Zanele Muholi, Visual Activist

(Johannesburg, November 25, 2013) – Human Rights Watch today released a short film that explores the work of the award winning South African photographer and activist Zanele Muholi to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. The campaign begins on November 25, 2013. Muholi, who describes herself as a “visual activist,” has spent years documenting the lives of black lesbians and transgender people in South Africa. “We live in fear,” Muholi said. “And what are we doing about it? You have to document. You are forced to document.” The film was made as a collaboration between Muholi and filmmakers Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall—the directors of the award winning documentary "Call Me Kuchu," which tells the story of the last year in the life of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato. The video is dedicated to the memory of Duduzile Zozo, who was brutally raped and murdered in Thokoza, Gauteng Province in South Africa on June 30.