Breaking the mould that excludes the identities of the Black LGBTQI+ community in South African society, Fela Gucci and Desire Marea recreate their existence by sharing realities through performance art.
Influenced by the pioneering kwaito music group Boom Shaka and the Queen of African Pop Brenda Fassie, the collective compose music fused with Gqom and Afrobeats to create a style of sound unique to their voices. Putting together eloquent and accentuating outfits, Fela and Desire use fashion, photography and literature to diversify their mediums of expression and radically challenge the representations of black queer bodies in the media.
FAKA shared their debut live performance titled “#WaitLorraine: A Wemmer Pan-African Introduction to Siyakaka Feminism” in 2015, at ‘BubblegumClubb Nights’ hosted at the Hazard Gallery in Johannesburg. ‘Siyakaka’ means ‘We are shitting’, a concept that is derived in a continuing response to mental attitudes about what Black Femininity is and who defines and validates that body. In 2016 they released their first EP ‘Bottoms Revenge’, which tells stories of Black culture within a capitalist society, spaces in public transport that threaten queer identities and mental health in the Black communities.
“I would describe them as fierce”, said Mmabatho Rakitla (32) who placed the duo’s music video for ‘Uyang’khumbula’ as one of her favourites. Rakitla discovered the pair on Soundcloud when she listened to their song “From A Distance” released in 2016, “as a person who identifies as a Black Lesbian, I think FAKA is confronting stereotypes that stifle and silence our experiences as queer people, especially in being black, they confront more issues that filter into masculinity and cultural practices”.
Inspired by the FAKA fashion, Peddix Mpofana (21) in Grahamstown celebrates her identity in the clothing that she decides to wear; “I always add my own look to the FAKA inspirations, I believe representation is so important”.
With daring style and self-expression, the performance art duo takes an unapologetic approach to dismantling gender prejudices through radical representations, paving way for the stories of Black queer bodies.
*Names changed for the purpose of the article.