Fresh from Amsterdam WorldPride, South African transgender trailblazer Yaya Mavundla has been announced as the host of the Global Black Pride Opening Ceremony in Paris.
The activist, media personality and artist will also co-host the Black Excellence Awards Gala alongside legendary ballroom icon Vinni Revlon.
Taking place in Paris from 9 to 13 September 2026, Global Black Pride Paris brings together Black LGBTQI+ communities, artists, activists, cultural leaders, creatives and allies from across Africa and the global diaspora.
The event will be a week-long celebration of Black queer culture, visibility, excellence, resistance and liberation.
For Mavundla, the appointment marks a significant moment in her ongoing work championing Black transgender visibility and African LGBTQI+ representation on the global stage.
“Hosting Global Black Pride in Paris is deeply personal for me,” said Mavundla in a media release. “I come from a continent where Black LGBTQI+ people have had to fight to be seen, heard and recognised. To stand on that stage in Paris as a South African Black trans woman is not just a career moment. It is a moment of visibility for the women and communities who came before me, for those standing beside me and for the generations coming after us.”
The Black Excellence Awards Gala will celebrate Black LGBTQI+ artists, innovators, performers and cultural leaders shaping contemporary culture across the diaspora. The 2026 nominations include figures across music, film, fashion, literature, sport, drag and the arts, including Billy Porter, Zanele Muholi, Kiddy Smile, Law Roach, Rich Mnisi, Doechii, Kehlani, Amaarae, Ludmilla and Shygirl.
“We are honoured to welcome Yaya Mavundla to Global Black Pride Paris as host of our Opening Ceremony and co-host of the Black Excellence Awards Gala,” said Michael Ighodaro, President of Global Black Pride Paris. “Yaya’s artistry, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the dignity and visibility of trans and gender-diverse communities make her an extraordinary voice for this historic gathering.”
For Mavundla, the gala is an opportunity to celebrate Black queer achievement while challenging narrow representations of LGBTQI+ communities.
“Black queer excellence is not a niche story. It is part of the cultural story of the world,” said Mavundla. “We are creating music, shaping fashion, building movements, changing conversations and influencing culture. This gala allows us to say: look at what our people have created, what we have survived and what we are building.”
Mavundla was recently in Amsterdam as part of the South African delegation attending WorldPride for the handover to Cape Town, which will host WorldPride in 2028.
