Trailblazers Butler and Galgut to receive of Stellenbosch University Honorary Doctorates
South music icon, jazz singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler and Booker-prize winner Damon Galgut are among six exceptional individuals who will receive honorary doctorates from Stellenbosch University (SU) at upcoming graduation ceremonies.
Philanthropist Wendy Ackerman; renowned clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist Prof Salim Abdool Karim; visionary economist Prof Deirdre McCloskey and the country’s longest-serving Director-General, Dr Philemon Mphathi (Phil) Mjwara, formerly of the Department of Science and Innovation will also receive honorary doctorates.
The University annually confers honorary doctorates on extraordinary individuals who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields and made a significant contribution to society.
Galgut will receive his honorary degree in December, along with Ackerman, McCloskey, and international businessman Strive Masiyiwa, whose honorary DEng degree stands over from 2022.
Butler and the other recipients will receive theirs next year.
“SU is immensely proud to honour these trailblazers whose remarkable contributions have left an indelible mark both globally and locally,” said SU Rector, and Vice-Chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers.
“Our recipients are visionaries, leaders, philanthropists, innovators and mentors, whose influence spans from science and economics to epidemiology – they truly live our mission to advance knowledge in service of society.”
Butler will receive the degree Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), honoris causa, for his musical influence and contribution to arts and culture. Despite living under the shadow of apartheid and raised in hardship, Butler was one of the first artists of colour to be played on South African radio and appear on national television during that time.
He became one of the key voices in the international arena advocating for the release of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners.
Butler had made his name in Africa and Europe, but it was not until 1987, when he toured as pop star Whitney Houston’s opening act, that he was noticed in the US, where he had released an all-instrumental album.
His international success was realised with his 1987 Grammy nominated hit single, "Lies" which reached #27 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and his cover version of the Staple Singers song "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)" which he performed with Ruby Turner.
Butler is the first Global Entertainment Ambassador for the Lalela Foundation which provides educational arts for at-risk youth. Through Lalela’s arts curriculum and critical messaging communities, Lalela directly serves more than 5 000 South African learners per week, ages through post-high school. In 2013, he launched the Jonathan Butler Foundation, which runs programmes to give disadvantaged children hope and purpose through the arts – especially through music.
He is currently the ambassador of Arts Capital, an NPO and membership organisation that does Advocacy and Artist Wellness programmes to ensure that artists have access to pension funds, medical aid schemes, funeral cover, and other financial support.
Novelist and playwright, Galgut will receive the degree Doctor of Literature (DLitt), honoris causa. His work of short stories, plays and novels, spanning more than 40 years, has made an exceptional contribution to South Africa’s literary and cultural landscape.
He is also recognised for his unwavering dedication to literary innovation and for his mentorship of emerging writers and scholars.
Galgut’s eight novels have garnered numerous nominations, accolades, and prestigious literary awards and The Promise won the Booker Prize in 2021, making him the third South African writer to receive this honour. The episodically structured narrative spans four decades of South African history, highlighting unfulfilled promises on personal and political levels.
His work explores outsider identities, delving into the oppressive forces of socio-cultural norms and systemic injustices affecting individuals across various geographical locations and historical periods.
His aesthetic innovation continues to captivate critics and readers alike, reflecting his enduring commitment to literature as a form of aesthetic disruption.
Cape Times