scene from the film, 'Inxeba', that has sparked controversy for its portrayal of homosexuality amid the process of initiation.
I was reading my usual Sowetan morning edition yesterday when I came across very arrogant analysis of the movie Inxeba.
The first comment I read was the editorial, which in a nutshell told any Xhosa person who dislikes the movie to relax.
Another take on the movie was written by columnist Kwanele Ndlovu, who said any Xhosa person who is unhappy with the movie must take a running jump.
I had initially told myself that I will not comment on Inxeba because of the insensitive approach adopted by the movie producers in relation to the message they wanted to convey.
Firstly, the movie is produced within a Xhosa cultural paradigm and secondly, the title is intertwined with a Xhosa man's rite of passage.
What I have come to realise about the movie is that the comments, made by non-Xhosa people, are tantamount to arrogance and based on ignorance about why Xhosa people take an offence to the screening of the movie.
As a principle, I will never judge the culture of Zulus, Pedis, Tswanas, Muslims, Jews or any cultural grouping in South Africa.
It should be noted that Xhosa people who are offended by Inxeba are simply making a call to producers not to take away the sacrosanct of the Xhosa man's rite of passage, thereby rendering it an insignificant event in the life of a Xhosa man.
Lazola Vabaza,e-mail