EVERYTHING MUST COME TO LIGHT tells the unusual stories of of three dynamic lesbian sangomas (traditional healers) in Soweto, South Africa.
Articulate and sympathetic, these women share their stories willingly. After leaving their husbands, two of the women were visited by their dominant male ancestors, who instructed them to take wives. They explored their sexuality as a result of this commandment, and became intimate with other women.
The relationship between the Sangomas and their ancestors, the roles the ancestors play in Sangoma healing powers, and the role they play in shaping Sangoma sexuality are focal points in this documentary.
"This extraordinary video, woven from scenes of daily life, is about much more than a few lesbians in Soweto. It takes the viewer into the homes, the rituals, the work, and the play of people who, despite their proximity to the big city, live very much like the majority of Black people in southern Africa: drawing water from an outdoor tap, shopping at corner stores with bars separating buyers and sellers, living with ancestor-spirits as part of their richly textured community, in a context of compulsory heterosexuality."—International Journal of African Historical Perspectives
"A fascinating documentary. [The film] provides excellent opportunities for discovery and dialogue around southern African culture and history and around intersections between gender and lesbianism, sex roles, and current politics."—Feminist Collections Quarterly
2002 African Studies Association Film Festival