NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FOCUSES ON TRANS & INTERSEX SOUTH AFRICANS

In its first locally produced episode of the popular TV series Taboo, National Geographic will be exploring the lives of transgender and intersex people in South Africa.

According to the channel, the Taboo series “is renowned for taking viewers on a journey beyond their comfort zones and across cultural borders to explore addictions and lifestyles that are acceptable in some cultures but forbidden, illegal or reviled in others”.

The special episode, Taboo Africa: Born Identity?, will, according to the channel, focus on “the lives of three fascinating transgender individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds, living in a uniquely South African context”.

In the small township of Ikageng, we’ll meet transgender female model named Blessing, who was born as a boy named Samuel. In Cape Town, we meet Christien, a 51-year-old train driver who has transitioned from male to female with the help of her adoring wife and two children.

In Soshanguve, we meet Tebogo, a Sangoma (traditional African healer) who is male, but was born female. We also meet Tebogo’s colleague, Nthabiseng, who is Intersex, and was born with ambiguous genitalia.

“Taboo Africa: Born Identity? takes the viewer on a journey into the intriguing lives of those who bend and break the stereotypes of gender in a traditional and sometimes conservative South Africa,” said National Geographic.

The episode will premiere on the 30th of June at 20:55 on the National Geographic Channel, channel 181 on DStv.

Watch a promo for the episode below.