who we are
About
Gamut 1 envisions an queer-inclusive, empathetic, rights-based society in which individual members are engaged, active, empowered and compassionate agents in their own lives, who build a supportive, inclusive environment for all members of their society.
Through the creation of high-quality, queer-focussed media which aims to promote of LGBTQIA+ human rights and wellness. Gamut 1’s bespoke work is specifically designed to evoke and promote empathy and enjoyment in its audiences, utilising artistic tools and techniques to tell engaging queer stories that allow individuals to have a personal, valuable, and, potentially, life-altering experience.
The expected long-term impact of engagement with Gamut 1’s work is that audiences will develop empathy, self-efficacy, and inclusive social values in relation to queer people and communities, making engaged, active, empowered and compassionate choices in their own lives, contributing to the promotion and protection of human rights for all.
The South African Constitution and its Bill of Rights anchor and support the work and approach of the organisation. Gamut 1 promotes human rights, inclusively, with particular focus on LGBTQIA+ people and communities.
Gamut 1 also provides training workshops which are focussed around understanding and contextualising human rights, LGBTQIA+ issue-related training, gender and sexual orientation education, health, social inclusion, and peer facilitation techniques.
The Team
zoey black
founder and executive director
Zoey Black is a queer transgender woman of colour living in Cape Town, South Africa. She is a documentary filmmaker, film photographer, and human rights activist.
Zoey graduated from the University of Cape Town as a trained professional actress and has over a decade of experience in live performance, training and facilitation, producing and activism.
Through a documentation lens, Zoey’s work is focused on telling authentic and engaging queer stories. Her work on YouTube also aims to address and explore social and lifestyle issues pertaining to the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically the experiences of transgender and gender diverse people. The channel is the first of its kind in South Africa and acts as a resource in providing accessible information on trans specific issues.
As an activist, Zoey publicly advocates for trans rights and visibility, engaging organisations and government stakeholders to activate social change and law reform. She has 14 years of experience in the non-profit sector, working with local and international actors to shift narratives, build movements, and activate social and legal reform.
Zoey is also a published author and editor, contributing most notably to They Called Me Queer (2019), Trans Rural Narratives (2020) and Keeping the Promise of Dignity and Freedom for All (2020).
Zoey’s Director’s Reel can be watched here: https://www.zoeyblack.com/about
Zoey’s Film Photography Gallery can be viewed here: https://www.zoeyblack.com/gallery
koleka putuma
co-founder
Koleka Putuma is a multi-award-winning theatre practitioner, writer and poet. Her work tackles themes such as homophobia, womanhood, race and the dynamics of relationships, religion and politics. Her poetry is sharp and thought provoking, unique in its form, language and structure. Every line, a powerful statement of what she stands for.
Her bestselling debut collection of poems Collective Amnesia took the South African literary scene by storm. Since its publication in April 2017, the book is in its 12th print run and is prescribed for study at tertiary level in South African Universities and across the world. Collective Amnesia received multiple local and international awards and has been translated into Spanish, German, Danish, Dutch, and Swedish.
Manyano Media, a multidisciplinary creative company that empowers and produces stories by black queer women, founded by Koleka, published her sophomore collection of poems, Hullo, Bu-Bye, Koko, Come In. Her theatre works include the stage adaption of Hullo, Bu-bye, Koko, Come In, UHM, Woza Sarafina, Mbuzeni and No Easter Sunday For Queers.
Koleka was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award - a first time award for Poetry. She is a Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative finalist for theatre, a Forbes Africa Under 30 Honouree, recipient of the Imbewu Trust Scribe Playwriting Award, Mbokodo Rising Light award, CASA playwriting award and the 2019 Distell Playwriting Award for her play No Easter Sunday for Queers. She has been commissioned to write poetry for major campaigns such as Spotify Premium "Unleash The Sounds", UN Global Goals, Wellcome Trust: Covid Living, Jameson "Dedela Abanye", Standard Bank and more.
blythe linger
co-founder
Blythe Stuart Linger is a passionate arts practitioner, producer, and director with experience in producing and directing multiple theatrical and filmic experiences. Working both in South Africa and abroad, Blythe is dedicated to the sustainability of the Arts and Cultural industry.
As the managing director of the largest Shakespearian youth festival in Africa and the incorporator of BSL Management (PTY) Ltd, Blythe creates opportunities for artists to earn while practising their craft.
Over his career, Blythe works as an arts practitioner, producer, and director with over a decade of experience in the theatre, film and creative industries. He has worked with award winning artists and producers, including Soli Philander, Lebo Mashile, Basil Appollis, Bob Meijs, and Fred Abrahamse, to produce culturally significant and impactful projects.
From arts administration and budgeting to producing and directing, Blythe embraces every chance to engage with communities through artistic mediums. Firmly believing in the power of the arts, Blythe aims to foster understanding, empathy, healing, and growth in our ever-changing world.