Opening Wounds

Singer-turned-actor Nakhane Touré stars in the Xhosa initiation movie, The Wound. He tells us about the controversial storyline and why he wasn’t afraid to take on the role.

- Khosi Biyela

IT WAS never going to be an easy task – making something that would cause so much controversy. How could it be simple when it touched on so many deep emotional issues and revealed sacred customs considered to be deserving of the highest levels of privacy known to man?

At the heart of it all is the fact that the tradition of ukwaluka (traditional manhood initiation) is portrayed in the film for all to see. But it’s not only that the private rituals are being shown on the silver screen – there’s also the portrayal of two ikhankathas (Xhosa initiation school facilitators) being in a gay relationship that has many people up in arms. The controversy around The Wound, which was released at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States recently, has not died down, even weeks after its premiere. Some are supportive – others are highly critical. 

“Who gave them permission to create that movie?” was the furious question from Phathekile Holomisa, former president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA (Contralesa). “Whoever told the writers what happens in the mountains is a sell-out.”

But the man who plays the central character, Xolani, doesn’t feel the same. “I’m not surprised by the mixed public reaction to the film,” Nakhane Touré says. “You can’t live your life worrying about what other people think.

“You’ll never get anything done. There’s always something to hate or criticise. But there’s also always something to love.”