I am the gigantic baobab

Change is coming slowly, if at all, for LGBTQ+ people in many parts of the world. In Botswana, welcome changes to legislation concerning same sex relationships were passed in 2019. But to be lesbian, gay or transgender in Botswana still requires considerable strength and bravery, and with social attitudes in flux, the conversation is as essential as ever.

While working in Botswana in 2015, Sara Davidmann and I wanted to go beyond a structured interview approach to capture people’s experiences and stories in ways they felt most comfortable with. We subsequently explored different formal approaches to framing, editing and processing of both sound and image for each participant in order to reflect the diversity of their experiences, which varied from activism and artistic expression to ‘correctional rape’ and domestic violence.

Originally intended as a multi-channel installation, the linear single-screen version has been selected for the Strangelove Festival 2020 and the Leeds Queer Film Festival 2020.