Dear Friends and Family
11th December 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the untimely deaths of Yusuf Akhalwaya and Prakash Napier. These two young South Africans made the ultimate sacrifice, contributing towards freedom and democracy in South Africa.
I have decided to start this blog in an attempt to get friends and family of Yusuf and Prakash to reflect their personal anecdotes and place commemorative messages in order to pay tribute to these two heroes.
It is also hoped that this forum will allow us all to find ways in which their names and memories and more importantly the ideals that they lived and died for, continue to motivate us to
deepen the democracy we all fought and longed for.
To this end, a group of friends, comrades and family members are looking at exploring various initiatives to celebrate their lives. These include the launch of the Prakash & Yusuf Memorial Trust, launching a website, curating a travelling exhibition for schools in and around Lenasia, a leadership development programme, a scholarship, as well as a book. (it is hoped that blogs posted here will form the basis of a book and contributions are eagerly awaited).
As work towards making each of these ideas a reality begins, I hope to gather your thoughts and ideas and learn more about these remarkable young men, who helped to bring about the freedom and democracy we all enjoy in South Africa today.
Ismail Akhalwaya
1 comment:
Great idea to start a blog. It is important to encourage contributions from all who knew them especially family and friends. As I post this comment, my hairs are on end thinking and writing about Yusuf and Prakash. It is surreal that after so many years one can still be moved with lumps in ones throat and tears struggling to break free. At least I have the coldness of the virtual environment to save me from this embarrassment - but cry we must. My memories of them flash by like a jagged series of blurry movie clips that only I can see. They died so young and had so much more to offer. I have interacted with many who knew them more intermittently than I did and their loss is incalculable. They have left deep impregnable holes juxtaposed by indelible marks that their memories will never be forgotten. History may forget or even marginalise their contribution but they will live with those who knew them. This has been the hardest piece of writing I have ever done so sincere apologies but the tears will just not stop ...
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