The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

microfilm collection contained a substantial body of biographical notes and essays
about Tabata dated mainly in the early and mid‐1960s. These must have been the
tracts that Gail Gerhart and Tom Karis drew upon for the construction of the Tabata
profile published in Volume 4. Some of the essays had been written either as prefaces
for publications by Tabata, or had been compiled for solidarity political organising
and fundraising in the United States, conducted by the Alexander Defense
Committee or by the Committee for a Free South Africa. 16
At least five of the documents involved the intercession of Dora Taylor, in the form
of her correspondence with Gwendolen Carter about I.B. Tabata and APDUSA, a text
of an interview conducted by Taylor with Tabata about his political life, a transcript
of a conversation with Taylor at Northwestern about the AAC and the Unity
Movement and two biographical essays. One of the biographical essays was
authored under the name Nosipho Majeke, one of only three occasions other than
1952 that Taylor used this pseudonym, and the other formed the preface to the
publication of The Freedom Struggle in South Africa. 17 In spite of the evidence of
Printers and Publishers, 1959’ (2:XT1:84/1); ‘[The transcript of a speech delivered by I.B. Tabata to
the Program of African Studies, Northwestern University, in 1965.]’ (2:XT1:81/2).
16 ‘[A biographical essay which was taken from the preface to The Freedom Struggle in South
Africa by I.B. Tabata.]’ (Carter‐Karis Microfilm Collection, 2:XT1:91/1); ‘A biographical essay
published by the Alexander Defense Committee, New York, 1967.]’ (2:XT1:91/2); ‘[Biographical
data compiled by the Committee for a Free South Africa, New York.]’ (2:XT1:91/3).
17 ‘[A letter dated Mar. 16, 1963, from Dora Taylor to Gwendolen M. Carter which discusses the
African People’s Democratic Union of Southern Africa and I.B. Tabata.]’ (2:XT1:92/1); ‘[Text of an
interview by Dora Taylor with I.B. Tabata on Nov. 20, 1965.]’ (2:XT1:94); ‘[The transcript of a
conversation with Dora Taylor at Northwestern University on Nov. 20, 1965, regarding the role of the
All African Convention and the Non‐European Unity Movement in the South African nationalist
movment.]’ (2:XT1:92/2); ‘“I.B. Tabata, President of the Unity Movement of South Africa for Full
Democratic Rights.” By Nosipho Majeke’ (1965), (2:XT1:92/3); ‘[A biographical essay which was taken
from the preface to The Freedom Struggle in South Africa by I.B. Tabata.]’ (2:XT1:91/1) (This was most
certainly also authored by Taylor). The second occasion that Taylor used the pen name ‘Nosipho
Majeke’ was for a background article accompanying the Unity Movement’s memorandum submitted
to the OAU asking for assistance. The third was for an unpublished pamphlet that was originally
intended as the introduction to a reassembly and re‐edition of Tabata’s writings, which was never
published. See Nosipho Majeke, ‘The Background: Racism in South Africa’, in Unity: The Road to
Freedom in South Africa – A memorandum submitted to the Committee of Nine of the Organisation of African
Unity by the All‐African Convention and the Unity Movement of South Africa (c. November 1963,
Alexander Defense Committee Records, 1962‐1971, SML Microform, Sterling Memorial Library, Yale
University); Nosipho Majeke, The Dynamic of Revolution in South Africa (Unpublished pamphlet, c.1971,
301