Steve Biko

Preface

7 Preface Thisbrief biographyof BantuStephenBikoisgrounded in relevant published literature.Much written evidence has been lost, was deliberately destroyed or carefully not recorded, out of fear of reprisals in a fearful age. Thus Biko’s story draws substantially from interviews. Some were done with Biko himself, particularly near the end of his life. Twenty-six were conducted in 1989 and 1990 before the end of apartheid. Interviews, of course, have weaknesses as historical sources. They are subjective and also rely on memory, often blurred and distorted by time and perspective. Further, describing another’s life is sometimes a projection of one’s own. An earlier version of this biography was published in 1991 as a chapter in the book Bounds of Possibility. It was written at the invitation of Barney Pityana, Malusi Mpumlwana and Mamphela Ramphele, the co-editors of the book, who have kindly agreed to my revising it for publication in this form. 9 ...