Monday 16 November 2015

CALL TO ACTION: Glow in the Dark Night Revolution


The time has come again for all progressive bodies in Johannesburg to reclaim Pride and their streets. We call on all of you who are queer, and all of you who are Black, and women, and landless, and economically marginalised, and every single one of you who demand justice for all bodies now to join us in the third annual Johannesburg People’s Pride protest celebration on 21 November 2015.

The theme of this year’s protest celebration is a Call to Action under the theme of ‘GLOW in the Dark: Night Revolution’. In the context of sustained violence perpetrated against us, we who are queer and Black, women, migrants, landless and dispossessed suffer a constant and fear to inhabit our streets freely after dark, the theme expreses a desire to reclaim the night and assert our right to celebrate and be free from violence while doing so.

This year’s theme is also an homage to Simon Nkoli and the Gays and Lesbians of the Witwatersrand (GLOW) organizations, which made large contributions to the struggle for freedom for LGBTIAQ people in South Africa. We commemorate GLOW for it was they who, more than twenty years ago, formed the foundation for a united struggle against all injustice led by queers, as we do today.

This year, we also highlight our solidarity with and support for trans bodies in South Africa, the continent and the world over who continue to suffer stigmatisation, marginalisation and erasure from society - even within gay and lesbian communities. We recognise that all of our respective freedoms are intimately bound up in each other's, and that it is crucial to the strengthening of our movement and the realisation of our vision for a just and free society that we unite against the multiple oppressions that operate on every single one of our bodies.

This year we will assert once again our rights to gather freely, we will join the ongoing call for the decolonisation of institutions of higher learning. We assert our rights to free education and an end to the exploitation of workers. Again we exclaim:

ALL FREEDOMS FOR ALL PEOPLE, NOW!

The GLOW in the Dark protest celebration will have of three main activities around Constitution Hill:

Activity 1: Queer History Tour of Braamfontein and Hillbrow (15:00 – 17:00)
Activists familiar with the queer history of Braamfontein and Hillbrow will congregate 2 groups of 20 people each at constitution hill. These two groups will be led on a two-hour walking tour of Braamfontein and Hillbrow. To manage the size of the groups, the tour will be pre-booked. 

Activity 2: Picnic and Edutainment at Constitution Hill (15:00 – 17:00)
There will be a picnic and edutainment programme beginning in the late afternoon. The edutainment programme will consist of Writing/Poetry, Photography/Video Making, Banner/Placard Making, T-shirt Printing, Drawing/Painting, Performance Art, Music/DJs and Activist Speakers and a braai and party. There will be food and drinks vendors, and participants will be allowed to bring their own food and refreshments.

Activity 3: March (17:30 – 19:00)
The march will leave from and return to Constitution Hill with a route through Hillbrow and Jobber Park and will include guerrilla theatre as a key feature. 

Activity 4: Queer Celebration Concert (19:00 – 00:00)
A live music concert will be held at Constitution Hill. Queer singers, performance artists, and DJs will be invited to share the stage throughout the evening


Issued by: JPP Working Group

For further information, contact:

Kwezilomso Mbandazayo

Sekoetlane Phamodi


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