Cape Town – Rachel Dolezal, a US race activist who identifies herself as black despite being born white, is to visit South Africa.
Dolezal will be the special guest at an event intended to promote a dialogue about a non-racial South Africa.
However, no further details on dates or venue have been confirmed yet.
She will attend an inaugural event of the group, Quest for Non Racial South African Society Dialogue, which promotes racial harmony among South Africans.
Her visit comes at a time when the country is still facing racial incidents as a result of the legacy of apartheid.
The group’s founder, Bishop Clyde Ramalaine, said Dolezal had successfully transitioned race, a stark reality for many.
In 2015 she was accused of deception after her parents said she was white.
She subsequently resigned as head of a US anti-racism organisation, saying the rejection she had faced meant she had been unable to find a job.
She also recently changed her name, saying she should now be known as Nkechi Amare Diallo.
Dolezal believes the idea of race is “a lie” and that the concept of “transracial” – similar to that of transgender – is useful in describing people such as herself.
“Race is a lie. How can I be accused of lying about a lie?” she has been quoted as saying in the media.
She has written a book about her experience, In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World, in which she recounts her “quest to find herself in a black and white world”.