The Steve Biko Foundation is inspired by the development legacy of the man Bantu Steve Biko. Biko’s approach emphasized the importance of the connection between identity, agency and change. It focused on the inextricable link between the individual and society, between history and biography. Through this link the individual internalizes influences from their society that come to determine his or her role in the community. In turn, the individual plays out their life in a way that contributes to the history of that society.
The Foundation recognizes that since 1994, South Africa has done well in setting policies for development, defining clear targets in relation to the tangible aspects of development such as houses, water and electricity. The next few decades present the challenge of delivery. The delivery phase requires the active participation of not just government but all South Africans. Agency is, however, a function of a peoples’ sense of identity. A people with a sense of who they are, and a sense of common purpose, are better able to imagine who they can become.
The programs undertaken by the Steve Biko Foundation emphasize the intangible aspects of development such as history and heritage in the hope of reconstructing a national memory and aiding the developing our people’s imagination. Through this approach we aim to build a world-class civil society institution that will help those who live on the periphery of our democratic society to affirm their dignity.
