Mark Mathabane, author of 1986 autobiography “Kaffir Boy,” escaped from the South African apartheid regime by earning a tennis scholarship to Dowling College.
South African cultural festival will be held at Stork Fountain Oct. 8
Mark Mathabane, author of 1986 autobiography “Kaffir Boy,” tennis player, lecturer, and this year’
s Guerin Visiting Scholar,
said he has high expectations of Marlborough students when he visits Oct.7-8.
“I want to get the feeling that Marlborough, along with equipping
students to realize their potential
as human beings, is dedicated to the mission of saving our planet and humanity,”
Mathabane (pronounced
motta-BONE-ee) said.
“Kaffir Boy,” once number one on the Washington Post’s bestseller list, focuses on Mathabane’s life under the South African apartheid and how he escaped from the regime by earning a tennis scholarship to Dowling College in the United States.
Mathabane said that he wants to pass on “the importance of education as a powerful weapon of hope and reconciliation.” He also wants to pass on “the need for students and faculty to understand the challenges facing humanity so they can empower themselves to seek solutions to intractable problems that threaten our survival.”
“We live in a global world where schools like Marlborough must challenge students to be a part of it,”Mathabane said.
After the assembly, a committee headed by Beverly Thrall, associate director of major gifts, is organizing a South African culture festival at Stork Fountain, where South African dancers will perform and an art exhibition will take place.
While dancers perform a “Gum-shoe” number, in which they dance wearing rubber rain boots, Springbok Catering will provide free South African dishes at the North plaza. Dishes will include sosaties, which are chicken kebabs in apricot marinade, and chicken and vegetarian curry with rice.
History and Social Sciences Department Head Catherine Atwell said she is looking forward to these cultural activities. “South Africa is not just apartheid. It’s much more than that, and we want students to acknowledge that,” Atwell said.
Since Mathabane’s visit is early in the school year, Atwell said she changed the AP World History curriculum to study South African history earlier.
Mathabane will speak and sign books the evening of Oct. 7 at the Academic Resource Center. He will also talk during all-school assembly and during B Period with AP World History and other selected students Oct. 8.
To learn more about Mathabane, click HERE.
