The Steve Biko Centre in the small town of Ginsberg, outside King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape, was officially opened by President Jacob Zuma on November 30.
“The centre will serve as an intellectual resource, while providing an economic opportunity for the region,” said the President.
The centre was built through a partnership between the departments of Arts and Culture as well as tourism with Cabinet recently declaring it a national legacy project. It features a museum an archive centre, a library resource centre, a commemorative garden honouring human rights activists and a community media centre.
The President said government had decided to dedicate the year 2012 to heritage. Part of that heritage would include unveiling monuments and memorials that paid homage to those who made the supreme sacrifice during the wars of resistance and in the struggle for liberation.
He said the centre would educate the public about the leadership of Biko and his contribution to freedom and democracy. It would also contribute to poverty eradication through the development of cultural industries and to utilise heritage as a tool for fostering social cohesion.
The state-of-the-art building will feature as the cornerstone of the Biko Heritage trail – a series of Biko-related sites spanning from Port Elizabeth to King William's Town. A number of these sites, among them Biko's home in Ginsberg Township, the Biko Bridge in East London as well as Zanempilo Clinic, which Biko co-founded in the mid-1970s, have been declared national heritage sites.
Source:SAnews.gov.za
