More then 15 years ago I saw the experimental documentary Tongues Untied by Marlon Riggs. This was on of the first films I saw addressing issues of African American gay men and I am very happy it was of this depth. In a way Tongues Untied changed my life: I saw so many similarities between my life as a Afro- Caribbean men living in Amsterdam by that time and also differences. Differences that challenged me to try to develop our own Afro Caribbean gay identity. Looking for writers, artists and other icons as examples, which weren’t that much to be found. Me and friends started creating our own examples and discovering we had to do it our self, like those African American like the filmmaker Marlon Riggs and poet Essex Hemphill were doing it in the States. I was very happy to be able to order the DVD of Tongues Untied and to share it with my friends with the same result: we were inspired and knew we have to start creating and telling our own stories. In one way or the other we were doing it, but now we have to do it for sure!
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