On Wednesday, the 27th February 2019 the University of Fort Hare (UFH) Centre forTransdisciplinary Studies in partnership with Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Trust (RMST), will host the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Tribute Lecture theme: “Tile Political Spirituality of Sobukwe’s Leaders/zip – does it hold relevance in South Africa, post 1994?”.
The Tribute Lecture is a remembrance activity to highlight the 4P1 anniversary of Sobukwe’s untimely passing. The 27th February marks his death in 1978. In a memorial service in Lesotho the former Secretary General of the Basotholand Congress Party (BCP), G.M. Kolisang pointed out that “The greatness of Sobukwe lies in the fact that it was during the period of his leadership that the struggle of Black people in South Africa acquired recognition both internally and externally. After Sharpeville and Langa massacres the dimensions of the liberation movement in South Africa were enlarged to the international magnitude, this was particularly because of Sobukwe’s presence in the arena of political struggle”.Sobukwe belongs to a generation of popular but lonely leaders who distinguished themselves by their devotion, dedication and determination.
Sobukwe’s meaning cannot neither be eclipsed nor erased from the South African historiography and the marathon of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. His contribution has been pushed to the subconscious minds of the populace. No fabrication of history will expunge Sobukwe from the South African history and from the people’s hearts. Sobukwe was isolated while alive and even in death he continues to be secluded.
The Tribute Lecture will be delivered by Prof. Kwandi Kondlo of Political Economy, Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Prof Kondlo is a full Professor at UJ in the aforementioned department, specialising in Global Political Economy. He is the author of several books and among them is the one which was published in Switzerland and its titled “In the twilight of the revolution – the Pan Africanist Congress, 1959- 1990” .The research towards the writing of this book got him to examine and understand the meaning and purpose of Sobukwe. Prof Kondlo is associated with numerous Universities and Research Institutes locally and internationally.
Details for the forthcoming Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Tribute Lecture are as follows:
DATE: Wednesday, 27th February, 2019
VENUE: University of Fort Hare, ABC Lecture Hall, Main Building, East London
TIME: 17h30 for 18h00
RSVP: Mrs. Khayakazi Mndi via email: kmndi @ufh.ac.za or call 043 704 7352
By way of brief background, it continues to be a source of grave concern that Robert Sobukwe’s legacy and intellectual tradition continues to be marginalised in the contemporary South African academic, political and public media spaces. Sobukwe continues to be a muted philosophical voice whose socio political content and intellectual depth are yet to be explored. It is for this reason that UFH and RMST have partnered to give an in-depth and more critical reflection on Sobukwe.
The upcoming Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Tribute Lecture will give voice to the forgotten and silenced ‘Son of the Soil’. It is an attempt to inscribe the marginalised perspectives, outlooks and approaches that have been systematically and institutionally obliterated from our collective national consciousness and memory bank back to the nation’s history and public discourse.
The Director of the Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies, Dr. Luvuyo Dondolo said: “Sobukwe belongs to a generation of significant, but lonely, intellectual leaders, distinguishable by their devotion, dedication and determination. He had a specific mission in life and refused to give up, even in death. We remember his intellectual and political contributions in the liberation struggle, more so, his consistent selfless devotion to decolonial discourse”.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kwandiwe Kondlo is a Professor of Political Economy at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Prof Kondlo is a full Professor at UJ specialising in Global Political Economy. He is the author of several books including one which was published in Switzerland titled “In the Twilight of the Revolution – the Pan Africanist Congress, 1959— 1990”. The research towards the writing of this book got him to examine and understand the meaning and purpose of Sobukwe. Prof Kondlo is associated with numerous Universities and Research Institutes locally and internationally.
The Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Tribute Lecture is open to the public. We advise all media guests and journalists to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
For Media enquiries kindly contact us via email: tsipuye@gmail.com or call 060 454 4949.
For more information about the Robert Mangaliso
Mndi via email: kmndi@ufh.ac.za or call 043 704 7352.
For more information about the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Trust contact them via email:
rohensobukwetrust@gmail.com or call 049 891 1007.
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