Growing up in 80s Soweto, Beverley Ditsie was immersed in the struggle against apartheid. But she knew racial oppression was only part of the fight – and organised the first Pride march in Africa. On her 16th birthday, Ditsie decided to have a coming-out party. One of her friends there told her about Simon Tseko Nkoli, the gay anti-apartheid campaigner. The pair became close friends, with Nkoli becoming Ditsie’s mentor. She loved exploring his bookcase, which she describes as a treasure. Through it, she learned about other black lesbian activists such as the US writers and thinkers Audre Lorde and Barbara Smith: “My world was being cracked wide open.” The pair, together with Linda Ngcobo, founded the Gay and Lesbian Organization of Witwatersrand (Glow). The organisation, and particularly Nkoli, was instrumental in enshrining protection for the LGBTQ+ community in South Africa’s new constitution. It was the first country to do so. In 1990, the group decided to organise a Pride march – which had never been done before in South Africa, or indeed in Africa.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
More Stories
Economic Perks of Growing Cycling Culture in North Africa
The Bank of Uganda Lowers Limits on the Value of Cheque Payments to Promote e-payments
Four Industrial Policy Regimes that have Shaped Africa
Ex Standard Bank Leader Cleared in Mozambique Price Fixing
Zanzibar and Pemba are about to Become a Test Site for a Mobile Internet Network
East Africa’s Mineral Deposits at the Centre of Future-facing Commodities
A Scramble for Controlling Interest in Nigeria’s Oldest Bank
Top Risks Facing South Africa
New Scheme to Save Zimbabwe’s Botched Land Reform
The First Floating LNG Facility is Deployed in the Deep Waters of the African Continent
The EU Lifts Air Travel Bans on Southern African States
Senegal’s Illustrious Portfolio of Architecture