THE BEST IS YET TO COME

In this domain of Provenance Part II, Theme II is focused on Literature; particularly its provenance in the Eastern Cape.

Our research is bound between two institutions; the monumental Lovedale Press in Alice and the Amathole Museum in King William’s Town, each a site of record-keeping that remains essential in our map-making of our roots.

It is under these complex conditions - of colonial force and imposition -  that the town became a center for missionary activity in the 19th century, notably with the founding of the Lovedale Missionary Institution in 1841, which later evolved into the University of Fort Hare, and the  its adjunct  printing house, Lovedale Press.

This university, established in 1916, played a pivotal role in educating Black South Africans during apartheid, counting among its alumni leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and Govan Mbeki.

Lovedale Press, as we will later discover, was a bedrock of articulating Black Consciousness and our political, cultural and intellectual expression. 

"The best is yet to come" is an offering that reflects on the notable national treasures that leaned onto the institution for their personal and intellectual endeavours.