Black Intimacy on Film w/ Baloji, Goddess Coco, Balindile ka Ngcobo
Talk | ENG
During this panel discussion we reflect on the evolution of black sexual intimacy in film. The earliest portrayal of black intimacy on film is 1898’s Something Good: A Negro Kiss. It is notable not only because it is the first, but also because it presents a deviant, positive view of black intimacy in an era when racist caricatures were the norm. What can this unique film and other fragments teach us about black intimacy, then and now? What are we still missing in the representation of black intimacy on screen? And where can we find examples of black sexuality in film without the lens of pain and trauma?
Moderated by: Noleca Radway
Panelists: Baloji, Goddess Coco, Balindile ka Ngcobo
Goddess Coco: Goddess Coco is a non-binary, polyamorous queer activist and mother with ADHD. A creative in the broadest sense of the word, Coco writes, sings, speaks, paints and draws. Among other things, they work as a dominatrix, voice actor, adult content creator and coordinator at Door2Door (service center for sexworkers in Rotterdam). Coco is passionate about intersectional activism and black queer joy. Coco also talks about the fun and less fun sides of sex work, kink and polyamory to break the stigmas surrounding this.
Baloji: Is an Belgian-Congolese rapper, singer, poet and filmmaker. From lyrics to compositions, costume design to film direction, Baloji is a true all-rounder who redefines storytelling across mediums. His work confronts Congolese culture – its philosophy, rituals and traditional clothing. At the same time it explores the bond with the European avant-garde and contemporary themes. What emerges are stories about the complexity of identity.
Balindile ka Ngcobo is a South African actor, writer, theatre-maker and scholar. She is currently a PhD scholar at the Ruhr University Bochum, where she thinks and makes work around (post)colonial representations of the Black female body and the intersection of these representations with postapartheid violence.
Noleca Radway: is the founder of Queer Media, a production company that creates art through a Black Queer lens. She produces the Raising Rebels podcast and previously served as executive director of the Brooklyn Free School. For projects such as HBO’s Between the World and Me Podcast and POV’s Otherly Series, she brought together diverse voices and mediums to tell impactful stories. As a first-generation Black Jamaican from the Bronx, Noleca sees connection as her superpower.
During this panel discussion we reflect on the evolution of black sexual intimacy in film. The earliest portrayal of black intimacy on film is 1898’s Something Good: A Negro Kiss. It is notable not only because it is the first, but also because it presents a deviant, positive view of black intimacy in an era when racist caricatures were the norm. What can this unique film and other fragments teach us about black intimacy, then and now? What are we still missing in the representation of black intimacy on screen? And where can we find examples of black sexuality in film without the lens of pain and trauma?
Moderated by: Noleca Radway
Panelists: Baloji, Goddess Coco, Balindile ka Ngcobo
Goddess Coco: Goddess Coco is a non-binary, polyamorous queer activist and mother with ADHD. A creative in the broadest sense of the word, Coco writes, sings, speaks, paints and draws. Among other things, they work as a dominatrix, voice actor, adult content creator and coordinator at Door2Door (service center for sexworkers in Rotterdam). Coco is passionate about intersectional activism and black queer joy. Coco also talks about the fun and less fun sides of sex work, kink and polyamory to break the stigmas surrounding this.
Baloji: Is an Belgian-Congolese rapper, singer, poet and filmmaker. From lyrics to compositions, costume design to film direction, Baloji is a true all-rounder who redefines storytelling across mediums. His work confronts Congolese culture – its philosophy, rituals and traditional clothing. At the same time it explores the bond with the European avant-garde and contemporary themes. What emerges are stories about the complexity of identity.
Balindile ka Ngcobo is a South African actor, writer, theatre-maker and scholar. She is currently a PhD scholar at the Ruhr University Bochum, where she thinks and makes work around (post)colonial representations of the Black female body and the intersection of these representations with postapartheid violence.
Noleca Radway: is the founder of Queer Media, a production company that creates art through a Black Queer lens. She produces the Raising Rebels podcast and previously served as executive director of the Brooklyn Free School. For projects such as HBO’s Between the World and Me Podcast and POV’s Otherly Series, she brought together diverse voices and mediums to tell impactful stories. As a first-generation Black Jamaican from the Bronx, Noleca sees connection as her superpower.