News from the Mission
US and SA Political Activists Link Up with Students via DVC
Similarities between the black consciousness movement in America and anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa discussed
October 10, 2007
The Niebuhr Center at Elmhurst College (Chicago, USA) and the District Six Museum (Cape Town, South Africa) kicked off their Activists Living Legacy for Youth or ALLY program with a digital video conference (DVC) October 10, 2007.
Consulate General Cape Town hosted Lionel Davis, representatives of the District Six Museum, and students from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), and Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Davis was active in the fight against apartheid and was sentenced to seven years on Robben Island where he met Nelson Mandela.
Davis now lives there with his family and is an employee of the Robben Island Museum. His work includes developing educational materials on political prisoners.
The Reverend Stephen Saunders from Project Equality in Chicago led the discussions at Elmhurst. The two activists discussed their lives and the struggle for human rights, particularly the similarities between the black consciousness movement in America in the 1960s and 1970s, and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa during those years. The live, online exchange was the first of two such events.