Honouring Ruth First: A Room That Refuses to Forget
By Dr. Jane Mufamadi, CEO of Freedom Park
In the story of Southern Africa’s liberation, there are names that echo loudly in public memory, and others that demand deliberate remembrance. Ruth First belongs firmly to both. Her life was not only lived in defiance of injustice but was ultimately taken because of it. Today, as we reflect on initiatives such as the establishment of the Ruth First Room at the Centre for African Studies in Maputo, we are reminded that memory is not passive, it is an active, living responsibility.
The creation of the Ruth First Room is more than a commemorative act. It is a conscious intervention in how we preserve, interpret, and transmit the intellectual and political heritage of our continent. Situated in the very space where she worked, and where her life was tragically cut short by the apartheid regime, the room stands as both a memorial and a site of knowledge production. It refuses to allow history to fade into abstraction. Instead, it anchors it in place, in lived experience, and in ongoing dialogue.
Ruth First’s life embodies the intersection of scholarship and activism. As a journalist, academic, and anti-apartheid activist, she understood that knowledge was not neutral. It could be mobilised as a tool for liberation or manipulated as an instrument of oppression. Her work at the Centre for African Studies, alongside figures such as Aquino de Bragança, reflected a commitment to reimagining African scholarship in service of newly independent states and broader regional freedom.
What makes the Ruth First Room particularly significant is its refusal to be a static museum. It is envisioned as a dynamic space, part archive, part laboratory, where research, memory, and contemporary inquiry intersect. Through photographs, documents, digital exhibitions, and interactive platforms, it reconstructs not only the life of Ruth First but also the intellectual climate of the time. It reminds us that liberation was not only fought on the battlefield or in political chambers, but also in lecture halls, research centres, and through the written word.
At Freedom Park, we understand the power of such spaces. Our own mandate is rooted in preserving the stories of those who contributed to South Africa’s journey to freedom, ensuring that their sacrifices are neither forgotten nor misunderstood. The Ruth First Room resonates deeply with this mission. It demonstrates how heritage can be curated in ways that inspire critical thinking, foster dialogue, and connect past struggles to present realities.
Importantly, the project also underscores the internationalist nature of the liberation struggle. Ruth First’s work in Mozambique is a testament to the interconnectedness of African histories. The fight against apartheid was never confined within South Africa’s borders; it was supported, shaped, and sustained by solidarity across the continent and beyond. By situating her legacy within the broader context of the Centre for African Studies, the project highlights this shared history of resistance and cooperation.
In a time when the relevance of historical memory is often questioned, particularly by younger generations navigating a rapidly changing world, the Ruth First Room offers a compelling answer. It does not present history as distant or irrelevant. Instead, it invites engagement. It challenges visitors to consider how the questions Ruth First grappled with, inequality, justice, the role of intellectuals in society, remain unresolved today.
Moreover, it serves as a reminder that the cost of freedom was not only borne by those who took up arms, but also by those who dared to think, write, and teach differently. Ruth First was targeted precisely because her ideas were powerful. Her assassination was an attempt to silence not just a person, but a way of understanding and challenging the world. The existence of this room ensures that such an attempt ultimately failed.
As we continue to build democratic societies across Africa, projects like the Ruth First Room call on us to rethink how we engage with our past. They urge us to move beyond commemoration towards active interpretation. They remind us that heritage is not only about honouring what has been, but also about shaping what can be.
In preserving Ruth First’s legacy, we are not merely looking back. We are equipping ourselves, and future generations, with the intellectual and moral tools to confront the challenges that lie ahead. That, perhaps, is the most fitting tribute we can offer, not only to remember, but to continue the work.
