Ruth First Memorial Lecture

The 30^th anniversary of the death of Ruth First was marked on August 17, 2012 by an all day-colloquium on the theme Confronting Inequality with a keynote speech by Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke. It was attended by about 350 people at the Wits Art Museum. This was the 11^th Ruth First Memorial Event at Wits.

To see full details see the programme here.

Download speeches and papers here.

Ruth First was a journalist, author, activist and Wits graduate killed by a parcel bomb sent by apartheid agents to her in Maputo in 1982. She was the author of a number of important books and articles, including works on Olive Schreiner, militarism in Africa and migrant labour. "If Ruth First were alive today, we are certain that her primary concern would be the lingering social and economic inequality which divides and scars our society. We hope to use this day to highlight this inequality and draw on her legacy to discuss ways of tackling it," said Prof Anton Harber, head of the Wits Journalism Department and a member of the Ruth First Committee.

 

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2012 Ruth First Memorial 

Photos by: Dinesh Balliah and Akin Oyedele

Ruth First Fellowship

The Ruth First Fellowship recognised and supported work of South African journalists and researchers that followed in a tradition of critical, progressive, independent-minded writing.