Book and Exhibition to launch at ANC Centenary Conference

Media Release

13 August 2012

Book and Exhibition to launch at ANC Centenary Conference

“Redeeming the Past – my Journey from Freedom Fighter to Healer”, the story of Hastings priest and activist Michael Lapsley, will be launched on the eve of the ANC Centenary conference taking place in Wellington this weekend.

Based in Zimbabwe, Michael Lapsley was active in support of the liberation struggle and was critically injured in an assassination attempt by parcel bomb in 1990. Since then he has dedicated himself to the reconciliation process and heads a trauma healing centre in Cape Town.

Nelson Mandela describes his life as a “compelling metaphor” – “he was a foreigner who came to our country and was transformed. His life is part of the tapestry of the many long journeys and struggles of our people.”

Two exhibitions of photos by Auckland photographer John Miller will also show as part of the conference. One, a tribute to the many New Zealanders who stood up for the struggles of the South African people, will depict two decades of activism in 100 black and white images. The other will focus on the 1981 Springbok Tour and show as a continuous loop of 300 colour slides.

The exhibitions, created by Wellington digital printer Out of the Box, have been supported by MFAT and the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The conference, “When Hope and History Rhyme” is part of an international series of events to mark the centenary of the African National Congress.

Major figures from the history of New Zealand’s fight against apartheid in South Africa are coming to Wellington to speak at the forthcoming ANC Centenary Conference at Victoria University.

M.A Stofile, now South Africa’s ambassador to Germany, is the principal speaker. Mr Stofile visited New Zealand several times during the controversy over sporting contacts with apartheid South Africa, and was a key contact for the anti-apartheid movement over many years. (Mr Stofile initiated the apology to Maori rugby players for their exclusion from All Black tours to South Africa.) After the conference Mr Stofile will be hosted by the NZRU for an informal visit to Rugby HQ.

Other speakers include All Blacks and other sports people who refused to participate in apartheid sport – notably Bob Burgess, Graham Mourie and runner Anne Hare.

Organised as a contribution to mark the centenary of the African National Congress, the conference will be moderated by Trevor Richards, the original chairperson of HART, Halt All Racist Tours.

Sue Ryall, convenor of the organising committee, says the conference will be a unique opportunity to remember and explore a vital period in New Zealand’s recent history.

“It’s much more than a nostalgic journey down memory lane. We have people contributing from many viewpoints –political and cultural commentators, as well as the activists who led campaigns. The conference will be a living archive of a critical period which saw New Zealand split in two over the apartheid issue, in particular the contact with apartheid sport. The conflict also caused many New Zealanders to reflect deeply on our own racial and cultural issues and has been influential in the development of our politics since.”

Local contributors to the conference include Peter Harris, Ripeka Evans, Mike Law, Margaret Hayward, Russell Marshall, Ted Thomas, Geoff Chapple, Rosslyn Noonan and Jock Phillips.

ends

© Scoop Media