insert_link South Africa South Africa to receive remains of 49 liberation fighters South Africa’s government will receive the remains of 49 liberation fighters who died in exile in Zimbabwe and Zambia this week. Led by Sports Minister Gayton Mackenzie and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga, the remains will arrive at Waterkloof Air Force Base, followed by a homecoming ceremony at Freedom Park. SA’s government says this initiative honours their sacrifices and underscores the nation’s commitment to remembering its liberation heroes. The Exile Repatriation […] todaySeptember 24, 2024 10
insert_link Africa Steve Biko, the South African liberation struggle hero who considered dishonour worse than death By Jacob Dlamini, Princeton University What happens when death becomes the ultimate marker of one’s commitment to one’s freedom? Jacob Dlamini explores this and other questions in his new book, Dying for Freedom: Political Martyrdom in South Africa. This edited extract, from the chapter Dead and Proud, focuses on Steve Biko’s attitude to martyrdom and to the political uses of death (30). Steve Biko’s death on 12 September […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 5
insert_link Africa Who were the first Africans at the Olympics? The disturbing story of two 1904 marathon runners 1904 Olympic marathon participants Len Tau (left) and Jan Mashiani of South Africa. Missouri History Museum By Francois Cleophas, Stellenbosch University Who were the first Africans to compete in the modern Olympic Games? The answer to that question reveals the surprising story of a 1904 marathon – and exposes the history of racism and white supremacy that characterised the Olympics in its early days. The first modern […] todayJuly 22, 2024 11
insert_link Entertainment Brenda Fassie’s 1997 hit song Vulindlela still raises questions about South Africa as a nation By Mbali Mazibuko, University of Johannesburg In 1997, South Africa’s most famous music star had a huge hit. Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela became a national pop anthem, played especially at weddings and celebrations. Vulindlela can be loosely translated from the Zulu language as an instruction to “make way” or, if you like, “clear the path”. The song is about making way for the groom (and […] todayJuly 12, 2024 41
insert_link South Africa Ordinary white South Africans and apartheid – bound to a racist system they helped prop up By Neil Roos, University of Fort Hare In South Africa, apartheid was a divisive political system entrenched by a white minority who regarded other ethnic groups as inferior, creating townships on the outskirts of cities to house the black population and legislation to control their movements. Many academic studies have focused on black life under apartheid, but few on white life – and even fewer on […] todayJuly 10, 2024 11
insert_link South Africa Students on the frontline: South Africa and the US share a history of protest against white supremacy By Rico Devara Chapman, Jackson State University Every year on 16 June, South Africa commemorates the revolt of black school children against the inferior “bantu education” system on that day in 1976. The horror of police shooting and killing unarmed children caused a global uproar. Historian Rico Devara Chapman’s research interests include a focus on the African diaspora’s historical and contemporary struggles for justice, particularly student […] todayJune 17, 2024 15
insert_link Africa June 16 uprising: how a massacre in South Africa led to Africa’s boycott of the 1976 Olympics By Nicolas Bancel, Université de Lausanne As the world prepares for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, can we maintain faith in the nonpolitical ethos of the event? The Montreal Olympics Games in 1976 stands out, among others, as a clear instance of the games being used for political ends. In 1976 Montreal became only the second French-speaking city to host the event since […] todayJune 14, 2024 31
insert_link South Africa Mayibuye! The 100-year-old slogan that’s stirred up divisions in South Africa’s elections By Corinne Sandwith, University of Pretoria Political parties the world over use slogans, icons, colours, names and flags to establish their political and historical credentials. What happens when two political parties lay claim to the same history and the same symbolic capital? In South Africa, a conflict of this kind is being played out between the governing African National Congress (ANC) party led by […] todayMay 28, 2024 26
insert_link South Africa Drained but proud: how it felt to organise South Africa’s first democratic election in just 4 months By Kealeboga J Maphunye, University of South Africa South Africa’s historic 27 April 1994 national election marked the end of more than three centuries of colonial and apartheid rule. The period leading to the election was one of heightened political tension, with opponents of change working hard to derail the process through deadly violence. Political scientist Kealeboga Maphunye asks Mandla Mchunu, first deputy secretary of […] todayMay 22, 2024 17
