“Uniting cultures of Cape Town”

Cape Town pride has for the last couple of years been marred by infighting and for some, personal gain. As a former member years ago when I was a student, this is really troubling. An organization that has no transparent committee, meets in venues only accessible in the evening and on days that purposefully isolates or deems to discourage certain groups from participating. I could argue that these are done purposefully so as opposed for the convenience of everyone.

It wasn’t that long that Cape Town Pride wanted to use a derogatory term of “Jou Ma se Pride”, insensitive to the many mixed raced people of South Africa who does not identify with it. With uproar organization like Triangle Project and other objected. This showcases clearly who is at the helm of decision making and who is on that committee. We were then told by this committee that we must start “owning” these terms, like Moffie. I shall not regress.

It then dismantled the committee following the embarrassing situation and a few proud individuals took over. Of course the same agendas persisted, considering the background and race of these individuals. A privileged community, void of any true understanding of who it is they really should represent. It is not a march for themselves but a global movement that started in a little pub, called Stonewall, lest we forget. It is this example that we must continuously remind ourselves – it is the unifying of ordinary gays and lesbians, including those cross dressers and flamboyant gays – black and white, who paved this road for us.

Africa is still filled with bad colonial policies which sentences us to death. If anything – we must be more vigorous and vocal in advocacy using precisely Pride Marches like ours, to address these issues facing our continent before enjoying the freedoms found in the bottles of vodka we shall consume later, we cannot be remiss in our duty here. South Africa is not faultless here either, with our award winning constitution which enshrines sexual freedom, violence against our lesbian sisters are being reported, corrective rape is indeed a real thing in our midst – not just talk. Perhaps we should remove our privileged and rose tinted glasses and take pride to the real people it affects and stand united against the divide we are perpetuating against ourselves.

Cape Town we can certainly do much better, take our Pride March back through the city, abandon the white elitism and Mardi Gras approach – reintroduce fringe events to those out of reach and truly fulfill your mandate in which your slogan so eloquently states, Uniting the cultures and people of Cape Town.