Biko: A Life

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Steve Biko was an exceptional and inspirational leader, a pivotal figure in South African history. As a leading anti-apartheid activist and thinker, Biko created the Black Consciousness Movement, the grassroots organisation which would mobilise a large proportion of the black urban population. His death in police custody at the age of just 30 robbed South Africa of one of its most gifted leaders. Although the rudimentary facts of his life - and death - are well known, there has until now been no in-depth book on this major political figure and the impact of his life and tragic death. Xolela Mangcu, who knew Biko, provides the first in-depth look at the life of one of the most iconic figures of the anti-apartheid movement, whose legacy is still felt strongly today, both in South Africa, and worldwide in the global struggle for civil rights.

Reviews

'...promises to transform our understanding of this pivotal figure.' - Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 'Xolela Mangcu has brought Biko back to our lives. A must-read' - Ngugi wa Thiong'o 'A brilliant biography...a landmark in Biko studies' - Jeff Peires

Author Bio

Xolela Mangcu is an internationally respected analyst and commentator. He is based at the University of Cape Town and is also a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C.