Sheena Duncan (7 December 1932 – 4 May 2010) was a South African anti-Apartheid

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and counselor. Duncan was the daughter of Jean Sinclair, one of the co-founders of the

Black Sash The Black Sash is a South African human rights organisation. It was founded in Johannesburg in 1955 as a non-violent resistance organisation for liberal white women. Origins The Black Sash was founded on 19 May 1955 by six middle-class white ...

, a group of white,

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...

South African women who offered support to black South Africans and advocated the non-violent abolishment of the

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

system. Duncan served two terms as the leader of Black Sash.

Background

Sheena was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa in 1932 of parents Robert and Jean Sinclair. Her father an accountant, was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and came to South Africa after the First World War and was influenced by his views of the oppression of land clearance in Highlands of Scotland. Her mother Jean was involved in local politics in the United Party,

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...

and as city councilor. She was the eldest of five children, one sister and three brothers, and attended the

Roedean School Roedean School is an independent day and boarding school founded in 1885 in Roedean Village on the outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex, England, and governed by Royal Charter. It is for girls aged 11 to 18. The campus is situated near the Sus ...

in Johannesburg where the principal, Ella la Maitre's religious and liberal views would influence Duncan's life. During her youth she spent some time in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

before leaving for Scotland where she was educated at the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science, qualifying in 1953. On her return to South Africa she married architect Neil Duncan in 1955 and the settled in Southern Rhodesia where she worked as a teacher of domestic science. They stayed there for eight years before returning to South Africa in 1963 and joining the Black Sash and would be the chairman of the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

region. On the retirement of her mother in 1975, Duncan became president of the Black Sash from 1975 until 1978 then serving as vice president before being elected again in 1982 until 1986. She would spend her time at the organization editing the Black Sash magazine and managing the Johannesburg branch of the Sash's advice office. She was also the Sash's National Coordinator of the Advice Offices and a member of the Sash's national executive and a founding member of the Black Sash Trust. In addition to her Black Sash work, her work as a Human Rights campaigner include her as a member of the National Coordinating Committee for the Return of Exiles, the Independent Board of Inquiry into Informal Repression, a Patron of the Society for the Abolition of the Death Penalty and worked with the

End Conscription Campaign The End Conscription Campaign was an anti-apartheid organisation allied to the United Democratic Front and composed of conscientious objectors and their supporters in South Africa. It was formed in 1983 to oppose the conscription of all white ...

. Her religious work included issues concerning justice and peace within the Anglican church and non-violent direct action and would become one of two female canons, prior to women being ordained as priests in South Africa, as Canon of the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin in Johannesburg. She would become the Vice-president of the

South African Council of Churches The South African Council of Churches (SACC) is an interdenominational forum in South Africa. It was a prominent anti-apartheid organisation during the years of apartheid in South Africa. Its leaders have included Desmond Tutu, Beyers Naudé an ...

in 1987 until 1990 and then as Senior Vice-President of the same group from 1990 until 1993.

Published works

Duncan wrote several articles, booklets and pamphlets, especially on issues such as forced removals and pass laws. In the 1970s, she joined the Anglican Church's Challenge Group, a movement that sought to end racism within the church. She also represented the Anglican Church on the

' (SACC) Justice and Reconciliation Division. * * * * *

Awards

For her activism, Duncan was the 1986 recipient of the Liberal International

Prize For Freedom The Prize For Freedom is an annual prize presented by the Liberal International since 1985. With the prize the organization honors an individual which has made an outstanding contribution to human rights and political freedoms. The Prize is one o ...

. She was also awarded the

Order of Simon of Cyrene The Order of Simon of Cyrene is the highest award given by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa to laity for distinguished service. It was established in 1960, during the tenure of Archbishop Joost de Blank, following a proposal by Bishop Ro ...

, by the

Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...

and made Grand Counsellor of the

Order of the Baobab The Order of the Baobab is a South African civilian national honour, awarded to those for service in business and the economy; science, medicine, and for technological innovation; and community service. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and i ...

(in Silver). She received honorary doctorates from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

(1991), the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

(1990) and the

University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is a university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville. ...

. * The

in Silver * The

Death

Duncan died at her home in

, South Africa, of cancer on 4 May 2010, at the age of 77. She had two daughters, Lindsay McTeague and Carey Haouach.

References

External links