Pioneering LGBTQ+ activist and filmmaker Bev Ditsie — one of the organisers of the first Johannesburg Pride in 1990 — has reaffirmed their call for the event to return to its activist roots, free from corporate sponsorship.
In a statement released on the eve of the 36th Johannesburg Pride, Ditsie explained why they and their organisation, House of Ditsie, endorsed the recent open letter urging a boycott of the Sandton-based event.
Concerns About Corporate Sponsorship and Ethics
The letter, written by a collective of organisations, accused Johannesburg Pride of being sponsored by Amazon — a company the groups claimed has ties to the Israeli government amid the genocide in Gaza. (Johannesburg Pride has since clarified that Amazon, while a sponsor in 2024, was not one this year.)
“Our endorsement of the NoGoBurg Pride Open Letter was an act of conscience and solidarity, a commitment to justice and freedom for all oppressed peoples, including those in Palestine, Congo, and Sudan,” said Ditsie.
They added: “We proudly stand with movements calling for a #FreePalestine, #FreeCongo, and #FreeSudan. We also stand with our siblings battling homophobia and transphobia in Uganda, Ghana, Burkina Faso and elsewhere on the African continent.”
The Impact of Pride’s Depoliticisation
Citing the 2012 1-in-9 Campaign incident at Johannesburg Pride, Ditsie said: “The depoliticisation and corporatisation of Pride have created deep divisions between activists and celebrants.”
According to them, “When Pride becomes detached from its political roots, it risks centering profit over people, and spectacle over struggle. A depoliticised and corporatised Pride decentres and harms the very communities that it claims to represent.”
An Alternative Gathering at Zoo Lake
Instead of attending the official Pride celebrations in Sandton, Ditsie announced plans to spend the day having a picnic at Zoo Lake in Rosebank — something they’ve done in previous years. They stressed, however, that this was not intended as an organised event.
“We shared that some of us would be spending the day picnicking in a public park, a space open and accessible to everyone. We simply let people know where we would be, and reminded our community to exercise their own choice in how they wish to celebrate and be visible,” they said.
“A Quiet Gesture of Return”
Ditsie continued: “This was never an event or an act of opposition, but a quiet gesture of return, a reminder that Pride, like our public spaces, belongs to everyone.
“The response from our community has been profound. Many have voiced their longing for authentic, inclusive, and values-aligned spaces of celebration. This speaks to a broader discomfort with the increasing commercialisation of Pride, where corporate sponsorship and pink-washing have replaced activism and accountability.”
“Pride Belongs to All of Us”
Ditsie concluded: “Pride belongs to all of us. It is not owned, branded, or sold. It is a living reminder of our history, our resilience, and our right to exist freely and fully.”
They also asked anyone joining the picnic at Zoo Lake to respect the rules of Johannesburg City Parks.
