What makes Her Campus UCT so special and unique from the other chapters is that our members, writers, and students are incredibly diverse. Each person has something beautiful and interesting about them – a story to share, a talent, or an outlook on life. We’d like to celebrate our diversity by zooming in on individuals’ stories, speaking to them about what they’re most passionate about and letting them shine on our platform. Whether it be just for a chuckle or to actually share some wise words, we’d like to introduce a new series to Her Campus UCT: Humxns of UCT.
This humxn is Lance-Selae August. If you are in Humanities, you have probably gotten emails from them about the Humanities Student Council happenings! Lance is in their final year studying Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Drama and Media And Writing. They also hold powerful leadership positions including Academic Chair: Arts – Humanities Students’ Council (2018/2019) and Secretary-General of Liesbeeck Gardens Executive Committee (2018/2019). Lance-Selae is an active worker in campus politics and the EFF Student Council, as well as race, gender, theatre making, and African studies. Not only have they published a play (Bossiekop), they have successfully been voted into the UCT SRC for 2020! I sat down with Lance-Selae to discuss their journey in academia, leadership, and beyond!
Image by Freddy Nyezi
What was your journey like of applying and getting into UCT?
I was accepted into UCT immediately after finishing school, in 2011. The sad thing was that given what I wanted to study (Theatre and Performance, at the time), this wasn’t something that my parents would allow. Consequently, my journey encompassed taking a job as a cleaner for about 8 months, and then studying a more “mainstream” degree at another institution. This was followed by working corporate jobs in the telecommunications, law and education sectors. What inspired me to come back to university and pursue my passion was a very bad Multi-drug-resistant TB diagnosis, where I was literally on deaths door. The year after saw me registering at UCT.
How do you plan to incorporate queer representation into the EFFSC?
Given the recent spate of Gender-based Violence activism, what I noticed was how the narratives of trans people, gender non-conforming, non-binary and other femme bodies were silenced. The EFFSC has been a home to me and has allowed me to air my views, irrespective of the fact that I am a “biologically presenting male”. The EFFSC will be the platform through which a spirit of trans collectivism will be revived. During RMF and FMF, the motto was that “The revolution will be intersectional or it will be bullsh*t”. The EFFSC now has an opportunity to recognise these intersections through the revival of a trans collective.
You stand at the intersection between gender politics and race politics. Do you think that UCT provides fair and easily accessible platforms for non-conformist students to express their political views safely?
I think that UCT tries. Through the recent Womxn’s Day marketing programme, the university showed their commitment to inclusivity towards all womxn bodies and not cisgender women. Being a part of this campaign, and receiving a welcoming response has made UCT a safer space for me.
In terms of race politics, I don’t think that there’s much that UCT can do, as many of the conflictual situations that I face in this regard comes from my own friendship circles. It starts with unlearning, and then relearning.
How have you learned to deal with uninformed and often misguided comments about your identity?
I’m guided by Jinx Monsoon, winner of Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where they say “water off a duck’s back”. Not everybody will agree with how I choose to identity. What is important is that I am practicing agency in constructing my identity as a black, non-binary person. I’ve started to embrace the fact that sometimes the people who lash back at MY identity are the same people who have to deal with structures that possibly undermine their processes of identity formation. I hope this makes sense.
Image by Nana Bulabula
How have you seen gender to be a performance in your life?
This for me happened when I started wearing what society considers to be women’s clothing. I started wearing these clothes to church. In this process I became critically aware of how performative gender is. Especially given the fact that I blend women’s clothing with the masculinity of wearing a beard.
As a drama student, do you hope to see more productions, movies and artworks directed towards queer representation and celebration?
Definitely. I think that some strides have been made in this regard. There has been a wave of queer-esque shows already like Pose, Euphoria. As a drama student though I hope to practice/perform more performance art pieces/live art installations around the subject matter.
Do you believe that UCT is ready for the dismantling of gender binaries and hegemonic displays of gender roles?
UCT as an institution, maybe. UCT as a community, no.
Are media representations of UCT representative and successful in attracting and welcoming queer students? How do you think they could otherwise be improved?
I think so. Doing a simple google search “UCT queer students” returns a lot of positive hits that shows that UCT is an inclusive environment for queer students. Seeing these media representations also instil a sense of affirmation that even queer bodies are made to succeed in this world, and UCT is an enabling environment in which to thrive.
Image from @UCT_news on Twitter