Steve Biko Foundation

Planned for the Ginsberg township of King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape, the centre will focus on translating global interest in the legacy of anti-apartheid activist Bantu Stephen Biko into an intellectual and economic resource for the local and regional economy.

The Steve Biko Centre is meant to be a living monument that utilises memory to channel local energies towards contemporary development challenges.

This series of activities contributes substantively to the goals of SBF by: Established in 2000, the Steve Biko Memorial Lecture is an annual event that attracts over 2,000 patrons and is broadcast to 47 African nations.

Among the individuals and organisations who have participated are: In addition to its annual lectures and conferences, the Foundation facilitates a number of other platforms for dialogue and leadership development in the form of seminars and workshops, which are anchored by a range of practitioners.

These include: Titled after the pseudonym under which Steve Biko wrote, this newly created forum is designed to bring together young professionals from various sectors for discussion around salient issues impacting South Africa’s political, economic and social development.

The Foundation seeks to empower communities to not only serve as respondents to national dialogue, but to feature in framing the issues and developing alternative paradigms.

A strong culture of critical engagement assists communities in developing successive generations of leadership that is responsive to and grounded in local issues.

By creating avenues to access vocational training, business skills and entrepreneurial opportunities, SBF seeks to assist communities in actualizing the principle of agency.

Steve Biko Foundation's proposition is unique in that its research undertakings are informed by 10 years of developmental programs and policy interactions at the national level and in grassroots communities.

SBF's Research & Policy Unit aims, where appropriate to assist communities in disseminating information to a wider audience, allowing for the development of best practices and increased productivity.

A key objective of the executive fellowship is to provide support to individuals who may not have had an opportunity to document their histories and learning during their careers, but whose lessons will be invaluable for the next generation of leadership.

Alumni An important outcome of the SBF fellowship program will be an international network of academicians and developmental practitioners, who not only represent a variety of industries and sectors, but who span generational and cultural divides.

Beyond providing the tools for knowledge production and aggregation, the Steve Biko Foundation’s research and policy unit will create a platform for the dissemination of this information.

While intended to be a scholarly publication, Frank Talk will also create opportunities for "lay" people, or those not recognized by the academic establishment, to contribute thoughtful pieces on topics of their choice.