Barbara Masekela
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Barbara Mosima Joyce Masekela is an academic, activist and poet, who has been lauded for her stayed dedication to the arts and social transformation, and commitment to cultural activism and fight for humanity. In the 1980s, while exiled in Zambia, she became the head of the African National Congress’s Department of Arts and Culture, which had a major influence on the academic and cultural boycotts that formed part of the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa. As the South African ambassador to France and UNESCO, she was responsible for leading the official demand and diplomatic negotiations surrounding one of the first human ancestor repatriations to Africa, this being the return of Sara Baartman to South Africa from France's Musée de l'Homme. In the lead up to the demand, she publicly supported artists like filmmaker, Zola Maseko (The Life and Times of Sara Baartman) and poet Diana Ferrus (I've Come To Take You Home) who advocated for the return of Sara Baartman through their artistic works. In 2025, she received an honorary doctorate from Rhodes University and University of Johannesburg for her immense contributions to the political and cultural spheres in South Africa.