HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE HOSTS A CONVERSATION WITH SOUTH AFRICAN ACTIVIST AHMED KATHRADA
Friend and Colleague of Nelson Mandela Helped Lead Resistance Movement against Apartheid
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| HBS Africa Business Club co-president Fabrice Ndjodo (MBA '06) with
guest Ahmed Kathrada Photo: Susan Young |
BOSTON - Ahmed Kathrada, a leader of the African National Congress and a lifelong friend and confidant of Nelson Mandela, recently shared his experiences with members of the Harvard University community during a special event on the Harvard Business School campus hosted by the HBS Leadership Initiative and the HBS Africa Business Club.
In a dialogue with HBS professor John Deighton and students from HBS and the Kennedy School of Government, Kathrada discussed some of the experiences detailed in his recently published Memoirs, including the conditions he endured after being convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 with Mandela and several other ANC activists.
Regarding Mandela’s role in opposing apartheid, Kathrada said, “When the armed struggle started, it was decided by the African National Congress that he should remain in the country and go underground. So he led the life of an outlaw. He gave up his family, his [law] practice, and his daily life; he disguised himself. That was leadership. If he had not given up so much, he wouldn’t have had volunteers to join [him].”
Throughout his imprisonment at Robben Island and Pollsmoor Prison, Kathrada maintained his prominent role in the movement. Besides teaching and motivating fellow prisoners, he helped hide the pages of Mandela's autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom. Since his release in 1989, he has remained steadfast in his dream of creating a multiracial, inclusive South Africa.
“In 1994, South Africa had the first democratic election, and I was fortunate to be elected to Parliament,” said Kathrada, who served during this time as a key advisor to President Mandela before retiring in 1999.
In addition, Kathrada discussed the role of business in South Africa’s development. “One of our major problems is employment and we need money, not in the stock exchange, but for building factories,” he said. “Blacks are now going into business as well, and our hope is that they will plow back into the community as a result of their successes.”
At the conclusion of the discussion, Kathrada took questions from the audience, which came from across the University community, including HBS, Harvard College, the Kennedy School of Government, the Harvard Divinity School, and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Professor Linda Hill, faculty chair of the HBS Leadership Initiative, opened the event and moderated the discussion. “Kathy is a very special person – an individual who is truly a leader. By the age of sixteen he had taken on formal leadership roles and has committed his life to improving the lives and livelihood of the marginalized and the poor,” said Hill.
Kathrada's visit to Harvard Business School coincides with an innovative study of four young black South African leaders being conducted by Hill, who is examining how emerging South African leaders become stewards and positive change-agents, a primary goal of the Leadership Initiative's global research.
The HBS Leadership Initiative (www.hbs.edu/leadership), is a catalyst for carrying out the School's mission of educating leaders who make a difference in the world. Since its inception, HBS has been committed to shaping business leaders with the integrity and capabilities to build world-class organizations. The Leadership Initiative seeks to ensure that HBS remains at the forefront of leadership research and development for the 21st century and beyond.
The HBS Africa Business Club is dedicated to increasing awareness of business opportunities on the African continent. Its activities are professional, educational, and social in nature, and are open to all members of the Harvard Business School community.