Ihlazo: Pride and the politics of race and space in Johannesburg and Cape Town

Abstract

Pride parades can be understood as the stage where identity politics is performed [De Waal, S., and A. Manion, eds. 2006. PRIDE: Protest and Celebration. University of the Witwatersrand, GALA]. [Johnston, L. 2007. “Mobilizing Pride/Shame: Lesbians, Tourism and Parades.” Social & Cultural Geography 8 (1): 29–45] argues, ‘Pride parades are visible expressions of collectivities which may homogenize experience and exclude those who do not conform to norms’. Thus, Pride has the potential of being a queer platform, in the way that [Warner, M., ed. 1993. Fear of a Queer Planet: Queer Politics and Social Theory. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press] sees queer as being in opposition to ‘regimes of the normal’. While Pride is closely associated with gay culture since the 1960s, it is not without contestation even among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. This paper aims to unpack contestations within Pride in two cities in South Africa, highlighting in particular the ways class, race, space and gender disrupt LGBTQ identifications, organizing and notions of belonging. Using the frame of ihlazo, a notion that includes, inter alia, shame, embarrassment and disgrace, the paper exposes the racial and class collusions that compromise gay and lesbian groups in post-apartheid South Africa.

Les pride parades, ou marches de la Fierté, peuvent être comprises comme la scène sur lesquelles les politiques de l’identité se jouent (De Waal et Manion, 2006). Johnston (2007, 33) affirme, « Les parades de la Fierté sont des expressions visibles de collectivités qui peuvent homogénéiser l’expérience et exclure ceux qui ne se conforment pas aux normes ». Ainsi la Fierté a le potentiel de devenir une plateforme queer, selon la définition de Warner (1993) qui voit le queer comme étant en opposition avec les ‘régimes du normal’. Si la Fierté est étroitement liée à la culture gay depuis les années 1960, ce n’est pas sans contestation, y compris parmi les personnes lesbiennes, gays, bisexuelles, transgenres et queer. Cet article cherche à exposer les contestations au sein de la Fierté dans deux villes d’Afrique du Sud, soulignant en particulier les façons dont la classe, la race, l’espace et le genre affectent les identifications, l’organisation et le sens d’appartenance LGBTQ. En utilisant pour cadre l’ihlazo, une notion qui inclut, inter alia, la honte, l’embarras et la disgrâce, l’article révèle les collusions raciales et de classe qui compromettent les groupes gays et lesbiens dans l’Afrique du Sud post-apartheid.

Keywords:

• LGBTQ
• pride
• post-apartheid
• race
• South Africa
• shame
• space

Mots-clefs:

• LGBTQ
• fierté
• post-apartheid
• race
• Afrique du Sud
• honte
• espace

Notes

1 Paper presented by Neo S. Musangi ‘Trans(ag)gression: Experiences of public space for trans*, intersex and gender non-conforming persons in Kenya’. African Same-Sex Sexuality and Gender Diversity Conference, March 2014, Nairobi, Kenya.

2 Paper delivered at the ‘Queer in Africa? The Cape Town’ Question symposium, 7 October 2016, District Six, Cape Town.

3 See newspaper articles by Ntlemeza 2016; Petersen 2016.

4 City Press. 22 January 2014. ‘Boy (6) who died in pit toilet had ‘escaped death’ in taxi accident.’ http://www.news24.com/Archives/City-Press/Boy-6-who-died-in-pit-toilet-had-escaped-death-in-taxi-accident-20150429; Gopal and Ngubeni 2016.

5 Andritha Thapelo Morifi, Bonisiwe Mtshali, Thapelo Makhutla, Phumeza Nkolonzi, Sanna Supa, Sasha Lee Gordon, Thembela (last name not identified), Vuyisa Dayisa (http://www.iranti-org.co.za/index.html).

6 http://www.mambaonline.com/2012/10/07/joburg-pride-marred-by-scuffles/.

7 http://www.mambaonline.com/2012/10/08/joburg-pride-responds-to-1-in-9-incident-backs-the-group/.

8 Justice Malala interrogates racism in Cape Town (see https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/mar/26/is-cape-town-racist-city), while Kine Dineo Mokoena Kessi warns Black people to brace themselves in the city (https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/black-in-cape-town-brace-yourself-1735771).

9 People’s Pride, Soweto Pride, Ekurhuleni Pride, Joburg Pride and Mzansi Pride take place in Johanneburg; Pride Yarona, iKasi Pride Cape Town Pride, and Khumbulani Pride take place in Cape Town (although the former two have not been hosted since 2017); Bay Pride (EC) take place in Port Elizabeth; Limpopo Pride in Polokwane; and Durban Pride in Durban.

10 Tallie 2014.

11 see https://issuu.com/outafricamagazine/docs/out_africa_magazine_issue_24/4.

12 Pike 2015.

13 Alternative Inclusive Pride (AIP) is a Network of organizations and activists representing the needs and interests of many lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, intersex, pansexual, asexual, and queer + citizens of the Western Cape. This statement was sent to the Mayor of Cape Town on 8 December 2015. At the beginning of 2016, the theme for Cape Town Pride was changed to ‘Brave Enough’.

14 Thurlo Cicero http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Uniting-cultures-of-Cape-Town-20150219.

15 Mamba Online http://www.mambaonline.com/2009/02/12/cape-town-pride-turmoil/.

16 Lisa Isaacs, http://beta.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/cape-town-pride-march-racist-1820822; and Barbara Maregele http://groundup.org.za/article/gay-and-lesbian-activists-call-racist-cape-town-pride-be-more-inclusive_2725.