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A Life
Dr Ramphelle tells the story of her personal and political growth. She is now a director of the World Bank in Washington.
- GenresSouth Africa
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
39 people want to read
About the author
Mamphela Ramphele
26 books8 followersMamphela Ramphele is a leading South African academic, businesswoman, medical doctor and former anti-apartheid activist. She is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko Foundations and Founder of the Citizens Movement.
She is the current leader of Agang, a developing political party.
She is the current leader of Agang, a developing political party.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 29, 2013
This is a great book. I do not agree with all her assumptions and conclusions on post apartheid South Africa but must acknowledge what a significant book this is. Mamphela invested in sharing her life on these pages. She was bold to put down her opinions and views on different issues and for this I rate this book 5 stars.
In the book she covers her origins from Limpopo and her time at boarding school and the extreme difficulties she had to overcome. She describes her choice in medical studies in Kwa Zulu Natal where her conscientisation began. Here she meets someone who influenced me personally a great deal - Steve Biko. It was interesting to read about Steve Biko from her perspective. The person beyond BCM and SASO - the man, the lover, the father. She is very thorough in the book. She discusses her decisions and difficulties surrounding her first marriage, the difficulty of being with Biko when she was freed from her marriage and he was now married. She speaks about the death of her and Steve's first child, the depression and guilt she felt on the death. She also explores openly the "mistakes" as a medical practitioner and the death of Steve's sister. She is very expressive on the role of women
The book is slow at the beginning but comes alive when her journey takes her to Kwa Zulu Natal. I was totally captivated by this part of the story because it has such far reaching implications for South Africa and for her personally. I could not put the book down during these sections.
The last part of the book is her explaining her decisions after Biko's death. She was devastated by his death and because like Winnie Mandela, she was "banished" at the time could not even attend his funeral. The hurt of his death, her banishment at the time and the way the media and political players dismissed her can be felt in this section of the book.
What was most interesting for me is to see how the types people who influence her evolved over time. First it is very much in Limpopo and the people there, then it was strong black figures like Barney and Steve Biko who emerge and then lastly the liberalisation of Mamphela begins when she moves to UCT - Cape Town.
In the middle part of the book when she is a student at university in KZN and later in Eastern Cape as an activist and community doctor her voice is loud, clear, bold and unapologetic - Black Consciousness. It was wonderful for me to read this kind of language from her (which you will not hear today)
After the death of Steve Biko her political outlook begins to change and this is reflected in the style of writing and the tone that the book takes. She begins to justify why she works at UCT, her climb, her selection onto the Executive structures - the only black. She also becomes quite condescending calling student activists "naive" who often "irritate" her. Even her discussion on anthropology does not reflect on radical and trailblazing views of the discipline by people like Archie Mafeje. This was difficult for me to read and I cringed at the change in her views. But then I realised who her influences and circles were at the time - she was surrounded by liberal thinkers (mainly white intellectuals and the elite in SA) who had a particular world view and who in a way embraced "exceptionalism" - Later she also justifies her role on the executive of corporate and white South African structures and her tentacles start to reach into the USA.
In 2013 Mamphela started a political party in opposition to the majority ANC. Before she formed it she went to the USA and was with the Obama's and there the rumours about her starting this party began to surface. This book helped me to understand this move and why her party is liberal, why she is so far removed from Black Consciousness as an ideology and why the party offers very little in terms of structural change to achieve real empowerment of the black population. The strong voice that was evident as a student and later in the Eastern Cape is replaced with shadow whispers and not threatening of the status quo
This book is important because it shows the difficulties women face in the political process and how they are often dismissed, this I identified with given my experience in South African and regional/global politics and governance. I also identified with the need for time out and the burn out that political and change processes can inflict on the individual. It is difficult being a woman in a world that is male dominated. Perhaps this influenced her choices, I cannot say for sure.
However much I differ with her current political and economic leanings this book is well written and there is much to learn and reflect on. It will urge you to think and to see that every person and every story has different vantage points from which they see the world. As a woman, as a black person and as a doctor you continue to see these different vantage points at different times in her life. It will also show personal, political and economic choices are influenced by the people we surround ourselves with or who are in our sphere of influence.
I really enjoyed this book - a great read
In the book she covers her origins from Limpopo and her time at boarding school and the extreme difficulties she had to overcome. She describes her choice in medical studies in Kwa Zulu Natal where her conscientisation began. Here she meets someone who influenced me personally a great deal - Steve Biko. It was interesting to read about Steve Biko from her perspective. The person beyond BCM and SASO - the man, the lover, the father. She is very thorough in the book. She discusses her decisions and difficulties surrounding her first marriage, the difficulty of being with Biko when she was freed from her marriage and he was now married. She speaks about the death of her and Steve's first child, the depression and guilt she felt on the death. She also explores openly the "mistakes" as a medical practitioner and the death of Steve's sister. She is very expressive on the role of women
The book is slow at the beginning but comes alive when her journey takes her to Kwa Zulu Natal. I was totally captivated by this part of the story because it has such far reaching implications for South Africa and for her personally. I could not put the book down during these sections.
The last part of the book is her explaining her decisions after Biko's death. She was devastated by his death and because like Winnie Mandela, she was "banished" at the time could not even attend his funeral. The hurt of his death, her banishment at the time and the way the media and political players dismissed her can be felt in this section of the book.
What was most interesting for me is to see how the types people who influence her evolved over time. First it is very much in Limpopo and the people there, then it was strong black figures like Barney and Steve Biko who emerge and then lastly the liberalisation of Mamphela begins when she moves to UCT - Cape Town.
In the middle part of the book when she is a student at university in KZN and later in Eastern Cape as an activist and community doctor her voice is loud, clear, bold and unapologetic - Black Consciousness. It was wonderful for me to read this kind of language from her (which you will not hear today)
After the death of Steve Biko her political outlook begins to change and this is reflected in the style of writing and the tone that the book takes. She begins to justify why she works at UCT, her climb, her selection onto the Executive structures - the only black. She also becomes quite condescending calling student activists "naive" who often "irritate" her. Even her discussion on anthropology does not reflect on radical and trailblazing views of the discipline by people like Archie Mafeje. This was difficult for me to read and I cringed at the change in her views. But then I realised who her influences and circles were at the time - she was surrounded by liberal thinkers (mainly white intellectuals and the elite in SA) who had a particular world view and who in a way embraced "exceptionalism" - Later she also justifies her role on the executive of corporate and white South African structures and her tentacles start to reach into the USA.
In 2013 Mamphela started a political party in opposition to the majority ANC. Before she formed it she went to the USA and was with the Obama's and there the rumours about her starting this party began to surface. This book helped me to understand this move and why her party is liberal, why she is so far removed from Black Consciousness as an ideology and why the party offers very little in terms of structural change to achieve real empowerment of the black population. The strong voice that was evident as a student and later in the Eastern Cape is replaced with shadow whispers and not threatening of the status quo
This book is important because it shows the difficulties women face in the political process and how they are often dismissed, this I identified with given my experience in South African and regional/global politics and governance. I also identified with the need for time out and the burn out that political and change processes can inflict on the individual. It is difficult being a woman in a world that is male dominated. Perhaps this influenced her choices, I cannot say for sure.
However much I differ with her current political and economic leanings this book is well written and there is much to learn and reflect on. It will urge you to think and to see that every person and every story has different vantage points from which they see the world. As a woman, as a black person and as a doctor you continue to see these different vantage points at different times in her life. It will also show personal, political and economic choices are influenced by the people we surround ourselves with or who are in our sphere of influence.
I really enjoyed this book - a great read
July 10, 2018
Mamphela Ramphele: A Life was a book I picked up as part of my studies, as I'm currently reading through autobiographies/memoirs/fiction books surrounding apartheid South Africa. I'm very glad I did, as this was an insightful read that looked at the life of a woman who bucked many trends in South Africa. She became a medical professional, was feisty and independent despite strong patriarchal structures and fought for her people's freedom. She faced many hardships which made the book emotional, touching and painful to read at times; from the loss of her daughter, to detention, exile and the loss of her true love: Steve Biko.
Mamphela Ramphele captured the feelings of apartheid South Africa well, and I really got an insight into some of the struggles student activists felt and the emotions in this period. She also focused on the plight that women faced, particularly in political structures, as they struggle to be heard and were often overlooked in many histories on this subject.
Ramphele also refused to shy away from the times she did not succeed, when she burned out and when she suffered and these were important moments of recognition. It was interesting that she did not consider herself to be 'exceptional' and wanted to shy away from these 'superwoman' labels to show that she was just a woman. I think this is important particularly in South African history when there has been so much emphasis on 'exceptionalism'. When actually South African history needs to be grounded in global context/African developments as we understand why these events and apartheid happened in South Africa. Her perspective as a black, female doctor is definitely a unique viewpoint and one we have few records of from apartheid South Africa and that makes it invaluable because she offers a different approach. Ramphele sees apartheid South Africa in ways other people didn't and it demonstrates how the background and standing of individuals really impacts on the way we see the world. It really demonstrates to me the point that you cannot only read one perspective on a subject.
The autobiography itself begins when Ramphele was young, her childhood, school years, the breakdown of her first marriage as she went to college. She discussed her involvement with the Black Consciousness Movement and her love affair with Steve Biko who appeared to absorb all of her energies, life and enthusiasm in the early years. We witness a drastic change of views and despondency following Biko's death as she struggled to come to terms with her loss, deal with her feelings and move on. During this time, she is in exile for many years. She then goes on to describe her second marriage, that breakdown and her eventual move to Cape Town, to UCT and her involvement with the rebuilding of South Africa. The book covers a lot of years and offers a good overall insight into how the apartheid era impacted and affected her life.
For anybody interested in women's biographies, African history, books by African women and apartheid South Africa I think this is certainly a must read. It raises questions about how we view the world, how different professions are considered and how the apartheid state functioned.
Mamphela Ramphele captured the feelings of apartheid South Africa well, and I really got an insight into some of the struggles student activists felt and the emotions in this period. She also focused on the plight that women faced, particularly in political structures, as they struggle to be heard and were often overlooked in many histories on this subject.
Ramphele also refused to shy away from the times she did not succeed, when she burned out and when she suffered and these were important moments of recognition. It was interesting that she did not consider herself to be 'exceptional' and wanted to shy away from these 'superwoman' labels to show that she was just a woman. I think this is important particularly in South African history when there has been so much emphasis on 'exceptionalism'. When actually South African history needs to be grounded in global context/African developments as we understand why these events and apartheid happened in South Africa. Her perspective as a black, female doctor is definitely a unique viewpoint and one we have few records of from apartheid South Africa and that makes it invaluable because she offers a different approach. Ramphele sees apartheid South Africa in ways other people didn't and it demonstrates how the background and standing of individuals really impacts on the way we see the world. It really demonstrates to me the point that you cannot only read one perspective on a subject.
The autobiography itself begins when Ramphele was young, her childhood, school years, the breakdown of her first marriage as she went to college. She discussed her involvement with the Black Consciousness Movement and her love affair with Steve Biko who appeared to absorb all of her energies, life and enthusiasm in the early years. We witness a drastic change of views and despondency following Biko's death as she struggled to come to terms with her loss, deal with her feelings and move on. During this time, she is in exile for many years. She then goes on to describe her second marriage, that breakdown and her eventual move to Cape Town, to UCT and her involvement with the rebuilding of South Africa. The book covers a lot of years and offers a good overall insight into how the apartheid era impacted and affected her life.
For anybody interested in women's biographies, African history, books by African women and apartheid South Africa I think this is certainly a must read. It raises questions about how we view the world, how different professions are considered and how the apartheid state functioned.
August 31, 2012
Life well lived. Very inspirational and it makes one aspire to live more. She's my role model.
December 13, 2019
“The double jeopardy of being black and female in a racist and sexist society may well make one less afraid of the sanctions against success. A non-subservient black woman is by definition a transgressive-she is the ultimate outsider. But political activism, with its infusion of a purpose higher than oneself, and the steeling effect of having had to break most of the rules in a society desperately in need of transformation, have added an important depth to my adult life.”ーMamphela Ramphele, A Life
Dr. Mamphele Ramphele is a #womenpioneers, one of the first few females and black medical doctors in South Africa, an anthropologist, an author and lifelong community activist, as a student, anti-apartheid leader, community health practitioner, and a reformist political leader. In the first chapter of the book, she started by telling about her roots, where she came from, grew up in rural SA and her parents as both teachers. I began to engage with the book when she started to tell her struggling to pursue medical school, giving the circumstances that being in a middle class family, being a woman, and black. But grit and perseverance brought her all the way up. And right then around the late 1960s, with Stephen Biko and several other, Dr.Ramphele were the founding members of the Black Consciousness Movement, the powerful SA strand of the struggle for freedom of oppressed peoples of color. This book is well documented of a history of SA Apartheid, pre, during and post events. From the 1970s, the development phase under the Black Consciousness Movement. The 1980s brought in the season of development. And the 1990s, the era of transformation and nation building. All cystal clear outlined by the iron woman who fought in the front line. I had learn so many historic moments and so many important names of the SA Apartheid history.
One of the important element of this book was also the portrayal of a rough life of a career woman. I really apprciate that Dr.Ramphele shared such an intimate details about her love trinagle affair with Steve Biko, difficult relationship and two bitter divorces. She's utterly vulnerable and honest.
Also the details of the aparthield driven government, the banning of her, Biko and many other memebers that caused lives. While trying to attempt her medical practice, created comminity clinic to support the poors, being a crucial role in anti-aparthied, she also begin her life as a wife and a mother. This is probably my most favorite part of this book. I truly love her audacity to have challenged a patriarchal society which has no regard for people of color and women.
That said, I am not necessary agree with everything she writes but I do have much respect for her ambition, her contribution to the society and as a woman role model.
Dr. Mamphele Ramphele is a #womenpioneers, one of the first few females and black medical doctors in South Africa, an anthropologist, an author and lifelong community activist, as a student, anti-apartheid leader, community health practitioner, and a reformist political leader. In the first chapter of the book, she started by telling about her roots, where she came from, grew up in rural SA and her parents as both teachers. I began to engage with the book when she started to tell her struggling to pursue medical school, giving the circumstances that being in a middle class family, being a woman, and black. But grit and perseverance brought her all the way up. And right then around the late 1960s, with Stephen Biko and several other, Dr.Ramphele were the founding members of the Black Consciousness Movement, the powerful SA strand of the struggle for freedom of oppressed peoples of color. This book is well documented of a history of SA Apartheid, pre, during and post events. From the 1970s, the development phase under the Black Consciousness Movement. The 1980s brought in the season of development. And the 1990s, the era of transformation and nation building. All cystal clear outlined by the iron woman who fought in the front line. I had learn so many historic moments and so many important names of the SA Apartheid history.
One of the important element of this book was also the portrayal of a rough life of a career woman. I really apprciate that Dr.Ramphele shared such an intimate details about her love trinagle affair with Steve Biko, difficult relationship and two bitter divorces. She's utterly vulnerable and honest.
Also the details of the aparthield driven government, the banning of her, Biko and many other memebers that caused lives. While trying to attempt her medical practice, created comminity clinic to support the poors, being a crucial role in anti-aparthied, she also begin her life as a wife and a mother. This is probably my most favorite part of this book. I truly love her audacity to have challenged a patriarchal society which has no regard for people of color and women.
That said, I am not necessary agree with everything she writes but I do have much respect for her ambition, her contribution to the society and as a woman role model.
October 13, 2012
What a woman.... What a story... What a life!
Beautifully written!
Beautifully written!
Read
August 13, 2016Good book!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews