Oct. 15, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Nairne
San Luis Obispo High School
805-305-9757
‘Kaffir Boy’ Author Mark Mathabane to Speak Oct. 21 at Cal Poly
University, San Luis Obispo High School and Local School Board Member Team
to Present Talk After Parent Complaints About Autobiography
SAN LUIS OBISPO – South African writer Mark Mathabane will speak Oct. 21 at Cal Poly about his 1986 autobiography “Kaffir Boy,” a frequently banned book that depicts the horrors of his childhood amid the apartheid of South Africa.
The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in Spanos Theatre at Cal Poly. It is free and open to the public.
Mathabane, who is black, wrote of his coming of age in South Africa and how he escaped to the United States to become a tennis player. Although “Kaffir Boy” is on the California Department of Education’s recommended reading list for grades 9-12, the department also recommends parental discretion because of graphic depictions in it. The book ultimately shows how reason and spirit can prevail even under the most wretched of human conditions.
According to the American Library Association, “Kaffir Boy” is among the 100 most frequently challenged or banned books.
The issue hit home recently when anonymous San Luis Obispo High School parents wrote to school officials objecting to “Kaffir Boy” being taught in honors history classes.
After a story on the matter in the high school’s student newspaper, Expressions, the San Luis Coastal school district is now facilitating a dialogue with teachers, parents, students, librarians and community members about the book. That prompted district board member Kathryn Eisendrath Rogers to contact Mathabane, who agreed to come to the area and speak about his work and its importance.
Mathabane’s appearance is sponsored by the Kennedy Library, College of Liberal Arts, Division of Student Affairs, English Department, Graphic Communications Department and MultiCultural Center at Cal Poly, and by San Luis Obispo High School, Expressions, San Luis Coastal school district and Eisendrath Rogers.
For more information about the event, contact Scott Nairne, faculty adviser for Expressions, at 805-305-9757.
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