Kefilwe Monosi is Botswana's foremost photographer of transgender activists. She is working towards an exhibition focused on this important community, and documenting LGBTQi+ stories of resilience.
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00:00Kifilwe Monosi is Botswana's foremost photographer of transgender activists.
00:08She is working towards an exhibition focused on this important community and is attending
00:13the October 2024 Pride March in Khabarone to document powerful LGBTQ plus stories of
00:21resilience.
00:22It's very important to document the trans community because they are a very small community
00:31here in Botswana.
00:32So me photographing them is for them to express themselves, to be seen through my photography.
00:40Although Kifilwe's journey to being a visual storyteller hasn't been easy, how did this
00:4436-year-old become a photojournalist to begin with?
00:52I chose photojournalism because images transcend through language barriers.
01:00While working at a Khabarone newspaper, Kifilwe noticed a lack of coverage for LGBTQ plus
01:06stories and this triggered her next career step.
01:12I felt frustrated and angry that we're misunderstanding unrepresented communities.
01:17So that really got to me because I always felt that always chasing the deadline and
01:22when you chase the deadline you miss the story.
01:26So after that I decided to do freelance work covering a lot of human rights issues.
01:34I decided to go deeper and focus mainly on the transgender community and cover them truthfully
01:41for my work to be used as a tool to spark conversations surrounding the realities that
01:47they live.
01:49So when I take photos, first of all I make sure that people I take pictures of they feel
01:54safe around me and then there's mutual respect and then I feel so connected to them, especially
02:00privileged that I get to tell that story.
02:06As she prepares for her upcoming exhibition, Kifilwe captures striking images of nearly
02:1140-year-old Dobeha, co-founder of the Botswana Trans Initiative.
02:19We are pushed to be activists because systems in place do not recognize or do not place
02:26us in a position where we are protected.
02:30It's really a dangerous space for a trans person in Botswana.
02:34Mental health is a big issue for the trans community.
02:40Despite homosexuality being decriminalized in 2019, Botswana's estimated 250,000 queer
02:47and trans individuals are repeatedly exposed to discriminatory and even life-threatening
02:53situations.
02:56Even today, this conservative country is still reeling from a viral video showing a transgender
03:02woman being attacked by a crowd one night.
03:06When I saw that video, I was mostly hurt.
03:09We're human first before anything else.
03:12How can other people do this to another person?
03:16So that video made me want to do more work within the community and tell their stories.
03:26Photography is a very powerful tool because then we are able to put a face to the story
03:32and shift narratives.
03:35As Botswana Trans Initiative, we've had to say we are going to document ourselves to
03:40ensure that we inform our society of the harmful behaviors that trigger violence towards people
03:49who are already marginalized.
03:53I love photographing Nelly because of her resilience and her authentic beauty, the way
04:00she carries herself, and also just fighting for the community through her work.
04:05Even though it's difficult, she keeps on going.
04:09Kifilo's photography also leads her to celebrate another transgender activist, Bafi Xhosiamang.
04:21One of my achievements in my own country has been me being able to change my identification
04:29card from female to male.
04:34In Botswana, it is a lengthy and difficult legal process for a transgender person to
04:39have their gender marker changed in the national registry.
04:44How has Bafi responded to this challenge?
04:50After I managed to change my ID, I started working for an organization that speaks for
04:55the TNI, trans and intersex people, and that gave me even more joy because I was able to
05:01bring in and help those that couldn't speak for themselves.
05:06Currently, gender reassignment is only legal in very few African countries.
05:18If LGBTQ plus lives are to improve, even after a successful Pride March, what does
05:24Kifilowe think she is doing to further an understanding of transgender people?
05:32What gives me satisfaction in being a photojournalist is I get to change mindsets and that leads
05:38to change.
05:39It makes me feel happy and truly makes me believe that I'm doing my purpose, that I
05:44was given by God.
05:47Kifilowe Monose's work continues to shape powerful, transgender-affirming narratives.
05:53Her photographs remind us that every trans story has the power to inspire change in Botswana.