President Jacob Zuma accompanied by the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Paul Mashatile will officially open the Steve Biko Centre on 30 November 2012 in Ginsberg Township, King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape.
"The education of an African child was amongst many issues fought for, by Steve Biko and his generation. In honouring Biko's legacy, we must also recommit to furthering the cause of education, skills development and economic opportunities of all our people" said Mashatile.
To give effect to this, the Biko Centre will serve as an intellectual resource whilst also providing economic opportunities for the local communities and the region. The centre comprises a museum, training rooms, retail areas, archive and library resources space, a community media centre, as well as a commemorative garden honouring human rights activists.
The Centre is designed as both a destination for the tourist and a vehicle for greater cultural awareness and economic development for the local community.
The Steve Biko Centre will feature as a series of Biko related sites in the Eastern Cape that will become part of the Biko Heritage Trail. These sites have been declared national heritage sites and consistently receive both local and international attention.
The Steve Biko Centre, which was initiated by the Steve Biko Foundation and funded by the Department of Arts and Culture, was declared a national legacy project in 2003, making it an initiative of national historic and cultural significance.
Bantu Stephen Biko was an anti-apartheid activist and the founder of the Black Consciousness Movement. He died in a police cell from injuries sustained during his imprisonment and torture, on 12 September 1977.
The launch, the programme will start with a visit to Steve Biko’s Grave Site by Department of Arts and Culture officials, followed by a formal programme where Minister Mashatile will give a keynote address. The programme will end with the cutting of a ribbon to declare the centre officially open to the public.
Media will be afforded a briefing session and a tour of the centre after the formal programme.
Members of the public are encouraged to visit the centre on the second and third day of the event, 1 to 2 December 2012. These days will be filled with activities such as choral performances, museum tours, poetry, dance, book reading, drama performances, film, roundtable dialogues and panel discussions featuring international guests namely:
- Ms Tracey Gore, CEO of the Steve Biko Housing Association in Liverpool; England
- Ms Mirielle Fanon Mendes-France, Founder of the Frantz Fanon Foundation in Paris, France
- Mr Omar Banderra, Director of Frantz Fanon Foundation in Paris, France
Through this project, the Department of Arts and Culture envisage that the centre becomes a beacon of hope, which will encourage local communities to work together for the collective good by reminding the nation and the world about the role of Steve Biko and his generation of the liberation struggle in paving the way for freedom.
Media enquiries:
Mack Lewele
Tel: 012 441 3084
Cell: 082 450 5076
E-mail: mackl@dac.gov.za
Teresa Magidela
Tel: 012 441 3626
Cell: 082 933 9156
E-mail: teresam@dac.gov.za
Obenewa Amponsah
Tel: 011 403 0310
Cell: 074 102 4466
E-mail: oamponsha@sbf.org.za
