Broadcast 1 February 2021

In this lecture and conversation, we explore the life and work of Steve Biko.

In 1978, the leadership of the South African Students’ Organisation, founded by Biko, and the Black People’s Convention were put on trial in apartheid South Africa.

What followed was one of the seminal events in 20th Century African history and one of the definitive events in the course of Black Consciousness. Though not on trial himself, it was Biko’s awe-inspiring performance under cross-examination that came to reinvigorate the youth movement in South Africa.

In this engaging and thought-provoking conversation, we dive into Biko’s testimony, decipher Biko’s formidable rhetoric and come to understand why Biko and Black Consciousness were so important to the fight against apartheid.

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