THE RESURRECTION OF WINNIE MANDELA

A short, thoughtful examination of the rise, fall and rise again of one of South Africa's most controversial political figures. The death of Winnie Madikizela Mandela last year unleashed a hailstorm of opinion, a battle over reputation. Labelled both villain and heroine as the times required, ‘Ma Winnie' fought apartheid with courage and ferocity, but was seen as damaged goods by some when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. While his memory has been sanctified, her path is stained with controversy. Msimang asks what it means to reclaim this complex woman as an icon, while also questioning the patriarchal nature of the Struggle itself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sisonke Msimang lives in Perth, Australia. She has a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Cape Town, is a Yale World Fellow and Ruth First Fellow. She has written for The New York Times, The Guardian and Newsweek, and has been cited and contributed commentary for Time, Al Jazeera, and the BBC. She appeared at The Moth, and gave a hugely popular TED Women Talk ‘If a story moves you, act on it', seen 1.3m times.