Logo Goethe-Institut

South Africa

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5:00 PM

IDAHOBIT - The Power of Communities: Gender, Language and Power

Fim, panel discussion, networking | On the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), the Goethe-Institut invites you to an inspiring evening on May 21, 2025.

  • Goethe-Institut Johannesburg, Johannesburg

  • English
  • Free entrance

A vibrant, multi-colored rainbow umbrella viewed from underneath. Bold text reads 'IDAHOBIT,' followed by 'The Power of Communities: Gender, Language and Power.' The image highlights themes of inclusivity, diversity, and collective strength in addressing gender and language-related issues." © Goethe-Institut

A vibrant, multi-colored rainbow umbrella viewed from underneath. Bold text reads 'IDAHOBIT,' followed by 'The Power of Communities: Gender, Language and Power.' The image highlights themes of inclusivity, diversity, and collective strength in addressing gender and language-related issues." © Goethe-Institut

Under the theme “The Power of Communities: Gender, Language and Power,” we are standing together for diversity, solidarity, and visibility.

Look forward to a film screening, a round table with exciting guests, live music, and plenty of opportunities for networking. The Round Table will focus on the theme The Power of Communities: Gender, Language and Power. Language shapes the way we think, how we live together, and how we perceive gender and identity. But who decides how we speak – and who is made visible or invisible through language?

Together with voices from activism, academia, and the arts, we’ll explore how language can be a tool for empowerment – but also how it can exclude or harm. This conversation invites us to reflect on how conscious use of language can help create spaces of diversity, justice, and belonging.

Film description:

“Young, Gifted & Queer” is a bold and deeply human portrait of Black queer identity in South Africa. Through the lives and voices of artists and activists like Andiswa Dlamini, Umlilo, S’bo Gyre, Dr. Bev Ditsie and Lula Odiba, the film explores how art, representation, and community intersect in powerful and often unexpected ways. Beyond celebrating queer joy and resilience, the documentary is also a call to action — spotlighting how storytelling can shift narratives and drive real social change.

Program Overview

17:00 – 17:15 Arrival & Welcome Reception
17:15 – 18:00 Opening Remarks & Film Screening “Young, Gifted and Queer” by Renaldo Schwarp
18:00 – 19:00 Round Table Discussion
19:00 – 21:00 DJ Lelowhatsgood,  Networking & Informal Exchange

Speakers

Thembi Matroshe is a Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary arts practitioner, certified life coach, and LGBTQIA+ activist. She has worked across curatorship, public programming, and government stakeholder engagement to promote inclusion and transformation. A founding member of the Re-curators collective, her work centers Black cultural production in Africa and the diaspora. Thembakazi also delivers corporate sensitisation talks to advance LGBTQIA+ workplace inclusion. She holds degrees from the University of Cape Town and the University of the Witwatersrand.

An award-winning filmmaker, author and creative producer whose work spans television, digital storytelling, publishing and film. His passion lies in creating content that amplifies and celebrates underrepresented voices and challenges mainstream narratives, with a distinct focus on the intersection between culture, identity, and positive representation.

Dr Kudzaiishe Vanyoro is a Researcher and Project Manager at the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies. He holds a PhD in Critical Diversity Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand. He works on critical diversity literacy, gender, sexuality, media(tion) and cultural studies, and queer pan africanism. The Wits Faculty of Humanities, Queer African Studies Association (QASA) and the South African Sociological Association (SASA) have recognized his work through awards.

Umlilo is an intergalactic, shape-shifting kwaai diva— a genre- and gender-bending multidisciplinary artist and founder of Future Kwaai Records and co-founder of LeGrand Queer Arts Festival. Her signature sound, future kwaai, blends electronic music with AI, fashion, XR, and performance art, rooted in the black trans and queer South African experience.