South Africa recently marked the twentieth anniversary of its first democratic elections and the momentous passage of one of the great leaders who made this political transition possible, Nelson Mandela. While the post-apartheid era is often thought of in glowing terms outside South Africa, the current situation within the country provides ample evidence that the legacies of state-sanctioned violence, economic inequality, and institutional racism are still very much alive. This symposium features key voices from the generation of South Africans who have come of age in a post-apartheid world. It is being staged in dialogue with a March 11 Cal Performances concert by Hugh Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela and the March 12 screening of the film A Letter to Nelson Mandela.

10:00 am-12:00 pm | Reconciliation in Retrospect

Session 1 features Gillian Hart (Geography, UC Berkeley), filmmaker Khalo Matabane, Siphokazi Magadla (Political and International Studies, Rhodes University), and Catherine Cole (TDPS, UC Berkeley).

1:00 pm-5:00 pm | Marikana and its Aftermath

Session 2 includes a screening of the documentary film Miners Shot Down by Rehad Desai, followed by a discussion with South African journalist and author Niren Tolsi, Siphokazi Magadla (Political and International Studies, Rhodes University), Catherine Cole (TDPS, UC Berkeley), and Gillian Hart (Geography, UC Berkeley).

Organizers Catherine Cole (Theater, Dance and Performance Studies) and Gillian Hart (Geography) preview this exciting and timely series of South Africa in the West events in this blog.

5:00 pm-6:30 pm | Reception

Presented by the Center for African Studies, the Office of the Chancellor, and the Townsend Center for the Humanities.