User:QueerTree/sandbox

Belinda Qaqamba Ka-Fassie (legal name: Abenathi Makinana) is a South African genderqueer (art)ivist, activist and drag artist that creatively weaves different aspects of their African culture and queer identity. This award-winning performer is also the co-founder of the World Press Award winning project, #blackdragmagic, with South African photographer and storyteller, Lee-Ann Olwage.

#BlackDragMagic In 2019, Belinda and Lee-Ann co-founded #BlackDragMagic, a project born out of stories of black trans and gender diverse persons who navigate their daily lives in the townships of Cape Town. #BlackDragMagic offered a series of portraits showing how drag can be an art form in Africa that differs from mainstream aesthetics in the West. Ka-Fassie's famous picture where they poses at a shisanyama - a community space where women cook and sell meat - in Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town won 2nd Place at the World Press Award in 2019, 2nd Place for Classified Potrait at the Siena International Awards and was shortlisted for the CAP Prize, Marilyn Stafford Fotoreportage Award shortlist and IPA Honorable Mention. The project was exhibited in Johannesburg, Cape Town and in Amsterdam. Belinda, the photographer, and other black, queer, gender non-conforming and transgender people collaborated in a project to reclaim public spaces in a community where they are subject to discrimination, harassment, and violence. All of the portraits were taken on a single afternoon in August, with a pickup truck serving as a makeup station and changing room. The subjects — queer, black, gender-nonconforming and trans — were photographed throughout the township of Khayelitsha, which means "new home" in Xhosa. The township is located on the Cape Flats, about 15 miles southeast of Cape Town.

Education Ka-Fassie matriculated at Graafwater High School with distinctions in 2013, they went on to study BA Humanities majoring in Sociology and Social Anthropology, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, BEd Honours Education Development and Democracy (Cum Laude) at Stellenbosch University. They are currently a Master of Education in Policy Studies at the same institution researching queer identities in schooling.

Activism Belinda started being interested in social jsutice through the 2015-2016 #OpenStellenbosch and #FeesMustFall student movements, where they were an active voice providing a queer perspective on issues of inclusion and decolonisation. As the chairperson of the then called LesBiGAy (now QueerUS), they contributing indelibly in trans and gender diverse recognition in the institution and the renaming of the Equality Office after South African Queer Liberation Leader, Simon Nkoli.

Pageant Career Belinda took the queer pageant scene by storm winning titles such as Miss Gay Stellenbosch 2014, Miss Cape Peninsula 2015, Miss Cape Town Pride 2016, Miss Drag Ambassador 2016, Miss Gay Western Cape 2016 (now Miss Sovereign Western Cape) and finally Miss Drag South Africa 2019.

Belinda is a social justice warrior devoted to praxis and approaches centered in Intersectional Feminism, decoloniality and an trauma informed response. They have proven experiences facilitating robust engagements among young and old people in communities regarding issues of racial justice, human dignity, gender justice and belonging. Belinda has vast experience in education, student leadership, community engagement and ground activism.