September 12, 2005
By Sipho Maduna
GET the party started - Lesbian and Gay Pride Heritage Week celebrations begin on 16 September with a number of activities, including dance, poetry and theatre, before ending with the Pride March and Mardi Gras on 24 September.
The theme this year is "Pride – Sweet Sixteen: the Right to Be, the Freedom to Express". Significantly this year, the Pride March falls on Heritage Day, Saturday, 24 September.
The Gay and Lesbian Archives (Gala) is putting on a variety of plays and films, including Coming Out Again and Happy Endings, while Safrodyke has planned a week's worth of workshops and cultural events, drumming and poetry performances.
Gay Pride Heritage Week culminates with the 16th annual Pride March, starting at Constitution Hill at 4pm and ending two hours later at the new Heartlands in Braamfontein for the Mardi Gras.
Events will be hosted at a variety of venues, such as the Women's Gaol at Constitution Hill, where the Safrodyke festival and workshops are being held. The Slovo Courtyard at the Old Fort will also host a play. In Newtown, there is a play on at the Market Theatre.
Gala, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex (LGBTI), Behind The Mask, Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW) and OUT are this year's sponsors.
Theatre
Coming Out Again, the play at the Slovo Courtyard at the Old Fort, is directed by Robert Colman and Gerard Bester. It is about seven characters, three of whom are HIV positive.
At the Market Theatre, Janice Honeyman directs Exits and Entrances. It features Sean Taylor and Jason Ralph, and runs from 20 to 23 September, at 8.15pm. Tickets are available at Computicket and at the theatre.
The Pride premiere of Happy Endings will be screened at Cinema Nouveau in Rosebank. The film weaves multiple stories to create a sharp, witty look at love, family and the unpredictability of life.
Workshops on same sex relationships and Christianity will be held during the Safrodyke festival. "The objective of the workshops is to strengthen progressive voices and build networks on same sex relationships in the church," explains Merlanie Judge, the programme manager of OUT.
Awards
LGBTI will present research findings on human rights violations. The organisation will also host the LGBTI Activism Awards.
According to Tumi Ndweni, organiser of DID Entertainment, the awards are to acknowledge the people who fought for the wellbeing of the gay community.
Somizi Mhlongo, the actor, dancer, choreographer and talk show host, will host the awards at the Braamfontein Recreational Centre, next to the Parktonian Hotel on 21 September. The ceremony starts at 8pm. Tickets are R120. For more details, contact Tumi Ndweni on 083 429 1439.
On 23 September, Behind The Mask launches its website, which focuses on gay and lesbian affairs in Africa. The launch, at Conference Room 1 at the Women's Gaol, will run from 9am to 12pm. For more information, click here.
The new Jewish LGBTI organisation, Jewish Outlook, will celebrate Gay Pride in Jewish style, with a Friday night service followed by dinner.
Pride March
The 16th annual Pride March, on 24 September, will be the highlight of Lesbian and Gay Pride Heritage Week.
"The route for the Johannesburg Lesbian and Gay Pride March has been approved by the metro police department," said Paul Tilly, Joburg Pride co-ordinator.
"The City of Joburg has confirmed its support in supplying essential services for the march to be staged."
South Africa's first Pride March was held on 13 October 1990, when it travelled from the offices of the South African Institute of Race Relations in Braamfontein to Pieter Roos Park in Parktown.
Route
This year participants will congregate at 4pm in the square outside the Constitutional Court at Constitution Hill. From there the parade will turn right into Queen Street, cross Smit Street and turn right into Wolmarans Street.
It will cross Rissik and Loveday streets, turn into Harrison Street and cross Leyds, De Villiers, Plein and Bree streets, before turning right into Jeppe Street.
Marching along Jeppe Street, the parade will cross Simmonds and Sauer streets and proceed to the Newtown precinct. A right turn into West Street will take marchers over Nelson Mandela Bridge.
From there, it will turn left into De Korte Street and end between Station and Henri streets, with the two left lanes cordoned off at the new Heartlands for the Mardi Gras.
"The City of Johannesburg, Johannesburg Tourism Company, Constitution Hill and Heartlands have been instrumental in ensuring that this year's Lesbian and Gay Pride Heritage Week, in particular the march, takes place," Tilly said.
The march is traditionally the pivot around which all the other activities revolve. Tilly pointed out that Johannesburg Pride was the largest gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Africa.
It was a platform for a variety of organisations, including human rights and gender groups, to talk about issues affecting the sector.
London Pride was enthusiastic about the prospect of teaming up with Joburg Pride, he said. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and London Pride have agreed to market each other's events, and it is planned to extend this agreement to a tri-continent initiative involving the Johannesburg Tourism Company, Visit Britain and City of Sydney Tourism.
Gay Games
"Johannesburg Lesbian and Gay Pride is essential to demonstrate that Johannesburg can host the 2010 Federation of Gay Games," said James Mathias, the co-chair of the Johannesburg Gay Games 2010 Bid Committee.
Tilly echoed his sentiments, saying, "The City of Johannesburg has demonstrated its support for the bid to host the Gay Games in 2010. It acknowledges that Pride's continuity and role are essential to illustrate the ongoing participation between public entities and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community."
For more information on Lesbian and Gay Heritage Pride Week, click here.
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