Home » Steve Biko’s son to give memorial lecture in Greenwich

Steve Biko’s son to give memorial lecture in Greenwich

The first Steve Biko Memorial Lecture to be given outside South Africa will be delivered in London on Thursday 28 October. It will be held at the University of Greenwich, in partnership with the Network for Black Professionals in the UK, as part of Black History Month. The speaker will be Nkosinathi Biko, founder and […]

27-02-15 22:32

The first Steve Biko Memorial Lecture to be given outside South Africa will be delivered in London on Thursday 28 October. It will be held at the University of Greenwich, in partnership with the Network for Black Professionals in the UK, as part of Black History Month.

The speaker will be Nkosinathi Biko, founder and CEO of the Steve Biko Foundation, whose theme will be: Challenges for Black Leadership: Time for new leadership models for the 21st Century.

He will reflect on the legacy of his late father, Steve Biko, the anti-apartheid activist who died in police custody 33 years ago. The leading proponent of black consciousness, Biko founded the South Africa Students’ Organisation (SASO) and the Black People’s Convention (BPC) along with a number of community and educational organisations. After his death, the story of Steve Biko’s life and work reached a wider audience through Richard Attenborough’s 1987 feature film “Cry Freedom” starring Denzel Washington.

The Steve Biko Memorial Lecture series has attracted a roll call of distinguished scholars, humanitarians and religious and political leaders since its establishment in 2000. Past speakers include two former South African Presidents, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki and, most recently, the Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Alice Walker, author of “The Color Purple”.

The Steve Biko Memorial Lecture is the flagship programme of the Steve Biko Foundation. In keeping with its mission, the primary objectives of this initiative are to:

  • Stimulate critical debate on vital socio-economic and political issues
  • Bridge the gap between academia and civil society
  • Foster the intangible but essential building blocks: history, culture & values as the foundation for leadership at the level of the individual and the community
  • Educate the public about Biko and his contributions to freedom and democracy.

Building on the success of the lecture in South Africa, the Foundation now wishes to work internationally.  In keeping with the tradition of Biko, the lecture will focus on issues of culture, identity and agency. This inaugural address will serve to contextualize the lecture series and to highlight the contemporary relevance of Steve Biko’s legacy.

Partnering with the Steve Biko Foundation for the second time, the Network for Black Professionals is a UK based social justice, not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) professionals to achieve their full career and civic potential. The NBP is a black led organisation with over 10 years expertise in delivering services to support BAME professionals and diverse communities.

The University of Greenwich is a large university with three campuses in London and Medway, Kent. Its largest campus is sited in Greenwich on the banks of the River Thames, at the heart of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. The principal buildings of the campus were designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The campus is also home to a gallery and a teaching building dedicated to Stephen Lawrence, in recognition of the major changes in British society which have come about since his murder in 1993. The university has a diverse student body; 48% come from black and other ethnic minority communities and students from more than 100 countries choose to study here.

Admission to the lecture will be free and as seating will not be reserved tickets will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Please complete the form at the website below.

http://www.nbp.org.uk/steve_biko_memorial_lecture/