GALA - Queer Archive

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

GALA - Queer Archive GALA is a centre for q***r culture and education in South Africa.

The GALA Q***r Archive (GALA) is a centre for le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and Q***r (LGBTIQ) culture and education in Africa. Our mission is, first and foremost, to act as a catalyst for the production, preservation and dissemination of knowledge on the history, culture and contemporary experiences of LGBTIQ people. In recent years, GALA has also strengthened its commitment in areas such as education and movement-building. Through our different areas of work, GALA makes an important contribution to the achievement and development of the human rights of LGBTI people on the continent, and to social justice more broadly.

Protest Poster Making� CAMP x GALA Q***r Archive, inside Acts of Care�Saturday 31 October, 10:00–13:00 | Latitudes Centr...
08/10/2026

Protest Poster Making� CAMP x GALA Q***r Archive, inside Acts of Care

�Saturday 31 October, 10:00–13:00 | Latitudes Centre for the Arts | Free, 20 places

In the 1990s, the Township AIDS Project made its own posters, banners and pamphlets to say things and share information that wasn’t being shared anywhere else. Those materials are on the walls at Latitudes right now, as part of Acts of Care, an exhibition drawn from TAP's archive at GALA.

Acts of Care invites you to join CAMP for a Saturday spent making new ones. Look closely at how an earlier generation put a message into public space - with paint, scissors, slogans - then make something of your own about what needs saying now. By making together, we will construct a collective memory. Your poster joins the exhibition's living poster wall, and stays in the archive for whoever comes looking next.
No art experience needed. Just something to say.
Please note: This workshop is open to participants aged 16 and over, free to attend, and requires booking. As the session involves working with paint and other art-making materials, participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and shoes that they don’t mind getting paint or other materials on.

Spaces are limited to RSVP soon:

In the 1990s, the Township AIDS Project made its own posters, banners and pamphlets to say things and share information that wasn’t being shared anywhere else. Those materials are on the walls at Latitudes right now, as part of Acts of Care, an exhibition drawn from TAP's archive at GALA.

This International Le***an Day, we are celebrating Dr. Bev Ditsie!  As we are gearing up for the 36th anniversary of the...
08/10/2026

This International Le***an Day, we are celebrating Dr. Bev Ditsie!

As we are gearing up for the 36th anniversary of the first Pride march in Africa, which was held in Johannesburg, we reflect on the people that made it happen and Ditsie was one of them.

Ditsie, alongside fellow activists organised the 1990 Joburg Pride, creating a historic moment for LGBTQ+ visibility, resistance and liberation in South Africa.

Today, she is the co-founder of House of Ditsie, a q***r-led wellness house that serves their community through somatic practice and narrative justice.

***an ***an

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re reminding our LGBTQIA+ community that your health matters, your body matters, ...
07/10/2026

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re reminding our LGBTQIA+ community that your health matters, your body matters, and you deserve inclusive, affirming healthcare.

Check out this LGBTQIA+ Breast Cancer Awareness Guide to learn about the common signs, symptoms and risk factors affecting the LGBTQIA+ community

IMPORTANT NOTICE: TEMPORARY OFFICE CLOSUREThe GALA Q***r Archive offices will be closed on Friday, 25 September. Our off...
23/09/2026

IMPORTANT NOTICE: TEMPORARY OFFICE CLOSURE

The GALA Q***r Archive offices will be closed on Friday, 25 September. Our offices will reopen on the 28th of September 2026.

As we celebrate Bisexual Visibility Day, we look back at the stories told through the Q***r Activism in Africa anthology...
23/09/2026

As we celebrate Bisexual Visibility Day, we look back at the stories told through the Q***r Activism in Africa anthology series. In this piece, Matlhogonolo Samsam reflects on their journey into activism and how is shapes the black, womanist, bisexual mother that she is today!

The Q***r Activism in Africa series is a collaborative project between Taboom Media and Gala Q***r Archive. These intimate testimonies of strength and vulnerability document and elevate our collective fight for LGBTQIA plus equality.

Read the full story here: https://gala.co.za/books-and-resources/publications-and-publishing/mathokos-books/courage-to-share/

***r

Happening tomorrow! Make sure to RSVP in the link below.
23/09/2026

Happening tomorrow! Make sure to RSVP in the link below.

Join us alongside Few Empowerment Few, 1 in 9 Campaign, Constitution Hill, Gender Dynamix, and the UJ Q***r Society for a Sing & Paint session. We will be creating placards and learning songs of protest ahead of the 22nd Soweto Pride march!

Make sure to wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting paint on.

📅 24 September 2026�
📍 Constitution Hill�
⏰ 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Make sure to RSVP as spaces are limited. You can RSVP HERE : https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/P2pAGRrrkE

It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the passing of Carol Cooper on 20 September 2026. Carol played an import...
22/09/2026

It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the passing of Carol Cooper on 20 September 2026. Carol played an important role in caring for and building what became GALA’s ‘Cooper-Sparks Library’.
Her greatest legacy, however, was the safe and caring space she created for young people among the bookshelves. Carol is remembered and honoured through the library’s name, alongside the late Tony Sparks, who also played an important role in its early years. Her legacy also lives on in the many lives she touched and in the relationships and community she helped build.

She will be dearly missed.

Click here to learn more about the history of the Cooper-Sparks Library that is housed at GALA Q***r Archive: https://galaq***rarchive.substack.com/p/shedding-new-light-history-of-the?r=8gyy16&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

As we celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week, we look back at the stories told through the Q***r Activism in Africa anthology...
19/09/2026

As we celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week, we look back at the stories told through the Q***r Activism in Africa anthology series. In this piece, Lusa Chisulo reflects on the journey on their journey of life as a q***r Zambians.

The Q***r Activism in Africa series is a collaborative project between Taboom Media and Gala Q***r Archive. These intimate testimonies of strength and vulnerability document and elevate our collective fight for LGBTQIA plus equality.

Trigger warning: sexual violence.

Read the full story here: https://gala.co.za/books-and-resources/publications-and-publishing/mathokos-books/courage-to-share/

As we celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week, we look back at the stories of bisexual activists told through the Q***r Activi...
18/09/2026

As we celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week, we look back at the stories of bisexual activists told through the Q***r Activism in Africa anthology series. In this piece, Pamina Sebastião reflects on the importance of collective building in creating sustainable movements.

The Q***r Activism in Africa series is a collaborative project between Taboom Media and Gala Q***r Archive. These intimate testimonies of strength and vulnerability document and elevate our collective fight for LGBTQIA plus equality.

Read Pamina’s story here: https://gala.co.za/books-and-resources/publications-and-publishing/mathokos-books/hopes-and-dreams/?utm_campaign=linkinbio&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio

🇦🇴 ***r

Join us alongside Few Empowerment Few, 1 in 9 Campaign, Constitution Hill, Gender Dynamix, and the UJ Q***r Society for ...
17/09/2026

Join us alongside Few Empowerment Few, 1 in 9 Campaign, Constitution Hill, Gender Dynamix, and the UJ Q***r Society for a Sing & Paint session. We will be creating placards and learning songs of protest ahead of the 22nd Soweto Pride march!

Make sure to wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting paint on.

📅 24 September 2026�
📍 Constitution Hill�
⏰ 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Make sure to RSVP as spaces are limited. You can RSVP HERE : https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/P2pAGRrrkE

Address

7th Floor, University Corner (Wits Art Museum Building) Corner Jorissen & Bertha/Jan Smuts
Braamfontein
2017

Opening Hours

Monday 08:30 - 16:00
Tuesday 08:30 - 16:00
Wednesday 08:30 - 16:00
Thursday 08:30 - 16:00
Friday 08:30 - 16:00

Telephone

+27117174239

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when GALA - Queer Archive posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to GALA - Queer Archive:

Shortcuts

Share