The Background.

Mkiva Humanitarian Awards were established in 1999 as part and parcel of the programmes of the Mkiva Humanitarian Foundation. This noble idea came about in the context of celebrating the life and times of the late Richard Mkenke Mkiva from Bolotwa village of Dutywa who was a Traditional Leader, farmer, community activist and a fighter for the rights of the rural communities.

The launch of the foundation and awards marked the 40th Commemoration of the late Richard Mkiva who passed on in 1959 after he was poisoned by colonial forces. Mkiva played a key role in the hidden struggles of the rural communities. He was part of the troika that constituted Inkqila kaVanqa with its members being Elliot Vanqa, Xekethwana and himself.

His Royal Heritage, Richard Mkiva became a symbol of resistance in traditional areas as he mobilized masses of the people to reject the apartheid policies and laws, notable the 1913 Land Act, Group Areas Act as well as the Trust Act which was designed to reduce the jurisdiction areas of rural communities and limit the livestock owned by African people.

HRH Richard Mkiva became a senior advisor and Traditional Prime Minister to King Gwebinkumbi Sigcawu of AmaXhosa whose grandfather King Hintsa was brutally killed and beheaded by the British forces during the 6th Frontier War of dispossession.

HRH Mkiva

HRH Mkiva became very instrumental in the structures of the Xhosa Kingdom, playing a critical role of developing strategies and tactics of fighting colonialism as it manifested itself at local level. Together with his comrades in the Inkqila kaVanqa, they were local members of the African National Congress. In 1955 they attended the Congress of the People in Kliptown wherein the Freedom Charter was adopted.

Richard Mkiva was highly respected and recognized as an icon of the people. He died in 1959 and his funeral was attended by throngs of people from the length and breadth of the country. He was a global thinker who acted only locally as a result of the suppression and repressive laws of colonial powers

The new Mkiva Humanitarian Awards (MHA) logo represents everything that Richard Mkiva soon for. The font, the analysis, the colours, the layout and design all form part of telling the story behind the MHA brand, vision and background.

Prologue.

It goes without saying that there are commonalities between local icons and global heroes. There is even a long standing Kikuyu that suggests that “great minds think alike”. Even though HRH Richard Mkiva operated at local level, his commitment and determination to the liberation struggle of the people of South Africa is part of the broader perspective of the revolution. There is certainly a dialectical relationship between the roles played by International figures and those unleashed by local icons.