Durban, 21 September 2016
South Africa remains a country defined by race, 22 years after apartheid and the first democratic elections in 1994.
Despite the strong ideological tradition of non-racialism in the South African liberation struggle, and the centrality of the founding principle of non-racialism to the much lauded South African Constitution, the legacy of the apartheid policy of race classification and the related economic, social and political stratification this system entrenched and enforced remain all too evident today.
A recent Nelson Mandela Foundation position paper argued that public discourses on race today “are dominated by expressions of denial, alienation, obfuscation and even self-hatred” and laments the apparent disappearance of those “robust narratives of non-racism and of Black Consciousness… that defined identity in terms of a political vision and a concomitant way of life, or praxis… that shaped our struggles for liberation and our negotiating of a post-apartheid polity.”
To ignite reconsideration of these “robust narratives” SAHA invites you to mark Heritage Month by joining us at Ike’s Books & Collectables for the Durban launch of the 25th anniversary edition of “The unbreakable thread: non-racialism in South Africa” by Julie Frederikse, and taking part in a dialogue forum considering the legacy of non-racialism in South Africa today.
Based on over 100 interviews conducted in the late 1980s, this commemorative edition is now made freely accessible, along with the related interviews transcripts, historical documents and photographs through a SAHA online repository in order to prompt and enable critical consideration of what progress has been made in the building of a non-racial democracy in South Africa.
This event will highlight KwaZulu-Natal liberation struggle veterans interviewed, including Lechesa Tsenoli, Jay Naidoo, Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, Kay Moonsamy, Cliffie Collings, Alec Erwin and Nise Malange, as well as late activists from the province such as M.B. Yengwa, Dorothy Nyembe, Billy Nair and Jabulani "Mzala" Nxumalo.
BOOK LAUNCH & PANEL DISCUSSION: The Unbreakable Thread: non-racialism in South Africa
OPENING ADDRESS: Professor Crain Soudien - Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
PANELLISTS: Phila Msimang – School of Religion, Philosophy & Classics, University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Julie Frederikse – author, journalist & film-maker
WHEN: 17h30 for 18h00, Wednesday 21 September 2016
WHERE: Ike’s Books & Collectables, 48a Florida Road, Morningside, Durban
RSVP: By email to info@saha.org.za or by phone to 011 718 2560
A limited number of print copies of the commemorative edition will be available for sale at the event.
Visit the virtual exhibition
Download each chapter as a PDF from the LIBRARY in the virtual exhibition
