Loyiso Bala believes Inxeba must be banned
The film depicts the traditional ritual of ukwaluka – a Xhosa tradition into manhood – as well as s.e.xual identity in the form of a gay love story.
It has won 19 awards across the world and has been praised for pushing boundaries and creating debate.
As producers, actors and the director of Inexba (The Wound) spent much of the weekend calling for calm after death threats against themselves as well as staff of movie houses who showed the film was at an all time high, musician Loyiso Bala took to social media to not only insist it ridicules the traditions of the Xhosa culture, he also called for a ban of the film.
But as the film opened in South African cinemas on Friday, many movie houses were forced to shut doors as they received death threats.
Loyiso took to Twitter a day after many called for calm and said he thought the film should be banned.
As a Christian, I would not depict a picture of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed. Not because I believe in the reasons behind it, but because I respect the wishes of the Muslim community. Why when it comes to our own traditions, we can’t give each other the same respect? #BanInxeba
— Loyiso Bala (@loyisomusic) February 3, 2018
One of the producers, Elias Ribeiro, told our source at an exclusive screening of the film that many who criticise it have not watched it.
The actors and director have repeatedly said that the film does not show anything about the Xhosa tradition that has not already been said.