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
Lagos Rising: Meet the African Designers Who are Ushering in a New Guard of Fashion
My Life in Food: Idris Elba on African Cuisine and Cooking with his Mum
In His Imaginative Debut Feature, Walé Oyéjidé Brings Together Elements of His Life’s Work
What is Zellige Tile?
Ousmane Sembène at 100: A Tribute to Senegal’s ‘Father of African Cinema’
Inside an Ultra-exclusive Lodge on the Fringe of Etosha National Park
Tourists Flock to Nigerian Cave And Waterfall For Its ‘Healing Powers’
Morocco is Just as Worthy for a Sun Trip
African Markets Offer Unique Goods and Experiences
Get to Know East Africa’s Art Scene
Mo Ibrahim’s Index Looks at Africa’s State of Governance
France to Give Burkina Faso What It Wants