More than a year in the making from script-writing workshops to filming to editing before finally being launched in the Iranti offices on 2 December 2017, the Trans Webseries is finally here. This effort by Iranti to connect LGBTIQ+ storytellers from across the continent with the African Queer Media Makers’ Network (AQMMN), has served to widen the all too limited stage on which queer artists can tell queer stories for a queer audience.

Our first works of fiction, which do draw heavily from real, lived experiences, will certainly not be our last. To create visibility in a world that would erase our identities as gender-diverse Africans is an act of rebellion and revolution, and is a project that we hope to continue in some form alongside Iranti’s documentation and advocacy work.

We thank everyone who attended the official launch, and who worked tirelessly to turn these two short films into a reality.

A look into the mind of Busi, a non-binary trans person struggling with agoraphobia – the fear of the outdoors – as their former lover, Malusi, pushes them to clean up their act and live life openly and honestly, despite him not fully understanding the ins and outs of Busi’s identity.
Directed by Makgano Mamabolo. Written by Charl Landsberg.

An abstract look into Nigel Patel’s heated emotions and frantic thoughts on gender, society, violence, and the place where they all meet in the wake of a homophobic and transphobic trial in Nigel’s homeland of Malawi. An adaptation of the poem by Maya Angelou, I Rise encourages all queer Africans to be authentically themselves, even in the face of fierce adversity.
Directed by Makgano Mamabolo. Written by Nigel Patel