Namibia: Celebrating African Drag and Vogue Beyond Borders

An exciting international artistic collaboration is set to spotlight African drag and ballroom culture on the global stage, affirming the powerful message that “queer culture is African culture.”

The initiative, titled “Celebrating Drag & Vogue Beyond Borders,” was launched at a recent media conference in Windhoek, Namibia. The collaboration includes Equal Namibia, Drag Night Namibia, Nadharia CBO from Kenya, Reframe Kollektiv e.V. and Berlin Ballroom Pier from Germany, and Vogue Nights Jozi from South Africa.

The project aims to elevate drag and ballroom culture as transformative tools of expression, resistance, and visibility for LGBTQIA+ communities—particularly for African queer youth and creatives.

“In these times of uncertainty, budget cuts, executive order announcements, fear-mongering and hateful attacks on our community and what feels like regression, we are taking a stand,” said Equal Namibia co-founder Patrick Reissner at the launch.

A Multi-City Global Drag and Ballroom Tour

The initiative will feature dynamic performances, immersive workshops, curated exhibitions, and a forthcoming documentary—centering African queer voices on global platforms—in a multi-city journey of celebration and political resistance.

The first phase of Drag & Vogue Beyond Borders will kick off in June 2025 at World Pride in Washington, DC. It will then travel to Germany for Berlin Pride, and to Johannesburg, South Africa for the ILGA Pan-Africa Conference in November 2025.

In May 2026, the project will visit Nairobi, Kenya for IDAHOBIT Day Celebrations, culminating in Windhoek, Namibia during Namibia Pride 2026 and the first-ever Africa Drag & Ballroom Convention.

Performance as Resistance

Co-produced by a tri-continental alliance of artists and organisations, the trailblazing project unites drag performers, ballroom artists, and queer cultural organisers in a multi-city journey of celebration and political resistance.

“Born from the urgent need to challenge rising anti-LGBTQIA+ laws and narratives in Africa, the project brings together a coalition of queer artists, drag performers, and activists to create politically charged drag shows, interactive exhibitions, and a powerful new documentary film,” said the collaborators in a statement.

“This project is about more than art—it’s about reclaiming drag and ballroom as part of African cultural heritage and using performance as a radical act of resistance in a time of escalating anti-LGBTQ+ laws,” said Omar van Reenen, Project Manager and Co-Founder of Equal Namibia.

Shared Resistance, Shared Joy

The initiative builds on years of artistic collaboration and shared resistance, and is supported by regional and international partners such as Grindr, the Capital Pride Alliance, and GALA Queer Archives.

“Queer liberation cannot be confined by geography,” said Androgynous Alpha, founder of Nadharia CBO. “From Kenya to Namibia, South Africa to Germany, we share not just struggles but dreams, strategies and joy.” They added: “Borders are colonial constructs, but our collective liberation is not.

“The collaborators affirmed that “at its core, Drag & Vogue Beyond Borders is a love letter to queer joy, community resilience, and transnational solidarity.” As co-producer Julia Runge of Reframe Kollektiv added, “We’re not just creating art—we’re archiving a movement.”