Patches: The EP and Text

Jwara, Fumani

Patches: The EP and Text

Thesis / Dissertation

2025

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Centre for Film and Media Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

Self-reflection can aid in unpacking the complex layers of navigating the intersectionalities of identities. By exploring these layers, we gain a deeper understanding of the societal structures that influence our lives and find ways to navigate them. This creative project, created imperfectly over a three-year academic and musical journey, embodies an extended play (EP) and explication grounded in autoethnography as a framework to explore the intersectionality of being black and gay in South Africa. Titled Patches, the project documents my personal experiences that informed and shaped my journey of becoming, especially when there is no guarantee of acceptance. An essential component of this exploration is the role of music as a usable space in the expression and connection of defining identity through four key themes (or, in this instance, “patches”): insecurity, survival, self-love, and acceptance. Music, in its production and consumption, emerges as an essential resource in the self-making and cultivation of identity. In its written and sonic landscape, the project serves both as a product and a process, allowing for an embodied yet critical reflection and representation of self.