Brigalia Bam

Brigalia Bam (born 1933) is an Anglican women's and social activist and writer.

Personal life

Brigalia Ntombemhlope Bam was born in 1933 in the former Transkei, in the Eastern Cape. Although Bam trained and worked as a teacher, she received further training in South Africa and abroad in the fields of social work, communication and management. She is a qualified social worker with a post-graduate degree from the University of Chicago.^[1]

Professional Life

Bam has held various posts throughout the world. She was the Africa Regional Secretary and Co-ordinator of the Women’s Workers' Programme for the International Food and Allied Workers Association based in Geneva. She has co-ordinated the World Young Men’s Christian Association’s International Training Institute and Programme, as well as its affiliate, the Development for Human Rights. She was also Executive Programme Secretary for the Women’s Department of the World Council of Churches. Between 1997 and 1998, Bam served as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches from 1994 to 1999.^[1]

In South Africa, she was a founding member of the Women’s Development Foundation and became the Foundation’s President in 1998. She has been a board member of the Matla Trust as well as the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Since 1999, Brigalia Bam has become a familiar personality to South Africans as the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa.

From 2007 she was on the Panel of the Wise.^[2]

She is the Chancellor (education) of the Walter Sisulu University.^[3]

Awards

• In 1999 the Order of Simon of Cyrene
• The Order of the Baobab in Silver^[1]
• In 2000 The SAWW Award^[4]
• Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation 2013^[5]

Publications

• 1971 What is Ordination Coming To?^[6]
• 1979 New Perspectives for Third World Women^[7]
• 1994 Women Voices Worldwide^[8]
• 1998 All about Eve: women of Africa in Anglicanism: A Global Communion^[9]
• 1986 Priorities for Women in South Africa in Speaking of faith: cross-cultural perspectives on women, religion and social change^[10]

References

1. Anon (2009). "The Order of the Baobab in Silver". The Presidency, Republic of South Africa. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
2. Anon (2012). "Panel of the Wise". The European Commission. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
3. Anon (2013). "THE CHANCELLOR". Walter Sisulu University. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
4. Anon (2000). "4th Annual SAWW Awards". SAWW. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
5. Anon (2013). "South Africa's former election head receives Gandhi Peace Award". The Economic Times. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
6. Brigalia Bam (1971). What is Ordination Coming To? Report of a Consultation on the Ordination of Women Held in Cartigny, Geneva, Switzerland 21st-26th September, 1970. Ed. by Brigalia Bam. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
7. Brigalia H. Bam; Lotika Sarkar (1979). New Perspectives for Third World Women. Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
8. Brigalia Bam (1994). Women Voices Worldwide. IDOC internazionale. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
9. Andrew Wingate; Carrie Pemberton (1998). Anglicanism: A Global Communion. Church Publishing, Inc. pp. 347–. ISBN 978-0-89869-304-1. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
10. Diana L. Eck; Devaki Jain (1986). Speaking of faith: cross-cultural perspectives on women, religion and social change. Women's Press. Retrieved 28 September 2013.