THE ALBERT LUTHULI
YOUNG HISTORIANS PRIZE

Honouring the Memory of All
A National Oral History Project

“The task is not finished. South Africa is not yet a home for all her sons and daughters. Such a home we wish to ensure. From the beginning our history has been one of ascending unities, the breaking of tribal, racial and creedal barriers. The past cannot hope to have a life sustained by itself, wrenched from the whole.

There remains before us the building of a new land, a home for men who are black, white, and brown, from the ruins of the old narrow groups, a synthesis of the rich cultural strains, which we have inherited. There remains to be achieved our integration with the rest of our continent. Somewhere ahead there beckons a civilisation, a culture, which will take its place in the parade of God's history beside other great human syntheses, Chinese, Egyptian, Jewish, European. It will not necessarily be all black, but it will be African ”

Chief Albert Luthuli. Let My People Go 1962

“The time will come when our nation will honour the memory of all the sons, the daughters, the mothers, the fathers, and the children who, by their thoughts and deeds, gave us the right to assert with pride that we are South Africans.”

President Nelson Mandela, First address to Parliament, 1994

The Albert Luthuli Young Historians Prize

is a national oral history project to involve learners in reclaiming our past and honoring those who played a role in the struggle for freedom, non -racialism, non-sexism, and democracy.

The Young Historians' Prize is named after Chief Albert Luthuli, a humble teacher who rose to become head of the ANC and one of Africa's greatest sons, he fought for freedom, non-racialism, peace and democracy and was the continent's first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961.

Rules of the competition

The competition is open to Senior and FET learners.
Learners are expected to research and write an essay on either
An individual, a parent, teacher or other member of your family or community who played a role in the student movement and the education struggles prior to 1996.

Or

An individual in the local community who participated in the Congress of The People.

Or
An individual in the local community who played a role in the political struggle for freedom in South Africa.

Essays must show evidence of research, analysis and argument. It is important that learners base their essays on oral history research.

They should interview a member of the community, or family. They should include with their essays, any relevant photographs, memorabilia and documents relating to the individual's experiences. Copies of tape recordings of interviews are important. The learner must get a letter from the individual authorising release of materials for publication and use of the interview.

Judging Process
The essays and accompanying material will be edited and published on SAHO website.

In addition, all the essays will be judged by a panel of experts and the best 50 essays from each region will then be sent to a national panel which will choose the nine best essays. The winning group of learners will be invited to a national workshop at which they will work alongside filmmakers to make a short documentary on their subject. The documentary will be shown on a SABC Television channel.

In addition, the school from which the learner comes will receive video and other equipment to undertake further oral history projects.

All essays should be forwarded to the provincial co-ordinators.

Further Information
For further information on the Albert Luthuli Young Historians' Award, how to undertake oral history, history of South Africa, Timelines, Documents and the new history curriculum go to the SAHO website
www.sahistory.org.za

E-mail Info@sahistory.org.za

The Albert Luthuli Young Historians' Prize
The competition will run annually. It will identify those learners who have researched and written an essay, thereby recording the lives of those people in their community who have played a role in shaping our history.

The Albert Luthuli Young Historians' Prize will give learners the skills to undertake research, to conduct interviews, and to write an essay on the lives of local and national heroes.

The Albert Luthuli Young Historians' Prize will allow learners to contribute to the building of a national “Wall of Honour” online, celebrating the lives of those who played a role in the struggle for freedom and democracy.

The nine learners whose essays are judged as the best researched and presented will be given a chance to work with film makers to translate their research project into a short television documentary.

All submissions will be published on South Africa's largest history education website – www.sahistory.org.za .

As a result, thousands of people will read your essay. You would be responsible for recording the history of people from your community who played a role in bringing about changes in our country.

The Prize is named after Chief Albert Luthuli – a humble teacher who rose to become one of South Africa's greatest leaders who fought for freedom, non-racialism, peace and democracy and was the continent's first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961.

The Competition has been started in order to allow young people to participate.