South African gay social media and reality TV star Thulasizwe Dambuza, popularly known as Lasizwe, is being rightly lambasted for his latest ill-considered video featuring homophobic Ugandan journalist Simon Njala.
The video, part of Lasizwe’s humorous “Awkward Dates” YouTube series, sees him sitting down for a “date” with Njala. The journalist is best known for his 2012 television interview with Ugandan LGBTIQ+ rights activist Pepe Julian Onziema, which he opened with the now-infamous question: “Why are you gay?”
That clip, which saw Onziema visibly taken aback by the abrupt questioning, became an internet meme mocking LGBTIQ+ people. The interview is also infamous for Njala ambushing Onziema with notorious queerphobic Pastor Martin Ssempa, who proceeded to rant about the alleged sexual practices of gay people using vegetables and fruits as props. It’s these kinds of media attacks that helped fuel the campaign to enact the country’s extreme anti-LGBTIQ+ legislation.
News that Lasizwe’s latest “date” was none other than Njala went viral on X, unleashing a torrent of outrage from members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Many slammed the online sensation for putting views before ethics, especially in the context of international Pride Month.
On the face of it, the idea of a queer public figure like Lasizwe giving Njala a platform in a comedic format certainly seemed bizarre and in bad taste. Perhaps, I thought, there was some deeper intention behind the project. So, giving Lasizwe the benefit of the doubt, I actually watched the video.
Viewing the full 29-minute interview (which is also a commercial for the RocoMamas burger chain, the location of the “date”), it became painfully clear that Lasizwe had no strategy of substance to address the very disturbing issues that should arise in any discussion with Njala.
Instead, Lasizwe spends much of the time being annoyingly coy and sheepish about his sexuality and his apparent crush on Njala. There’s a lot of talk about whether Lasizwe is “a mister” or “miss,” and Njala predictably gets to ask him, “Why are you gay?” It’s less an “awkward date” and more a “cringeworthy encounter.”
Addressing the controversy with News24, Lasizwe said that “as a proud member of the LGBTI community,” he wanted to sit down with Njala because he aimed “to disrupt” the pain, trauma, and hurt caused by the meme. He also claimed: “It’s not that I’m giving him a platform, but I wanted to disrupt that legacy so that the people who follow him can see that some sort of education is being had there.”
It’s hard to take these statements seriously when watching the video. There’s zero disruption or education to be seen. Njala seems completely unbothered by Lasizwe’s “comedic” antics, and Lasizwe’s attempt to explain the LGBTIQA+ acronym to him is inept and uninformed.
When Njala asks where he’d like to go on holiday, Lasizwe answers: Uganda. A visibly pleased Njala responds that his country is indeed a wonderful and beautiful destination and that his wife would host Lasizwe if he visited.
This would, for any thinking person, have been the perfect segue to bring up Uganda’s oppressive 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which provides for life in prison, and in some cases, the death penalty as punishment for same-sex intimacy. After all, if Lasizwe were to actually visit, he would face the very real risk of being thrown in jail. Yet, jarringly, this goes unmentioned and undiscussed.
In fact, at no point is Njala asked about his homophobic views or his country’s devastating and ongoing assault on the lives of its LGBTIQ+ citizens. It’s simply not brought up.
Lasizwe doesn’t have the competence, depth, or smarts to tackle something like this with any meaningful intent. Rather, this “Awkward Date” is an offensive attempt at shock “entertainment”, with Uganda’s beleaguered LGBTIQ+ community as the unspoken punchline. It’s an appalling mess that Lasizwe should apologise for — not just to South Africa’s LGBTIQ+ community, but especially to Uganda’s.
