No Life of My Own

""I hope this book will help all those who face the dilemmas of being Christian in this evil apartheid society and who, because of their commitment to the liberation struggle, can truly say they have no life of their own."" --Frank Chikane Frank Chikane, one of the leading figures in the Christian resistance to apartheid, recounts his life--beginning with his childhood, growing up black under apartheid, and continuing through his call to Christian ministry. He tells of his family's increasing involvement in the struggle against apartheid, of disapproval and suspension from his own church. He relates a harrowing story of escalating harassment, detention and firebombing, torture and exile--and his return, despite death threats and further detention, to South Africa to continue the fight. Through it all, one thing is clear: Frank Chikane is a man whose faith compels and sustains him in a courageous and selfless journey toward freedom. ""Frank Chikane is a living example of what we mean by contextual theology . . . He has given his life, and is still giving it, for the people of South Africa."" --Albert H. Cone ""In No Life of My Own, Frank Chikane, in a very real and very personal way, rewrites that biblical story [of the Exodus], through his own and his people's experiences . . . It is finally a story of Christian faith, the vindication of Christian hope: it proclaims that the poor, the victims of the scramble for power and influence in the world, will save the world."" --Kenneth F. Thesing, MM Shortly after this book was written, Frank Chikane was elected to succeed Desmond Tutu as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. He lives in the township of Soweto with his wife and children.