Neville Alexander
Encyclopedia
Neville Edward Alexander (22 October 1936) is a proponent of a multilingual South Africa
and a former revolutionary
who spent ten years on Robben Island
with Nelson Mandela
.
, South Africa to David James Alexander, a carpenter, and Dimbiti Bisho Alexander, a schoolteacher. His maternal grandmother was an Ethiopian and was rescued from slavery by the British
He was educated at Holy Rosary Convent, Cradock, and matriculated in 1952. He spent six years at the University of Cape Town
obtaining a BA in German and History (1955), completing his Honours in German a year later and a MA in German, his thesis was on the Silesia Baroque drama of Andreas Gryphius and Daniel Caspar von Lohenstein. Having been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
fellowship place at the University of Tübingen he gained his Phd in 1961 for a dissertation on style change in the dramatic work of Gerhart Hauptmann.
, Kenneth Abrahams, Ottilie Abrahams
, Fikile Bam, Andreas Shipinga, Marcus Solomon, Xenophon Pitt and Elizabeth van der Heyden, formed a study group of nine members in July 1962, known as the Yu Chi Chan Club (YCCC). Yu Chi Chan is the Chinese name for guerrilla warfare, which Mao Tse-Tung used. The YCCC disbanded in late 1962 to be replaced by the National Liberation Front (NLF) of which Alexander was a founder.
In July 1963 he, along with most members of the NLF, was arrested. In 1964, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit sabotage. From 1964–1974 he was imprisoned on Robben Island
.
In 1981, he was appointed Director of the South African Committee for Higher Education (SACHED). He is currently a director of Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) at the University of Cape Town.
In 1994 his Trotskyist Workers Organisation for Socialist Action
contested the elections.
Alexander was the recipient of the Linguapax Prize for 2008. The prize is awarded annually (since 2000) in recognition of contributions to linguistic diversity and multilingual education. The citation noted that he had devoted more than twenty years of his professional life to defend and preserve multilingualism in the post-apartheid South Africa and has become one of the major advocates of linguistic diversity.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and a former revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
who spent ten years on Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
with Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
.
Early life
Alexander was born in Cradock, Eastern Cape ProvinceCradock, Eastern Cape
Cradock is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, in the upper valley of the Great Fish River, by rail northeast of Port Elizabeth. The town is the administrative seat of the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality in the Chris Hani District of the Eastern Cape. The estimated population...
, South Africa to David James Alexander, a carpenter, and Dimbiti Bisho Alexander, a schoolteacher. His maternal grandmother was an Ethiopian and was rescued from slavery by the British
He was educated at Holy Rosary Convent, Cradock, and matriculated in 1952. He spent six years at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
obtaining a BA in German and History (1955), completing his Honours in German a year later and a MA in German, his thesis was on the Silesia Baroque drama of Andreas Gryphius and Daniel Caspar von Lohenstein. Having been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
fellowship place at the University of Tübingen he gained his Phd in 1961 for a dissertation on style change in the dramatic work of Gerhart Hauptmann.
The Apartheid years
By 1957 Alexander was already radicalised and a member of the Cape Peninsula Students' Union, an affiliate of The Non-European Unity Movement of South Africa. He joined the African Peoples Democratic Union of Southern Africa (APDUSA) which was established in 1960. However he was ejected from APDUSA in 1961 and with Dulcie SeptemberDulcie September
September, Dulcie Evonne was born on August 20th, 1935 in Gleemore , Western Cape, South Africa. She died after being assassinated in Paris, France on March 29, 1988...
, Kenneth Abrahams, Ottilie Abrahams
Ottilie Abrahams
Ottilie Grete Abrahams is a Namibian activist, politician and educator.-Personal:Abrahams was born on 2 September 1937 in the Old Location township outside of Windhoek.-Activism:...
, Fikile Bam, Andreas Shipinga, Marcus Solomon, Xenophon Pitt and Elizabeth van der Heyden, formed a study group of nine members in July 1962, known as the Yu Chi Chan Club (YCCC). Yu Chi Chan is the Chinese name for guerrilla warfare, which Mao Tse-Tung used. The YCCC disbanded in late 1962 to be replaced by the National Liberation Front (NLF) of which Alexander was a founder.
In July 1963 he, along with most members of the NLF, was arrested. In 1964, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit sabotage. From 1964–1974 he was imprisoned on Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
Post-Apartheid
After being released he has done much pioneering work in the field of language policy and planning in South Africa since the early 1980s via organisations such as the National Language Project, PRAESA, as well as the LANGTAG process. He has been influential in respect of language policy development with various government departments, including Education. His most recent work has focused on the tension between multilingualism and the hegemony of English in the public sphere. He is currently Director of PRAESA and a member of the Interim Governing Board of the African Academy of LanguagesAfrican Academy of Languages
The African Academy of Languages is a Pan-African organization founded in 2001 by Mali's then-president Alpha Oumar Konaré, under the auspices of the African Union, for the harmonization of Africa's many spoken languages...
.
In 1981, he was appointed Director of the South African Committee for Higher Education (SACHED). He is currently a director of Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) at the University of Cape Town.
In 1994 his Trotskyist Workers Organisation for Socialist Action
Workers Organisation for Socialist Action
The Workers Organisation for Socialist Action is a Trotskyist political party in South Africa.Founded in 1990, the group claimed that the African National Congress was raising hopes which were unrealisable under capitalism. Instead, for the South African general election, 1994, it formed the...
contested the elections.
Alexander was the recipient of the Linguapax Prize for 2008. The prize is awarded annually (since 2000) in recognition of contributions to linguistic diversity and multilingual education. The citation noted that he had devoted more than twenty years of his professional life to defend and preserve multilingualism in the post-apartheid South Africa and has become one of the major advocates of linguistic diversity.