The Honorable Barbara Hogan and Ahmed Kathrada spoke at the Drexel University School of Public Health on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 4:30 PM in the Main Auditorium (3141 Chestnut St.) at Drexel University.
Click here to view streaming video of the event. The video is 74 minutes in length, and includes introductory remarks from Dean Marla J. Gold, MD and Prof. John Rich, MD. (Dept. of Health Management and Policy). RealPlayer is required to view the video. Click here for free download.
Barbara Hogan, the newly appointed Minister of Health for South Africa, was joined by special guest Ahmed Kathrada, a prison confidante of Nelson Mandela. Together, Hogan and Kathrada shared their experiences and thoughts about pressing global issues of health and human rights facing both the United States and South Africa. The lecture was an ideal opportunity to hear first-hand and recognize the important contributions that these two leaders have made on behalf of justice, health and human rights.
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Barbara Hogan |
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Ahmed Kathrada |
The lecture is part of the annual Jonathan Mann Health & Human Rights Memorial Lecture series at the Drexel University School of Public Health. The lecture is named for Dr. Jonathan Mann, a champion of human rights and founding dean of the school. Each speaker in the annual series reflects Dr. Mann’s principles and everlasting spirit.
Barbara Hogan was the first white woman to be tried for treason after the famous Treason Trials from 1956 – 1961 in South Africa for her nonviolent involvement in the struggle of the African National Congress in 1982. She was released from prison in 1990 and became a Member of Parliament in South Africa. In September 2008, Hogan was appointed to the cabinet-level position of Minister of Health by the new president.
Ahmed Kathrada is one of the fathers in the struggle for freedom in South Africa. He worked alongside leaders like Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. Eventually, he was sentenced to life in prison for treason at the Rivonia Trial in 1964. Kathrada served a total of 25 years imprisoned at Robben Island and Pollsmoor Maximum Prison in South Africa. On Robben Island, Kathrada buried the original copy of Mandela’s biography in his tiny garden, before it could be smuggled to London and published.
After being released from prison in 1989, Kathrada served as an advisor to President Mandela and in various leadership capacities at the African National Congress. He is now the chairperson of the Robben Island Museum Council and the Ex-Political Prisoner’s Committee.
Click here for event flyer (PDF)