I wasn't really shocked to hear of the passing of Prof Es'kia Mphahlele - he had been struggling with his health the past couple of years. But I was sad that he had passed away without me having seen him in a long while. I was also saddened that South Africa has now lost one of its most erudite sons. Although he grew up under the cloud of a staunchly seperatist state, in an uneducated family, he was disciplined in his pursuit of knowledge and went on to live a highly accomplised life as a literary activist and scholar. After 20 years in exile, he chose to return to South Africa after the 1976 Soweto uprising, long before it was considered safe or politically correct to do so, but with the conviction that he could make a more meaningful contribution working within South Africa.
I first met him when I worked at the Es'kia Institute, an NGO inspired by his life work. At the time I knew little about him, other than what I was told by the Institute's CEO, Mike Stainbank. But the little I heard was enough to light the spark that would later ignite a new desire within me.
By the time I met him, Uncle Zeke was already about 82 years old, but unlike any other 82 year old I'd ever met. He was distinguished in his appearance, with eyes that reflected intensity and profound engagement, even when he was a million miles away. Although a bit unsteady on his feet by then, he still managed to go swimming and take daily hikes in the valley near his Lebowakgomo home.
I couldn't get enough of the literature that recorded his thoughts, his work and his life. And in the process, I discovered many great African philosophers, like Ngugi wa'Thiongo, Chinau Achebe and others, who until then I had not been exposed to. As a Black woman around 30 at the time, I was mortified by my sparse knowledge of such giants of thought.
It was somewhere in those first 2 years, between reading the first and second volumes of your autobiograpy (Down Second Avenue and Afrika My Music), learning about your cultural and literary activism and discovering your commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, that I made a personal decision about the direction I wanted for my life - a decision which led in part to SA Patriot - a decision that makes me proud everyday - a decision that I credit entirely to knowing you Uncle Zeke. Thank you.
Go well great African spirit. May your life and work continue to be a light to others in search of knowledge.
Find out more about the Es'kia Institute
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