Arts and Culture

Ford Foundation Appoints South African Writer and Educator as Resident Scholar

September 17, 1998 -- The Ford Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Njabulo Ndebele, a prominent South African writer and educator, as a Resident Scholar in its New York City office. Ndebele was most recently vice chancellor and principal of the University of the North at Turfloop, Northern Province. He also served as vice rector of the University of the Western Cape and chairman of the African literature department at the University of Witwatersrand.

Ndebele, 50, is the author of poetry that has appeared in many anthologies and several volumes of fiction, including Bonolo and the Peach Tree and Fools and Other Stories, a chronicle of life in a black township under apartheid. His critical essays were published in a collection called South African Literature and Culture: Rediscovery of the Ordinary. Ndebele's many prizes include the Noma Award for publishing in Africa, the SANLAM First Prize for outstanding fiction, and the Mofolo-Plomer Award for Fools, which was recently made into a feature film.

"Njabulo Ndebele embodies a unique blend," says Alison Bernstein, vice president of the Foundation's Education, Media, Arts, and Culture (EMAC) program. "He is a distinguished scholar, a seasoned administrator, and a profound literary talent. All of these attributes have been honed in South Africa, where he has made an important contribution to achieving social justice and democracy."

During the yearlong residency, Ndebele will consult with staff members in the EMAC program on such issues as improving diversity on college and university campuses and expanding courses to reflect a broader range of perspectives, particularly on topics related to identity and community. He will also advise EMAC on the role of artists in the discussion of social issues. In addition, Ndebele will be working on several writing projects, including a novel and reflections on South African higher education.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.