Posted April 14, 1999

Dr. Mamphela Aletta Ramphele.

"South Africa Today" will be the topic of a Cal Day lecture on Saturday, April 17, by Dr. Mamphela Aletta Ramphele, the first black person and the first woman to become president of the University of Cape Town. She is also the first black woman vice chancellor in South Africa. The event starts at 10 a.m. in Wheeler Auditorium.

A former student activist in the Black Consciousness Movement, Dr. Ramphele is known for her research on life in migrant workers' hostels of the Western Cape and among township children and adolescents. Despite a seven-year banishment by the Nationalist Government, she continued her work with the rural poor.

Her autobiography, "Across Boundaries: The Journey of a South African Woman Leader," was released in the United States in 1997. She was also co-editor of "Bounds of Possibility: The Legacy of Steve Biko and Black Consciousness." For information, call 642-3687.

April 14 - 20 (Volume 27, Number 30)
Copyright 1999, The Regents of the University of California.
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