Best-selling author Mark Mathabane will speak during African Awareness Week at Berea College, Nov. 3-11, a focus on the arts, culture and history of Africa.

Events on the week's theme "Retrieving the Hidden Treasures of Africa" will begin Saturday, Nov. 3, with the African Awareness Banquet, 5 - 7:30 p.m. in the Commons of the Woods-Penniman Building, featuring dishes prepared by students from around the world. Tickets are $5 per person.

Following the banquet, author Mark Mathabane will speak at 8 p.m. in Phelps-Stokes Chapel on the topic "Surviving Apartheid and Discovering the Importance of Education." A book signing will follow the lecture.

Mathabane's autobiography "Kaffir Boy," which tells the story of his coming of age under apartheid in South Africa, was on the New York Times and Washington Post bestseller lists and has been translated into several languages. Today, the book is used in classrooms across America. The sequel, "Kaffir Boy in America," was also a national bestseller. He also is the author of six other books.

After spending the first 18 years of his life in devastating poverty in a South African black ghetto, Mathabane was able to turn his love of learning and dreams of tennis stardom into a way out of a dead-end life, thanks in large part to the courage and sacrifice of his mother. In 1978, with the help of Wimbledon champion Stan Smith, Mathabane left South Africa to attend an American University on scholarship. Since then, through his work and writing, he has sought ways to heal the racial divide in America. He currently serves as director of multicultural education at the Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Ore. For more about Mathanabe, visit www.mathabane.com.

Other African Awareness Week events scheduled are:

Nov. 3 - 10,
Woods-Penniman Bldg, 2nd Floor
AFRICAN ART DISPLAY
Courtesy of Berea College Art Department and Mrs. Donna Reed

Tuesday, Nov. 6,
6 - 7 p.m., Baird Lounge, Alumni Bldg.
SYMPOSIUM: "Should you negate what you don't understand?" A discussion about contemporary African issues and accurate information about the African continent and people.

Thursday, Nov. 8,
5-6 p.m., Baird Lounge, Alumni Bldg.
SLICE ACROSS AFRICA: An introduction to the art, culture, images and other ways people from Africa live their day-to-day lives. Berea students who are from Africa will explain the significance of the art and images of their countries.

Saturday, Nov. 10,
7 - 10 p.m., Gray Auditorium, Presser Hall
CULTURAL SHOW: During the climax of African Awareness Week, students will entertain with dances, skits, poetry, a fashion show and other forms of expression that showcase the beauty of the continent and its varied cultures.

10:30 - 1 a.m., The Commons, Woods-Penniman Bldg.
SANKOFA DANCE: Come celebrate and dance the night away. Refreshments will be served.

African Awareness week is co-sponsored by the College's African Students Association, International Center, Black Cultural Center, Provost's Office, Coalition for Community Building and the Cosmopolitan Club.

Everyone is invited to the week's events. Banquet tickets ($5) are available at the International Center, M-F, 8 a.m. - noon and 1-5 p.m. All other events are free. For additional information, contact the International Center at (859) 985-3452.