The murder of anti-apartheid activist, Bantu Stephen Biko, on 12 September 1977, marked a turning point in the political history of South Africa. Biko who led the Black Consciousness Movement in the late 1960’s rose to become the most vociferous voice of resistance in the country, following the banning of the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress, which resulted in a lull in political activity amongst blacks. By the time of Biko’s death in 1977, black consciousness had become “a way of life”. It was integrally woven into the political, social and cultural institutions, injecting a dose of fresh energy into the struggle for freedom.
 
If, internally, Biko’s life helped give birth to an era of hope, then his death helped highlight the brutality of South African security laws as well as the general plight of black South Africans to the international community. It led directly to the decision by Western countries to support the UN Security Council vote to ban mandatory arms sales to South Africa (Resolution 418 of 4 November 1977). As Steve Biko once erceptively pronounced: “You are either alive and proud or you are dead….And your method of death can itself be a politicizing thing.”

On 12 September 2007, South Africa will witness the thirtieth anniversary of the urder of Steve Biko.   The Steve Biko Foundation is organizing a commemorative event to mark the thirtieth anniversary of this leader who died at the youthful age of thirty years. Accordingly dubbed Biko 30:30, this occasion will examine the contemporary meaning of Biko in Africa and the Diaspora through a transatlantic dialogue featuring a:

• Conference: Consciousness, Agency & the African Development Agenda
• Community Festivals
• Concert Series