The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation will this month mark what would have been the 93 rd birthday of anti-apartheid struggle veteran, Ahmed Kathrada. A series of programmes and events will be held to celebrate Kathrada’s legacy as a lifelongactivist against racism. Kathrada was born on 21 August 1929 in the rural town of Schweizer Reneke in the North West Province. He became politically active at the age of 12 while schooling in Johannesburg and was part of almost all the key campaigns against apartheid until his arrest and imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial. After his release and the advent of democracy, Kathrada served as Parliamentary Councillor to former President Nelson Mandela, headed the Robben
Island Museum Council and later formed the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation. He passed away in 2017. On Sunday, 21 August, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation together with Constitution Hill will officially open the Ahmed Kathrada Exhibition on what would have been his 93 rd birthday. The exhibition, located at Constitution Hill, Old Fort, will focus on different elements of Kathrada’s rich legacy and will draw in audiences, both old and young. The Ahmed Kathrada Exhibition will showcase a unique collection of personal artefacts, printed and digital telling the story of an extraordinary South African figure. The exhibition will take visitors through Comrade Kathrada’s humble beginnings and activism, his imprisonment right through to his recognition as a global voice for non-racialism and social justice.
The Ahmed Kathrada Exhibition tells its story across five distinct chapters;
Early life
Revolutionary activism
Robben Island
Building the new South Africa
Elder statesman
The exhibition, designed by Dreamfuel will be opened officially at a public event on Sunday,
21 August at 10:30 for 11am. To RSVP for this free event, please contact the Ahmed
Kathrada Foundation on eventsakf@gmail.com or send a message to 081-433-2876. Guests at
the event will reflect on Kathrada’s legacy and its relevance in South Africa today. Please
join us.
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