COSPE Southern Africa

27/05/2026

🇿🇦 🇮🇹 🇨🇴 One of the most powerful highlights of our first annual RECLAIM Festival was the moving address delivered by the Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, the Honourable Mmapaseka Steve Letsike.

Their speech deeply resonated with the core themes of the festival; reclaiming freedom, justice, and democracy on a global scale. Grounded in solidarity and lived realities, their message challenged us to reflect on what it truly means to “reclaim” space, voice, and dignity in societies where many still experience exclusion and inequality.

As highlighted in their broader advocacy, democracy cannot be measured only by laws and institutions, but by whether people, especially those on the margins, are able to live freely, safely, and with dignity. This perspective powerfully echoed throughout the festival, reinforcing the urgent need to move beyond symbolism toward meaningful, lived inclusion.

Honourable Letsike is widely recognised for their groundbreaking work in advancing inclusion and diversity, consistently advocating for a world where justice is not selective, but truly universal. Their words served not only as inspiration, but as a call to action; reminding us that reclaiming is both a personal and collective responsibility.



COSPE onlus

25/05/2026

“We need to hear the stories of trans people and come to a place where we accept them in order for us to come closer to our kinder selves… Telling the stories of trans people is crucial at this point, not just for trans persons or for us as q***r persons, but for us as the broader society.”- Carl Collison.

Filmmaker Carl Collison discusses trans storytelling, q***r Africa and his powerful new Beyond the Margins documentaries.

24/05/2026

🇿🇦 “The future demands a house of justice with many rooms, many languages, many bodies, many histories and many ways of being human.” — Steve Letsike (Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities)

A beautiful evening in Cape Town for the RECLAIM festival with the trans and q***r community, in collaboration with Gender Dynamix under the Nali’themba Project.

Together, we created a space for reflection, celebration, and critical dialogue on cross-cutting human rights issues at a global scale.

Through the films "I Am She/Her" and "Still My Child" by Carl Collison, we engaged deeply with the social, legal, and familial realities shaping q***r and trans lives.

These conversations remind us that justice is not abstract; it is built through recognition, protection, and the affirmation of every person’s humanity. A truly just South Africa must hold space for all.

21/05/2026

🇿🇦 Q***r Resistance at a Global Scale🌈

The RECLAIM festival will be looking into a critical conversation exploring how q***r communities across the world are resisting oppression, reclaiming space, and building movements for justice, visibility, and liberation.

In reclaiming our stories, we reclaim our power and the future.

18/05/2026

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia reminds us that:
🌈 Love is not a crime.
🌈 Identity is not a choice.
🌈 Everyone deserves dignity.

Standing in Solidarity with LGBTIQ+ communities in Eswatini and around the world.

European Union in Eswatini United Voices For Diversity

13/05/2026

🇦🇴Maravilhosas conquistas em Angola através de parcerias sólidas e significativas com comunidades e instituições por meio do compartilhamento de conhecimentos indígenas e modernos em agricultura sustentável🌱🔬

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🇦🇴Wonderful achievements in Angola through solid and meaningful partnerships with communities and institutions through the sharing of indigenous and modern knowledge in sustainable agriculture🌱🔬

União Europeia em Angola / European Union in Angola

12/05/2026

🇿🇦"Still my child" looks into the experiences of three transgender children and their fathers and their journeys towards accepting their children. 🏳️‍⚧️

COSPE onlus

🌈

12/05/2026

🇿🇦 The second featured for the RECLAIM festival fetures film by Carl Collison "Still my child" which highligts the reality for many parents of transgender children, and the realisation that their child's gender is not what it was assigned at birth and this can be a very difficult one to accept - especially for fathers. In this documentary, three South African fathers speak of their journeys with their transgender children - and how they went from battling their own expectations and dealing with family and community discrimination, before ultimately reaching a place of unconditional love and acceptance.

COSPE onlus

08/05/2026

🇿🇦 "On May 8 1996, South Africa’s Constitution was adopted. At the time, it was hailed as one of the most progressive Constitutions globally. And while there have been numerous human rights victories over the past three decades - particularly for LGBTIQ+ persons - the lived realities for transgender and gender-diverse folk is often at odds with the protections afforded by the Constitution. - Carl Collison ( "I am She/Her" Director)

COSPE onlus EU in South Africa

08/05/2026

🇿🇦🏳️‍⚧️ The RECLAIM Festival, hosted between Cape Town and Italy, will take place as an online film festival connecting a global audience to engage in meaningful dialogue on transgender and gender-diverse rights at a global scale.

Through the Nali’thêmbā Project, implemented in collaboration with the European Union in South Africa and Gender Dynamix, these lived realities have been documented in film. The festival showcases stories sourced from the Community Based Organisations (CBOs) engaged throughout the project, amplifying voices and experiences from across the region.

One of the featured films, *I Am She/Her*, directed by Carl Collison, explores the present day lives of trans and gender-diverse persons across South Africa. The documentary reflects on their lived experiences and questions whether, 30 years after the adoption of the South African Constitution, the promise of equality and protection of rights has truly been fulfilled.

EU in South Africa COSPE onlus Darling PRIDE Angels TransHope D'Gayle Diamonds Social, Health and Empowerment - SHE The Fruit Basket