Dulcie September
Dulcie September | |
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Born | Dulcie Evonne September 20 August 1935 South Africa |
Died | 29 March 1988 Paris, France | (aged 52)
Cause of death | Assassination by firearm |
Occupation(s) | Teacher, political activist |
Years active | 1956–1988 |
Organization | African National Congress |
Known for | Anti-apartheid activism |
Dulcie Evonne September (20 August 1935 – 29 March 1988) was a South African anti-apartheid political activist who was assassinated in Paris, France, in 1988.
Early life
The second eldest daughter of Jakobus and Susan September, September grew up in Gleemore, a suburb of Cape Town, where she developed her interest in political activism. She began her primary schooling at Klipfontein Methodist Mission, and later attended Athlone High School. In 1954, she enrolled at the Wesley Training School in Salt River to pursue a career in teaching, and completed her Teacher's Diploma in 1955. She began her teaching career, first at City Mission School in Maitland, then at Bridgetown East Primary School in Athlone in 1956, and in 1957 became a member of the newly established Cape Peninsula Students' Union (CPSU), affiliate of the Unity Movement of South Africa, which aimed at overcoming racial divisions and forging solidarity among students of different cultural backgrounds. She belonged to the Athlone branch of the Teacher's League of South Africa (TLSA).[1]
Activism
September subsequently joined the
In 1973, as her banning order drew to a close, September applied for a permanent departure permit, having secured a position at Madeley College of Education in
Death
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Place_dulcie_september.jpg/300px-Place_dulcie_september.jpg)
On the morning of 29 March 1988, September was shot to death outside the ANC's Paris office at 28, Rue des Petites-Écuries, as she was opening the office after collecting the mail. She was 52 years old. Her death stoked a strong popular reaction in Paris where more than 20,000 gathered to mourn.[2]
Before her assassination, September had been investigating trafficking of weapons between France and South Africa.
Legacy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Gernika_2023_-_21.jpg/240px-Gernika_2023_-_21.jpg)
Arts and media
The conceptual artist Hans Haacke devoted his 1989 installation "One Day, The Lions of Dulcie September Will Spout Water in Jubilation" to her. The site-specific intervention that modified an existing but defunct fountain in front of the Grande halle de la Villette in Paris, was part of the exhibition Magiciens de la terre by Jean-Martin Hubert.
Her short story "A Split Society – Fast Sounds on the Horizon" was included in the 1992 anthology Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[5]
Cold Case: Revisiting Dulcie September is a play that pays tribute to Dulcie September. A book about her murder, Dulcie: Een Vrouw Die Haar Mond Moest Houden by Evelyn Groenink, was published in the Netherlands in 2001.[6] A podcast about the murder of Dulcie September, They Killed Dulcie by Open Secrets and Sound Africa, was released in March 2019.[7] The 2021 documentary Murder in Paris explores the life and assassination of September.[8][9]
Memorials and dedications
A square in the
In August 2010, the first Dulcie September Memorial Lecture took place at The Centre for Humanities Research of the University of the Western Cape, as well as the launch of the Dulcie September Fellowship Awards in the Humanities and Social Sciences that featured speakers including Barbara Masekela and Margaret Busby.[12][13]
In October 2011,
In 2013 the Athlone Civic Centre was renamed the Dulcie September Civic Centre.[15]
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, a road in the city's Transvaalbuurt is named Dulcie Septemberpad. Other buildings and streets in the neighbourhood have also been named after prominent historic South Africans, including Steve Bikoplein, Nelson Mandela School and Retiefstraat.
See also
References
- South African History Online. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-78738-097-4.
- ^ Groenink, Evelyn (Spring 2013). "Dulcie, Hani, Lubowski – A story that could not be told". ZAM Chronicle. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ "Dulcie September: A dedicated cadre cut down by act of cowardice". ANC Today. 2 (34). 23 August 2002. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ^ September, Dulcie, "A Split Society – Fast Sounds on the Horizon", in Busby, Margaret (ed.), Daughters of Africa, London: Jonathan Cape, 1992, pp. 859–868.
- ISBN 9789045001456.
- ^ "they killed dulcie | podcast series". open secrets. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "About the film", Murder in Paris
- ^ Smith, Tymon (21 March 2021). "'Murder in Paris' shines a fresh light on Dulcie September's mysterious death". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Brunet, G. (30 August 2009). "Qui était Dulcie ?". Collège Dulcie September. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- Sunday Times, 15 September 2009, via PressReader.
- ^ Krähmer, Daniel, "Dulcie September Memorial Lecture", Amandla, 17 August 2010.
- ^ "Local heroines in the spotlight". Brand South Africa. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Dulcie September: Remembering 25 Years On". Staffordshire University Students' Union. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
- ^ Wolf, Raphael (28 September 2015). "Exhibition captures inspiring life of September". Cape Times. Retrieved 7 July 2020.