Who is don mattera

Variously Catholic schoolboy, gangster, political activist, poet and author, father, journalist, Muslim, and motivational speaker, Mattera sits behind a small cluttered desk in a large, sparsely decorated office.

Behind him on the wall are several unframed photographs of some of his nine children. He is a well-built man, his physique accentuated by his small desk, but relaxed and at ease with himself. Mattera was born in Western Native Township now Westbury in and grew up in the city's black areas, notably the ghetto town of Sophiatown - and is decidedly a son of the city.

Minutes into the interview he picks up his autobiography, Memory is the Weapon, written in , and starts quoting from it. The book tells the story of the early part of his life in Sophiatown, and it's a powerful, earthy account of life in the cosmopolitan suburb in the s before it was dismantled in the name of apartheid.

Asked how he would describe himself, Mattera doesn't hesitate: "I am a genius. Mattera, 67 and greying at the temples, talks often of compassion, saying he is a compassionate man - "the highest religion is compassion" - giving enormously of his energy and time to lesser-privileged youngsters. He says: "My mission is to help remove pain and suffering from people's lives, to remove an invisible chain.

My work is a shadow of my actions. He says he has completed another section of the autobiography but still needs to work further on it. He is "not in a hurry" to complete the work, but is confident one of his children will take it up if he doesn't finish it. He was classified "coloured" under apartheid. Coloureds were the last to be removed from Sophiatown and were not taken 25 kilometres away to Meadowlands in Soweto, as their African neighbours were. Instead his family were among those moved to the nearby suburbs of Bosmont, Westbury and Newclare.

He recounts his childhood. As an eight-year-old he was sent off to "become a man" to St Theresa's, a Catholic convent in Durban.

His grandmother believed that he "was chosen", and he was sent to a school where he would not receive a lesser "apartheid" education. His heritage is important to him. He considers himself Italian - his full name is Donato Francisco - and can understand the language although he doesn't speak it. He has held writing fellowships in America and Sweden.

It is generally acknowledged that Mattera s oeuvre with its pre-occupation with the incisive critique of violence constitutes an important aspect of the anti-apartheid era protest literature. There can be no doubt that Mattera shaped the thinking of many young people in the s, s and s who were socialized in struggle on a diet of his provocative literature. In addition to his widely acknowledged contributions to literature and journalism, Don Mattera has had a long-standing involvement in community work, particularly in Eldorado Park.

He established the Harvey Cohen Centre for mentally and physically handicapped children representing one of his signally important contributions to this community. Prompted by his personal mission of helping to "remove pain and suffering from people s lives", he continues his substantial involvement in many community organizations. Mattera has a particular empathy for work involving young people from marginalized communities.

In recognition of his significant contributions to combating violence in black townships and his commitment to peace-building, he was awarded the World Health Organisation s Peace Prize in , an achievement that he considers one of the most important in his career as an intellectual and activist.

The fact that he is currently the patron of approximately 50 trusts serves as further illustration of his acknowledged value to his community involvement and his wisdom. Following this period, he resumed his active life. Mattera has written poetry and an autobiography, called Memory is the Weapon. He has written plays and children stories. He was awarded the Steve Biko Prize for his autobiography. He is a popular motivational speaker and he is often invited to be a Master of Ceremony in different functions.

He has received fellowships from Sweden and America. He continues to work with street children in the Eldorado community. He is also Muslim. In 31 July , Mattera announced that he was retiring from public performances.