Africa House is delighted to sponsor a conversation about South African anti-apartheid activist Dulcie September
Sponsored by NYU Africa House and NYU SPS Center for Applied Liberal Arts
Date: Monday, November 8, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM-1:15 PM Eastern Time
Speakers:
Leonard Cortana (Moderator), 2021-2022 Africa House Holmes Fellow and Ph.D. Candidate at the Cinema Studies Department at NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Enver Samuel, Director of Murder in Paris
Nicola Arendse, Niece of Dulcie September
Verne Harris, Head of Leadership and Knowledge Development at the Nelson Mandela Foundation
“The cost of erasing Dulcie September and others like her, is not only the billions that could have been spent on a society in dire need. It is also the opportunity to accurately understand the past in order to improve the future. And, of course, justice.”
- Rasmus Bitsch & Kelly-Eve Koopman, The Erasure of Dulcie September, Africa is a Country
Dulcie September, the ANC Representative for France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland was assassinated in Paris in March 1988 during the French Presidential Campaign.
33 years after her assassination, French Advocate Yves Laurin, acting on behalf of Dulcie September’s family, took action to re-open the case. The documentary, Murder in Paris is being submitted as evidence in support of the case.
Dulcie September’s life is a reminder to current day South Africa that the purpose of all the sacrifices and past struggles were not in vain and that a just South Africa is possible. Her story inspires those who strive for democracy and social justice, shining a light on a selfless unsung hero. Her story is the story of many activists around the world today, taking a stand against corruption and injustice.
In this talk, Leonard Cortana will reflect on the transnational memorialization of Dulcie September and the collaboration of several actors and media makers in a call for justice. He will be joined by South African filmmaker Enver Samuel who released the film Murder in Paris on the South African broadcast station SABC on Human Rights Day last March and Nicola Arendse, Dulcie’s niece. Along with September's family, his team has launched an impact campaign to advocate for the re-opening of the case in the French courts.
While many struggling heroes are remembered and revered, Dulcie’s memory is all but erased beyond those who knew her. The Murder in Paris impact campaign seeks to redress this wrong and place Dulcie next to the great names that fought for a free and just South Africa.