Africa’s Queer History with a Private Guide

Trace Africa's first Pride march through Johannesburg, from Constitution Hill's old prison to Simon Nkoli Corner and the GALA Queer Archive.

Where Africa’s Pride Began

Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city, built on gold and shaped by the struggle against apartheid. It is also where some of the most important moments in Africa’s LGBTQ+ history took place.

On October 13, 1990, around 800 people marched through its streets in the first Pride march on the African continent. Some wore paper bags over their heads to hide their identities.

Six years later, South Africa’s constitution became the first in the world to protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation. A day with a private guide shows you how that change came about.

Constitution Hill

The day begins at Constitution Hill, a former prison complex that held Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and thousands of others. Among its prisoners were men jailed for “immorality” under apartheid’s laws.

Today, the site is home to the Constitutional Court of South Africa, built partly from the bricks of the old prison. Standing in the courtroom, you see how the rights now protected in South Africa were built on the very place where people were once punished.

Simon Nkoli and Hillbrow

Simon Nkoli was an anti-apartheid activist who was imprisoned in the Delmas Treason Trial, where he came out as gay. He went on to found the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand and to help lead the 1990 Pride march.

In Hillbrow, a street corner now bears his name. Your guide explains how his insistence that gay liberation and the fight against apartheid were one struggle helped shape the country’s constitution.

The GALA Queer Archive

GALA Queer Archive, at the University of the Witwatersrand, preserves the history and culture of LGBTQ+ people in South Africa. Its collections include photographs, letters, oral histories, and the T-shirts printed for the first Pride march.

Visits are by appointment, and your specialist can arrange time with the collection. You may also find an exhibition such as a display of protest posters or archival photographs drawn from its holdings.

Edwin Cameron and the Constitutional Court

Among those who spoke at the 1990 march was Edwin Cameron, a lawyer who later served as a justice of the Constitutional Court. He was one of the first senior public figures in Africa to speak openly about living with HIV.

His story, and those of activists such as Beverley Ditsie, brings the history of the 1990s vividly to life.

Johannesburg Today

Johannesburg Pride still takes place each October, and the city has a lively LGBTQ+ scene in neighbourhoods such as Melville, Braamfontein, and Rosebank.

End the day with dinner in one of the city’s many excellent restaurants, or with drinks at a rooftop bar overlooking the skyline.

Planning Your Johannesburg Experience

The day works best with a private guide and driver, as distances are long and some areas are best visited with someone who knows them well. Allow a full day. Johannesburg has direct flights from the United States and makes an easy start to a safari.

Out Of Office can arrange a private guide and driver, a visit to the GALA Queer Archive and a stay in one of the city’s best hotels. Your LGBTQ+ travel specialist can also combine Johannesburg with Cape Town, the Winelands or one of our safari holidays on a wider journey through South Africa. For more on the country’s place in LGBTQ+ history, read The Most Gay-Friendly African Countries, From South Africa to Seychelles.