Saluting Simon Nkoli with fierce, fabulous vogueing

Gay rights and AIDS activist Simon Nkoli's life is being celebrated in the world of 'Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera'

12 November 2023 - 00:00 By Staff reporter

Imagine it’s October 13 1990. Simon Nkoli is leading the first Gay Pride March in Africa, four years ahead of Nelson Mandela’s presidency and South Africa’s first democratic elections. Picture a classic fashion runway, as used in Black Queer Vogueing events. Performers walk the catwalk, competing in different categories, with song and dance battles. Sometimes it is playful sparring, other times it is all-out style war. Large video projections show images of Nkoli, his letters from prison, Sebokeng township and anti-apartheid protest marches. ..

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