Gay People are Living There: Reaching Out Beyond the Cities: An Evaluation of the Out In Africa Satellite Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Mafikeng, 2008

 This 44-page report, published by Atlantic Philanthropies, presents a case study of one of Out in Africa’s (OIA) satellite film festivals held in Mafikeng, South Africa in 2008. Out in Africa has organised an annual gay and lesbian film festival in various South African cities since 1990. Since 2004, OIA has taken a selection of films to 18 small towns in rural areas. As stated in the report, these satellite festivals not only provide education and entertainment to isolated gay and lesbian communities, they also bring gays and lesbians together in solidarity and help to strengthen embryonic organisations. They also provide platforms for gay visibility in often hostile environments.

According to the report, when OIA carried out a study of its audience, it found that the festival was more important to those from rural areas than cinema-goers in the urban centres, who were regularly exposed to gay media and culture. For many it is a first openly gay event, a first encounter for the two to three hundred fellow gays and lesbians that attend.

In organising a festival in any new town, OIA begins by developing contacts in the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community. Once the initial contacts are made, OIA employs a small number of local activists to begin establishing a volunteer network. Volunteers make contacts with LGBTI people in surrounding towns through organisations such as Rape Crisis and the Treatment Action Campaign.The Mafikeng satellite ventured further than others in terms of outreach to neighbouring areas, by providing resources to visit a number of towns within a 200km radius of Mafikeng. The report describes the various people involved in organising the festival and the roles they played, from outreach to organising after parties. According to the report, direct contact was crucial to putting a face to the festival and persuading people to come to the screenings; they estimate that the organising team met with more than 200 people in the weeks before the festival.

The films were screened at a local theatre and were a mixture of local and international productions. Some of the short films were produced as part of OIA's workshop programme which aims to develop local filmmakers. The concept of the workshops was a response to the dearth of local material and a desire to screen films that authenticated the lives of black South African LGBTIs, especially black lesbians.

According to the report, the satellite festival made a difference in the community. For the local partner organisation, Gay Umbrella, the festival has given the organisation an opportunity to market itself, to develop a recognisable identity and profile, to build a provincial database of contacts, to begin the work of organising in the more far-flung communities, to learn skills of administration and event-organisation, and to build contacts with other existing organisations in the area, as well as the media. It also put Gay Umbrella more directly in touch with the community that it seeks to serve and what their needs and wants are.

Comments from audience members indicate that the festival helped build a sense of community within the LGBTI population, encouraged people to come out, and boosted their confidence and self-image. The report states that while the festival clearly made an impact, it is probable but not a given that this translates into strong organisation and people doing things at an organisational level they would not have done before. A great deal will depend on Gay Umbrella's ability to build on the foundation created.

The report includes with some key ingredients for a successful festival. These include a clear objective that includes building organisations to reduce levels of isolation; appointment of a local team that combines some experience and skill with local know-how; a budget that is transparent, realistic, and carefully monitored; preparatory outreach that involves intense face-to-face contact and the building up of a database; some degree of general visibility that allows for inclusivity beyond the LGBTI community; a mixed selection of films; a good selection of guests who are able to engage professionally and socially; and follow-up by the local partner with those attending and ongoing activities to keep them motivated.