We forget Prof. Mphahlele at our own peril

Posted by Madibeng Kgwete: 29 October 2008

The silence of our country’s academics, political leaders and the intellectual community at large following the recent death of Prof. Eskia Mphahlele is regrettable for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, our silence suggests that we do not value our intellectuals and ambassadors of goodwill. We do not seem to have placed any significant value in the wealth of knowledge and talent that Prof. Mphahlele possessed.

Worse still, we are bound to forget not only the man himself and his personal struggles in pursuit of political and intellectual freedom for the African people; we are also bound to forget his wise counsel and his vision.

Knowledge, as they say, is power; and when we ignore the power of the likes of Prof. Mphahlele’s knowledge, we voluntarily submit ourselves to amnesia. Who, then, will our heroes be?

Mphahlele deserves, at the very least, a provincial funeral and, for future purposes, the channeling of more resources to the Eskia Institute and other memorials in his honour to allow for the transfer of his knowledge to younger generations.