MSU graduate students who attend the advanced degree ceremony can learn from the struggles of South African Ambassador Barbara Masekela, said David Wiley, a professor of sociology and director of the African Studies Center.
"She's a woman who is a veteran of the struggle for a free South Africa," said Wiley. "She has a great deal of experience in what it is to work for the long haul and be committed to something for a long time.
"Democracy did not come quickly for South Africa."
Masekela will address students at 7 p.m. on Friday at Breslin Center. She was an activist against apartheid who served as Nelson Mandela's chief of staff until 1994.
MSU President M. Peter McPherson said MSU's long-standing relationship with South Africa is part of the reason Masekela was interested in giving the address.
"In the 1970s, MSU was the first university that decided not to invest in companies that were doing business in South Africa because of apartheid," McPherson said. "This was a move to put significant pressure on South Africa to get rid of apartheid."
MSU continues to be heavily involved in African studies, Wiley said.
"MSU has the largest African studies faculty in the country, and probably the largest program in the United States," Wiley said. "We very closely identified with the struggle for rights in South Africa."
South Africa's abolishment of apartheid is an important event in history, McPherson said.
"The story of South Africa getting rid of apartheid and moving toward democracy is historical," McPherson said. "It is one of the most important stories of this era."
Masekela's work against apartheid spanned many years. Wiley said graduate students can learn from that.
"She shows that if you persevere through long periods of difficulty and stay true to your values, there can be light at the end of the tunnel," Wiley said. "There can be a victory."
