Dennis Brutus, South African poet, graduate of Fort Hare college , formerly on the faculty of Northwestern University. (Source: Northwestern University Course Bulletin, 1982)

Dennis Brutus was an activist against the apartheid government of South Africa in the 60s. He worked to get South Africa suspended from the Olympics; this eventually lead to the country's explusion from the games in 1970. He was arrested in 1963 and jailed for 18 months on Robben Island. Nelson Mandela was his cell mate. Brutus was forbidden to teach, write and publish in South Africa. "Sirens, Knuckles and Boots," his first collection of poetry, was published in Nigeria while he was in prison. After he was released, Brutus fled South Africa. In 1983, Brutus won the right to stay in the United States as a political refugee, after a protracted legal struggle. He is teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. (DemocracyNow.org: November 14th, 2004)