Beyond the Rainbow: Creative Approaches as Dialogue for LGBTQIA+ Intimate Partner Violence

In research, discourse and various forms of representation of intimate partner violence, there has remained a silence on the issue within LGBTQIA+ relationships. This paper argues that this silence is a function of society and how it constructs gender and gender roles, looking at the important work of Ifi Amadiume in challenging how we see and construct gender. The paper illustrates how creative approaches embody dialogue and discourse where there has been silence. The paper proposes that we can imagine an alternative definition of IPV through this embodiment by highlighting the long-standing connection of art with political discourse and violence, respectively, in South Africa. Contrasting Amadiume’s ideas with those of Augusto Boal, the paper posits that ‘dear friend’ (2019) by Tumelo Thamaga and Sinalo Thuku and The Suit (2019) by Uvile Ximba use narrative construction to counter the dominant IPV narrative, and generate new discourse.