If you don’t tell your story, someone else is going to.

It’s a sad notion, but it’s the truth, and is also one of the reasons why the gay Xhosa initiation love story Inxeba (The Wound) is getting so much scrutiny across social media.

Other reasons for the backlash are the movie’s in-depth look at the traditional Xhosa initiation ceremony, Ulwaluko, as well as the fact that it is directed by a white man, John Trengove.

For those of you who either know someone who has been initiated, or have been initiated yourself, you understand that there are just some things you never talk about when it comes to the tradition.

Here are a few comments on social media, some going as far back as January when the film was first released:

However, the film’s story isn’t told purely from the perspective of a white man.

Inspired by the novel A man who is not a man by Thando Mgqolozana, the screenplay was co-written by Mgqolozana, Malusi Bengu and Trengrove.

Here’s the synopsis of the film:

Xolani, a lonely factory worker, joins the men of his community in the mountains of the Eastern Cape to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best kept secret, Xolani’s entire existence begins to unravel.

Check the trailer:

The African premiere of the film took place at the 38th Durban Film Festival and, according to City Press, here are what five pan-Africanists thought of it:

South Africa’s Inxeba takes a stark, unflinching look at black African masculinity by taking a taboo subject in our societies – same-sex love – and situating it in an even more hushed setting, Xhosa initiation from boyhood to manhood.

Until the over-the-top ending, there was barely a false note in the film and a particular breathtaking scene involving the two leads and a waterfall deserves a spot on the Most Beautiful Love Scenes Ever Put to Film list.

Wilfred Okiche (Nigeria)

A well-told love story between three men, even just the trailer for Inxeba shook the senses and set social media ablaze for daring to expose the history and secrecy of a traditional rite of passage.

With its tackling of culturally sensitive material and its focus on levels of masculinity I am uncertain that the film will be well received by the mass South African audience – they may feel their culture is being slightly trampled on. I know I did.

With its melodramatic ending, which made the whole thing slightly comical, this is a miss for me.

Nthabiseng Mosieane (South Africa)

What he and his cast achieve is remarkable. Instead of provoking disgust, the creators succeed, through their intimate film, in drawing the viewer in and engaging with them. At first one is left uneasy by the tough traditional circumcision scenes.

But by the end? I felt empathy, understanding and compassion.

Domoina Ratsara (Madagascar)

You can read more reviews here.

What do you think? Is it time South Africans began having a conversation around this tradition, or should it remain something of a guarded secret to outsiders?

The film is set to be released in South Africa on February 2, 2018, and perhaps we should all give it a watch to see what’s up.

[source:citypress]