The Pan-African Gorée Institute at Thirty: A Tribute to Breyten Breytenbach and the Power of the Imagination

Abstract

Amid mounting assaults on political freedom and self-determination – both on the African continent and further afield, the work of the Pan-African Gorée Institute for Democracy, Development and Culture in Africa is more urgent than ever. This article reflects on the first thirty years of the Institute’s existence. It pays special attention to gorin’s creative projects, developed under the motto ‘Imagine Africa’, and reflects on South African poet Breyten Breytenbach’s formative role in the establishment of gorin’s cultural activities. The article concludes with a call for renewed engagement with gorin’s pan-African democratic endeavours.