Every month, LGBTQ+ activist organisation, Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA), joins forces with inner-city walking tour company, Dlala Nje to facililtate the Queer Hillbrow Tour. Celebrating South Africa's collective queer heritage, the tour is a journey through the struggle for queer rights in Johannesburg during the apartheid era.
During the 60s and 70s, Hillbrow was locally knowns as a "pink neighbourhood" with a vibrant LGBTQ+ community that sought to defy the apartheid regime. Homosexuality was considered a criminal offence by the apartheid government. The tour covers the streets of chaotic Hillbrow, one of Joburg's most notorious and overcrowded neighbourhoods.
It takes a look at the vital spaces in Hillbrow which helped shape contemporary Johannesburg queer community. Stories of brave queer activists who gave a voice to LGBTQ+ South Africans in the struggle for equality and freedom are also shared. The tour also includes a look around the iconic 52-storey Ponte building, Africa's tallest residential building.
The tour lasts for approximately 4 hours and covers around five kilometers.
