Mamphela Ramphele: A Life was a book I picked up as part of my studies, as I'm currently reading through autobiographies/memoirs/fiction books surrounding apartheid South Africa. I'm very glad I did, as this was an insightful read that looked at the life of a woman who bucked many trends in South Africa. She became a medical professional, was feisty and independent despite strong patriarchal structures and fought for her people's freedom. She faced many hardships which made the book emotional, touching and painful to read at times; from the loss of her daughter, to detention, exile and the loss of her true love: Steve Biko.

Mamphela Ramphele captured the feelings of apartheid South Africa well, and I really got an insight into some of the struggles student activists felt and the emotions in this period. She also focused on the plight that women faced, particularly in political structures, as they struggle to be heard and were often overlooked in many histories on this subject.

Ramphele also refused to shy away from the times she did not succeed, when she burned out and when she suffered and these were important moments of recognition. It was interesting that she did not consider herself to be 'exceptional' and wanted to shy away from these 'superwoman' labels to show that she was just a woman. I think this is important particularly in South African history when there has been so much emphasis on 'exceptionalism'. When actually South African history needs to be grounded in global context/African developments as we understand why these events and apartheid happened in South Africa. Her perspective as a black, female doctor is definitely a unique viewpoint and one we have few records of from apartheid South Africa and that makes it invaluable because she offers a different approach. Ramphele sees apartheid South Africa in ways other people didn't and it demonstrates how the background and standing of individuals really impacts on the way we see the world. It really demonstrates to me the point that you cannot only read one perspective on a subject.

The autobiography itself begins when Ramphele was young, her childhood, school years, the breakdown of her first marriage as she went to college. She discussed her involvement with the Black Consciousness Movement and her love affair with Steve Biko who appeared to absorb all of her energies, life and enthusiasm in the early years. We witness a drastic change of views and despondency following Biko's death as she struggled to come to terms with her loss, deal with her feelings and move on. During this time, she is in exile for many years. She then goes on to describe her second marriage, that breakdown and her eventual move to Cape Town, to UCT and her involvement with the rebuilding of South Africa. The book covers a lot of years and offers a good overall insight into how the apartheid era impacted and affected her life.

For anybody interested in women's biographies, African history, books by African women and apartheid South Africa I think this is certainly a must read. It raises questions about how we view the world, how different professions are considered and how the apartheid state functioned.