Description
Book SynopsisSteve Biko was an exceptional and inspirational leader, a pivotal figure in South African history. As a leading anti-apartheid activist and thinker, Biko created the Black Consciousness Movement, the grassroots organisation which would mobilise a large proportion of the black urban population. His death in police custody at the age of just 30 robbed South Africa of one of its most gifted leaders. Although the rudimentary facts of his life - and death - are well known, there has until now been no in-depth book on this major political figure and the impact of his life and tragic death. Xolela Mangcu, who knew Biko, provides the first in-depth look at the life of one of the most iconic figures of the anti-apartheid movement, whose legacy is still felt strongly today, both in South Africa, and worldwide in the global struggle for civil rights.
Trade Review'...promises to transform our understanding of this pivotal figure.' - Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 'Xolela Mangcu has brought Biko back to our lives. A must-read' - Ngugi wa Thiong'o 'A brilliant biography...a landmark in Biko studies' - Jeff Peires
Table of ContentsForeword by Nelson Mandela Preface 1.In My Mind’s Eye 2.Steve Biko in the Intellectual History of the Eastern Cape: An African Elite and European Modernity 3.Formative Years in Ginsberg Location, King William’s Town 4.Leaving Home: Lovedale, St Francis College 5.The Trouble(s) with NUSAS 6.Steve Biko and the Making of SASO 7.Strategic Leadership and ‘Losing Grip’: The Black People’s Convention 8.Banishment and Homecoming 9.How Steve was Killed 10.Steve Biko’s ‘Extraordinary Gift of Leadership’ Epilogue: Coming Full Circle Select Bibliography Acknowledgements About the Author Index
