So I spent an incredible enriching evening two nights ago in King Williams Town. My travelling companion for this particular trip, Simphiwe, ran in to Nkosinathi Biko at the airport while I made my way to the terminal. The next thing I knew, we had a dinner date about 60km from East London.

As the GPS got more confused, we came across a large building round about 7pm and I said to Simpihiwe, it must be around here somewhere near that shopping mall. Well, the "mall" turned out to the the Steve Biko Centre, smack in the middle of a township and I thought, "whoa!"

What followed was a magical evening. Nkosinathi met us at the entrance and proposed a guided tour of the facilities. I was suitably humbled and privileged.

Before we could begin, we met a group of young people who had just finished rehearsing a production in one of the facilities at the centre. A young lady gathered the guts to ask whether Simphiwe would sing with her and she obliged willingly and with grace. A magical moment, enriching in its simplicity and purity followed. Superstar meets township with no airs and graces.

We then went off on the tour and that is when I discovered Nkosinathi. Modest, humble and yet with the deepest sense of self, comfort in one's skin and centred. His knowlegde and thought process is as massive as the place. It is imposing, the facilities impressive and the vision enduring. I saw an arena for theatrical productions, an amphitheatre with great acoustics, children's library, adult library, periodicals section, conference section, kitchen and restaurant (doff hat) and an admin section. The permanent exhibition is as good as anything I have seen elsewhere. Certainly a wealth of enrichment. Context is key.

Then followed (I am cutting a long story short) an excellent dinner conversation. We treated subjects ranging from the meaning of Mbeki, Zuma, Mandela, Zille, Gadaafi and, of course, Robert Mugabe in the context of Black Consciousness. I listened, spoke and shared. I came away enriched beyond words.

Before we knew it, it was midnight and we had to drive back to East London for other assignments the following day. I will be donating a book, from my father's collection, and I will be encouraging as many people to visit as possible. There is great work being done there and I can only but support it. Bravo Nkosinathi. Your father is proud of you. We are proud and we will support your work in our own modest ways. There is work to be done: "A ship in the harbour is safe, but that is not what ships were built for."