Upload
others
View
0
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
oEWSlRTER
Vol 5 fIo.lI.,/J... 75
D1Wlbuted by theI~ Uni....ity Exchange Fund~. 348121 11
•
BLACK STUDENTS'MANIFESTO
W•• dlo ........... 01 Sodl Alria, -.. dloI dlo ..... Mo. _.~ _ 4ollo~io. dloI __ ,.. IIioI ., • .-.-t..ito.... co .i., ~io ~io ~ Aio dloI dlo I •••n .............. II lIticololl _ ......_.f dlo c••, Boily"""...... dloI:
A. WI ...... SlOlloob on:1. A••• Ent JIrt of tilt Blick.""'" C••••• w.n _ ..
Slo4oots tof_ .....i....... _ 'iI ,_idio...f., .2. u ••". t•••1,. 'iKi,I- ..... Tilt .. tIN intektuI ....
",(I .....,. t8 .11 . tMi1I11rdl.t. llIck Tnidi.3. u •• ittMI til ta ... 1M .iIII" ...r ,1I,1t ... t8 tM
iii.... 01 dlo lII_io.....~~.dlo" bol "'"..ef I""" dtt Blick C••• ullity •• lO.t ....I 'u....
'0 WI ........ njIct tilt ......... If rIC. ".tiD c•••it.._II:1. 1111 ........... ,IIyI· •• .......,.... of • ., nily I. t. tile,_of lib.lie. fo, _Ios.f Sodl Air .
2. dlolloflolllotodlolooloootio So.lIt Afriooio.~ "'_I....M 1-': .ua.1 iI tW .. tIlI.1 .ti.I.I 1111..... _ .. oIdlo_ .
C. .......,co.sit :1 1111 1"........... • .f I tr'AIII
,olilicoIIy. -It __ _ C ily.2. 1111 Will dloI Sbilloob _ .. r·.'- ••irit of Ir oily_. _ f.. lr_dlopnjrMlico.f ....ilo lI"i.~._of tItIir u •••• .", 111"'1.
3. ..-,n;,. II ..... .., "- dlo __ ......f • .-i.lie.Ie 0lIrlI00 io _ II ..... II ••,.III lIt_.
4•• ul ,. Lltw.'u , 11111 ..' .. 2 .
I. I " .as tile IN 'Nt.... ,,151.tiel....... , II ..,.. ~T.
U"PC .."here mted, COI'fttl'Mnt In ttlil New*tlcrdon not nec~ly renee, the opiNon of SASO.
All COpyripl in lhh He••tlcr altric:t1y raerted.Any prnon or peiiOUS ...... to rqwiat artida.publilbotd in dlb Nw• .&etter. in - I rjne odwrItwi w SASO .......UtT an rlMl ..ttd 'o.at
ptmusaton rrOl'lll the Editor
Ic~ontents:"'--='_-=- ....JI ........ ., SOlmi AFRICANORGANISATION,86 "trice Sf,.t,P.O. Box 2J46.DURBAN,SOU1lt AFRICA..
STUDENTS'
has been printed62a Dayal Road,
•
Thll:l Newsletterby TRIPLE ESS,Cla.irwood.
focus •••••••••••••••••••••••••• lJ
Black Students Manifesto •••••••Inside front cover
Ed.i toriu ••••••••••••••••••••••.2The Wrath of our Present ••••••• 3The Kove.ent in Relation
to the Black Co~nity •••••••• 6Black Consciousness &:
the Black Co..unity ••••••••••• 9Letters to the Editor .0 •••••••• 12
frelii!lO: Rally, Trial ••.••••••• 14Pover in (XJriSCIOUSNESS &:Consciousness in POVER •••••••• 17Cour~e •••••••••••••••••••••••• 18A. reainder: that project ••••••• 19Another I'ocil by H. Pascal Gvala:into the dark •••••••••••••••••19
Detente in its truePerspective •••••••••••..•.•.•• 20
Proud Flesh •••••••••••••••••••• 22Things Happening ••••••••••••••• 23The Burden of CoIlpTO_ise ••••••• 24ARTS &: UTTJ::RS: REVIEWS ••••• o •• 26Where do the Blacks feature inthe National F.c:onolty ? ••••••••
Inside back cover·Black Con:fCiousness is: •••••••••
Outside back cover
A.lice in Wonderland.
"The question is," said Alice,"whether you can aake words .eanso .any different thinss."
"The question is," said ~JDuMpty, "who is to be •• s t e r,that's all."
"And so lone as Men laboured, andother -en took and used the fruitof those vho laboured, the n.. ofSpartacu.s tit 0 U 1 d be relIe~ered,
vhispered SOMetiMeS and shoutedloud and clear at other ti.es."
"When I use a word,· Huapty IkuIptysaid In,, rather scornful tone,"i t .eans just vh&t I choose it to.ean, neither ..re nor less."
I
EditoMIWhere do we start?
Where do we begin to tell?
It seems .. long vay. When Blackstudents decided once IIOre tocherish dreus, to plan for theBlack future and to bJild hope forthemselves as the future leadersof this broken country that despe rately needs mending.
Students &11 over the country indifferent tribal universities andhielt schools realbed the direneed for them to be on their own;for them to initiate a basicstand in terllls of the rast chaJ\&ing reality before the..
The need fOT co~cation betweenindividuals and between groups ofBlack students has had to be seenas of ajar priority. It is inthe _thod through which Blacksco-.nicate that a positlve identity of Blacks, seeing themselves in their own iage asBlacks, can develop and help uschannel proper perspectives onissues affecting the Black co~
olty and the Black Student in thetribal university.
There have been setbacks on manyfronts. Bannings. Arrests.Detention without trial.
Yet in our love for our belovedcountry, a love that is for aliberated and undivided SouthAfrica, the understanding of thislove shall be an act of survivalin itself. Our survival. We thesons and daughters of the soil.
2
By asserting our Black identityw: shall be reinforcing our refusal to be ju~ed by those whoseanalyses of our quest for identity have denied us our h'.·n vUL
What greater tuaan will is therebesides freedo.?We have put it explicitly 'before :we refuse to be called students i.e. to be in a quest for knowledge; and yet be confined tointellectual, soci~onoa.ic andpolitical subjection in mattersaffecting our OWl. Black co~ty.What led the Black Allerlcan poetIClaude Mckay to express (belovalso applies to our particularsituations
"If ve lII.Ist die let it notbe like hogs,hunted and pClMed in anunglorious spot,while round us, bark themad and hungry dogs,lII&king their IDOck at ouraccursed lot."
(Claude Mackays "If ve -.ast die")
It is in the nevs that one of ourbrothers standing trial for theFreliJDo Rally suddenly c.:tllapsed.We should also not forgot those1'urfioop students who are nov behind bars because they dared shovout that on these tribal campusesnothing really happens except thebrainwashing on the currlculu..These students are part of ourhopes. And ve are a part of thatpart, throuch our co~n brothe~
hood in Black soliclarity.
by Scene WatcherDuring Christaas uny Blacks ~eon the roads, in the trains, inthe streets of their &bettoes.Even in the bare privacy of their&hetto-shacks. One is oftente.pted to answer what the christ.as season l s excite.ent is illabout.
One goes dovn a South African Citystreet and looks at the furnitureand faaily-vear sbops. Thosepatronised by Blacks. EspeciallyBlacks trapped in the clavs ofhire p.lrchase. These shops, theyvill have a Black Father Christ-u.Not the vhite one V1th a snovwhite beard; the one ve see inChrist..s cards and Christas W'J"aPS'No, a Black Father Christmas.
"'bite co.-ercial banality has gonead. So has the social tempo. TheBla..::k lIWl cannot be left out ofthis udness. The Wite enslave.ent culture vants to ~ dovn vi. thh.t-. Which Makes one want to ask:do ve re&1.1," have reason to celehrate during the "festive" season?
Dou Christas .cod not begin withthe Day of the Covenant?
Deceaber 16 i.s a national holiday.As a white instituted day it affects all the Blacks of this country. Through the Voortrekker~fications and the L-plicat10ns ofconquest that are openly expresSld.
On "Olack Nat i~ .,al1511 in SouthAfrica" Peter Val she says thatAfrican IChiefs and Iti.n&s were notabove the ~av. Sh&ka and Dingane
were exception, not the no..- toparliuentjthrough the tradif:ionalcouncil ,,"steas. Yet until thisday sixty-iive years later, Blacksare still in the political wilderness. The traditional councilsystea has been riued and disorientated for the .,re effectiveoppression of Blacks.
And one is forced to pose the Question: Were Shaka and Dingane abovethe law?
How does Walshe and those who shuehis view' account for the influence of ~paPde and ~ayi, sisterto Sencan~akhona?
The historic situ.ltion that vaspartly brought about by Dece.ber16, bars co.-mication betweenindividual Blacks and groups ofBlacks. The uss IIICdia add tothis confused stite of conditions.That is hov we COile to h&ve aBlack father Chri Ja.as.
Within our past as l.i.story we knowthat our fore-fathers veroe robbedof their land and their wealth.They vere eultur&1.1y depr""K andsocially elll&sculated. On theother hand Dece.ber 16 stands forour present as history. A historyof oppression. That is vhy wethe protagonists of Black a.nsciousness, in the vanguard role thatthe )'OUth of &1.1 oppressed nations play, have decided to break the.yth of vhite-race superiority.Andto shape a Black Consciousnesswhose future of social avarenessis without the prevailing race orclass distinctions that ur ourpresent. We aast bri~e the ~apbetween yesterday -.d today bydestroying lethargy UlOngst 81-
)
:Leks. In this way we shall becreatin,; the ....ch needed sti....lifor the national ,;alvanhation ofBlack national aspirations.
rhe expected outco-e of our defined consciousness, a consciousnessfreed from a whlte-anted decaYlniculture, is the eMr~ense of identity in our national quest. Thenational quest of Black consciousness leads us to the internationalquest for third world solld&rity •
As early back as 1929 it hadbeCOM apparent th&t only theBlacks theaselyes could brinSabout social ch&n,;e in this Country. This, despite &'ttU'pts -..deby so_ vbites at throvin& thebl... on "ee-mistsll and ""-reusOarveyistsll Blade leaders continued to .oul.d their fro_ in opposition a&Jinst white do-tnation.Then as now the white sector triedtwo 'thin&s:(1) Then as now they -..de frUltic
attacks &«ainst certain "extrea:lst eleeenu· i n Blackleaderstdp.Tb.is was a de,Lh,,·,_ate plUl to dilute Black o~osition Uld tlals weaken theBlack stru,;&le. It is thisapproach w b i c h accountedlarSely for the internaldissensions that finally sawthe collapse 0 f the I .C.U.after 1926; w hen certainBlacks bad to be expelled for'holdinS co.-mist ideololJ1.
(2) Then a s now liberal whitestook srea't palns to re-ec1lcate white conservatives andto channel white opinion;whatis tod&y called "verligtheidJIWhites were beinl taugh't tobe mre tolerUlt to Blacks•
•
E.'erywbere liberal whitestried to befriend Blacks.Thisis the cnlcial ataae whenso_ Black leaders were bou&b.t over by 'the white sectorUld were used in the int~
duction of the Native Represmtative Council and the Coloured Representative Councilrespectively.History is bein&forced to repeat itself.Today.are and .are "non-vhites·andSeparatist leaders are bei.n&called 'to address whites.
In 19-43, the Secretary for thethen Native Affairs Departaent inthe then United Party led parlia.ent, Dr. s.lt, went to the extentof calling the policy of SeparateOeve!ot-ent an illusion!
Yet today .are than 30 years laterthere are those in our _idst whoare busily ch&ntin,; against pett)·apartheid as so_ precondition fordetente. In the s-..e aanner thatVorster does not vant apartheid tobe petty.
When the Blacks decide to stressBlack identit)· and Biack awareness i't is also to 'thwart the degemente tendencies of certaineleJlents in the Black sector! Weare ayinst those who lose thei ridentity and assuae the negativerole of advancinr; white anti-Dlackideas within the Black rank••
The see.ing social influence ofwhite liberals on Blacks has begun'to weaken and is now being replaced by a !DOre complex and t.hereforeIlOre dangerous pattern of vhi te"verBg" dc.ination. White dollinaticn has not therefore,changed itsbasic character. It has only adopted more subtle methods of exploi-
tation.
The Black youth is aware. We areavare- of those who are pervertingthe basic issues affecting Blacksand the collllllOn aills being ...de byBlacks towards the achieving ofnational liberation. Our so-calledunder-development or backwardness,cannot be done away vith, withinthe exploitative spectrum of capitalism. To believe that the flovof private capital into IIhomeland"economic development and financeis lI a id", is fantasy Aone amok.The Separatists won't learn theirfigures straight. The people whopour IDOnies into the "homelands"do so for the enrichlllent of theirown pockets. This calls forth thefollowing reasons for standingagainst "homelands" investments:-
(1) Ve ..st veiih the politicalstrings attached;
(it) We ..st .easure the publicbenefit Aain for the BlackCo~ity, and uke co.parisons with other -ethods ofgiving II Ai dlt ;
(iii) We ..st bear in mind thatho-eland invest-ent is ba.iCall)' political, operatingaccording to terws dictatedby the Industrial Develope&ent Council and designs ofwhite do~nation.
Host of the objections some peoplehave expressed against Black Consciousness are based on the absurdpresumption that Black Consciousness is contradictory to the questfor a non-racial society. Wethrashed this out long ago.And inthat we have been IIIl)re honest thanthose who criticise us in the PUJ"suance of non-racist aims. But we
,
did not in the first place createthe racial context within which weare being 10 reed to operate. Fu J"ther, those who are suspicious ofthe connotations of Black Consciousness should not seek to opposeuS outside the racial contextwhich is the existent realit:y inthis countD'.
It is easy for some to ignore thisreality round us; as easy as flying in one's sleep. We lIIJst forever be aware of the SouthernAfrican variation of context inthe Black struggle for liberation.The future is Black. There is nodoubting this. But we shall haveto decide who qualifies for JJlackbefore the tem has worn itselfout. Let us not underline ourCOllllllOn situation with our BlackAmerican brothers to the levelwhere ve seem to ignore our ownfolks. This cannot be called trueidentity. Let us take jan forillustration of this point. WhenI .. 'being judged I &II not judgedby Gene A~ns or Sonny Stitt. I ..judged by Mankunku Ngosi or BarneyRachabane. I lUll not judged byKermy Burrell or the late MontgOllll'lery, I am judged by PhillipTabane or the late Cyril "De.bese"Hagubane. I won't 'be judged byIdris Muh&llllll&d or Max Roach. I'llbe judged by Julian Bal'wla orLefifi nadi.
We share a cOllllllOn philosophicalbase with our Afro-American bretheren. BUT a method of operation isnot the same as the pbilosophicalbase upon which it is IDOdelled.The IlIethod of operation if fi mlyattached to its philosophical basewill be the strategy upon whichfinal victory can be gauged.
Once it vaa advinble to stressthe i.IIportance of psycbopcalliberation. Until people started..kina, "Okay, II. Black· _ Whataboo:t it?"
On the other hand we should notnul the risk of -ki~ the need.for p.ychic liberation irrelevantby i~orin! the 4ifferent aspectsof chan!e.
With the fascists ..rder or ourbrothers, Hthuli ka Shes! and 00It8opot.e Tiro aany thin!S chan!ed.loth these brothers vere illustriOUI ill the Black clLlse.Both diedthrou8b physical wUence. Bothwere non-Yiolent individuals whoseonly criAe vaa to speak out andtell it like it b. Both sufferedbrutal death.
What does it Man to us? to ourparenti. To our brothers who doGOt yet .e, the vay? What does itspell for our children?
The pre'f'ailinc wUence in white_tboda of opprellion vas furtherell! pIified when the fascist syIte. aet police do!s upon a pe~ful "frelPo Rally" whose aia vas
to repster solidarity, wit.b. ourbrothers in HoUllbicp.1e. At theend of tbe score we conclude thatit 18 the forces of Black CoD-sciouEeu alone at this rtaaethat CUI help tow.rds the brin.&in« about of true sel1'-deterwin '
tion and natioaal consciouEen.Thi. conclusion brin,s out theessential characters of BlackConsciousness .s be!n&l-
(l) A co on identity bued. onBlack ..U-definitiOftj
(2) Re-orientation. of perspe<:tiTe. towards identification.with the third vorlll contextof stru&&1ej
(3) Ability to co 'Dicate,vithinthe identification process asBlacks faced with a co-:tnsituation;
(4) Solidarity in action based ont rue allu.-nt of ."bods.ost effectiye toward. Blackliberation.
...'ftIE Jl)VDCDfT IN RELA.ftUH TO THE BLACK OOtICUNITY
by Black Studmt Leader
in! accepted. and supported bythe co mity, and ttu. its insured, contlrwed, existence.
Thi8 paper .et. out to rerlev thepodtion of any _n.nlt home in the Black co mity, with bobjecthe of bein& relevant tothe n.:eeds of tbe Black co.-mity. In terss of its role obliption.. And, also, factorswhich are conducive to it be-
•
First,acceptin&fulsocial,
it is t-port.t.nt for u.lIothe fact that any _anchanle in this country'spolitical and eCOIlOIlic
situation, shall be broucht aboutby the proletariat - the pe0ple who really feel the pinch ofv hit e ~ation, exploitationand oppression. The y p:lssess
the power t.o effect radical chanCes because they are at the base,and thus shoulder the ..mole weichtof all social, econOllic and poli tical pyraalds of this country.
The Black people of this countryare not only suffering froa dolIIinance by a foreigJ lIinority vl-i.terace, whose advent in this countryurked the beginning of an era ofpersecution for black people, butthey suffer repression and exploitation fro. capitalis. and thevarious fol'1ls of iaperialis.. Allthis ailitates &&ainst the coaaunalistie basis of our society and ourbeliefs in the fundamental digJity,and equality of un. TOOs ourstruwe is not only a struwe ~&et back our land; but it is alsOIllideological one:_ i.e. an attackand eliaination of capitalisM andiMperialis.. and all social syste.s,that prolllOte exploitation and dehu_lII&nisation of Black people. Ours ~& struggle to rest.ore our st.olenland and also, a .It ruggle to 1&
store the digtity of man and ourtraditional attitude towards Nll.lie quest for socialis. and denouncecapitalisa.
Our aain task is to oJ"l;anise the..sses of our people into onecohesi Ye force to confront oppression. This vill _an t.ot&! identification with the working-eb •
And in the process vill instilself-reliance and national consc:.iousness. A vill to stand up tothe en,e.y; to defend black values
7
and digJity. It is this _ntal,physical and spiritual readiness,that shall decide the day of reckoning with the forces of the neg...tin darkness.
For a 100,( tiJle nov we haYe beene:qlOWlclin.s the phUosopby of BlackConsciousness, Bbck solidarity,etc.
The social, economc and politicalsituation of this country has beenanalysed fro. various angles a[treat deal. This subject is danCerously bordering on 6eing a pasti.for Black liberals and intellectualexercise for the fast eaergincBlack cultural activists. ThiSpaper shall attapt at shoving certain vays throu«h vhich we can brin&;the struwe fro. the table to thepeople. This process of ta1dng the.ssll&e to the people is not possi..ble unless we first rid ourselYesof certain _scODceptions and attitude tovards ourselYes and theBlack ~ 'nity at large.
,",e Slack intellectual. finds bt.self alienated fl'Oll the rest ofthe Black coaaunity by his educational back&round, the attainaentof certain "refined'f unners.Which is vby aost educated peoplefind it hard to co 'nicate withfellow Black people in a train,.are uneducated. 1'h.e educated person, to escape this persistent e.ptiness in his be1A&,usually seeksrefU«e in a copy of the -DailyNews-lor a book. Tbus the Blackintellectual finds bj ....l1 saddledwith -.ssqe- he can only pus ontoo another intellectu.al.. The frustration here is that the B1ackintellectual is all the tiM' avarethat the -.asap" should be tak-
en t.o t.he .... in t.he st.reet.."fI)V' is t.he proble-.
The situat.ion. This would broaden ourvhole outlook: and approach t.owardst.he proble- at. band.
To <;olve t.his proble- of co mieat.ioD,t.he Black int.ellect.ual ....st.first. reviev all t.he fact.ors whichal.ienate M. fl"Oll the rest of theBlack co mity; sincerely and reallstically. He ....st radicallyaJ..just M.self to the co 'nity andtotally inter«rate his whole personality to the acceptfd valuenorws,beliefs and prejudice of hisCO-.nity. He ....st r;et off fl"Ollthe !lir;h black pedestal fro. whichhe addresses the co..unity and getto work with and aaol\& the people,rather than p.all the_ or dra,:; behind thai.
Co micatioD is a vital aspect ofthe rewlutionary process. Forco micat.ion to he Raningful andhealthy, there should prevail throu&OOut the process a spirit ofSi_ari..n& of ideas, rather than thecondescending-ascending -ood. Theattitude of the Black leader isthus very crucial. He ....st alvayshe ",vare that on "taking the .ssage to the people", he is not tel11nl; the. &Dyth.in« nev-so.ethin&they neither knov nor understand.But he is Hrely articu.latinr;their enryday feelinc' and aspiration. He ..st allov, throu&bout:the process.of co ,oication, forco micatioD to be tva vay.We b&Ye a lot to say to the ....ses aswe have -..lysed the problal, butthere is a world or tb.in&s we hayeto le&m froa our people. For instance, OUr traditiona1. culture,our history, our past and everydayexperiences and per.pection of the
•
It 11 also very bportant in cowti.cation to take into account theleyel of consciousness of the pe0
ple. The Black leader should pardintWdatiD& the people by ultra.radical ideas. This is not to _anthat we should discard ideas onthe buis that they are radical,but vbat is 1aportant here 11 howthat idea is presented. To get anidea across one has to present itin such a vay that the person heis co 'nicatin& with sball beable to understand t t and relateit to his situation and also enable hia to interpret that ideahis ow vay tn his situation,us1n&his OWl ~dels. He IaIst see thatidea as his own, so as to cherishand defend it.
One other aportant aspect of c~IWU.cation is the character of theperson h.iaself. As a prop;lnent ofBlack liberation, Black diglity,pride and consciousness of self,the Black leader shou.!d totallyintegrate with the people andhehave in accordance with the accepted value-aonlS and culture ofthe people. That is, "do what youpreach, and preach what you do."The leader a.lst alvays re-eaberthat the people expect ttl.: i_possible fl"Oll tu.- - they expect thatbe be the sr-bol of thei r nationin its mst prolressive and hiebest sta«e of develo,.ent. By ODnpersonality one can win the acceptance and support by the people,8De can eYen preach throudt one I acbara.cter. An easy character isconc.\.lcive to fnaitlul co 'nica.tion vhUst a repugnant one can
render the best of the ideas ineffective.In rejectin« the person,people tend to reject his ideasalso and all that he stands for.Bad .,ral.a of one _Ilber of mol'&anisation can seriously prejudice and, in fact, d·"se the 01'&anisation. he supports
We have stated eulier in this,..,er that chance in this countryabel] be broulbt ~t by the oppressed ••.ases. This _an' that
the Black intelli&en.tsia shouldset to the brass tacks and IIDYevith and uo~ the people. Andsections of our co mity have tobe IIDbUised and this requirestotal ~t-=nt fro. all tbosevortdnS for radical chanae. Whenever one is, he -.ast do what hepreaches and ol'&anise all thosearound tria. This is the only vaythe strugle can be a strugle ofthe people, for the people and bythe people.
••BlACK: <DfSCICKr.lfESS AND THE BlACK ootOIJKID'
by Bhekie Lansa(official of the National Youth Drsanisation)
For those Black people in thisoountry, who wish to pursue certaina.bitions in life, there is alvaysa solid vall of repressive lepslation and other non_statutory__sures, that deny hill the prospect of realisinc his set pals.There is a network of social, ec~
nollic and pol itical pitfalls andlandll.i.nes spread all over his vayto check and enrwab Black creathity and develo~t. As this isaiaed at keepi~ ttle Black-an_rely on the threshpld of unhoodand COIIplete beinl1\us,those bei.n&essential requireaents for keepi"&hill chained and doolled to vtdteserfdo.. This is ai_d at killin&the sense of self-reliance anddigrlty in the Black co mity andreduce resistance to aanipulationto a ainialll.
This frustration is felt in at-oatall levels of the Black experience.The sphere of education, sports,arts, science, religion, etc. arc
•
heavily pel'1lleated with the foraalathat is desit;ned at k.eepins theBlack .an,so to say,ltat his place,vhich is, of course, the botto••These sav~e slaushters on theBlack-ans' dit;nity and pride arefro- day to day, IIDnth to IIDnthand year to year recorded on hisllind. These are the realities thatthreaten and infiuen.ce his cultu""for he has to order his reponsesto these forces in such a lI&I\tl.erthat his sovereit;nty over ttue- isaaintained. The Black un feelsthe pinch and tb.ls -.art do one ofthree tb.in&s - try and lR'Oft thepAin by deludl.n.s hillSelf one vayor the other; or rationalise overthe situation accrediti~ all hislliaeries to the vill of God andaccept his fate as his naturalheritase as a Black 11&I\; or, finally,he is soin« to confront vhatever causes hi. the sufferins andtb.ls reject opprcSiion and wtedollination.
The white aan i:o aware of thethree abon__ntioned interpretations by the Bhd..,n of his exi ....tential situation, for he is vellaware of the fact that his cont.inued stay at the position he occupies now, depends heavily on thenature and level of consciousnessof the Blade ...sses. Of the threeabove-.entioned -ental conditions,the first two are his life assurance and the third,-ost decidedly,a cancer-like enelly. So to uintain his position of superiorityhe baa to arranCe condition. suchthat the third Croup of Blade peG
pIe, those who contend his position_ diainishes, if not perish. Atthis juncture it will be necessa1"y to look closely into thethree states of consciousness andtry and pinpoint certain factorsleadin« thell, because a troe uncierstandin.& of thell ...y solve thisPI .tb problell f&cin& the BlackConsciousne" .ave.ent.
The first croup co-,ri.es of pe0ple who,are vell avare of the situation (for no-one is not) but forso_ reason or the other refuse toinvolve theaselTes in the strogle.They expect thi.n«s to chan&e so__now but they cannot see tbeaselvesparticip&tin& actively in the process of chan~ thi.n&s. This reCi_nt of our co~ity vould liketo lead a life of total non-eo-.it-.nt and non-involve-ent by reducin& the .,re crocial issues inlife and the harder facts of reality into a _re ba.cqround totheir OWl .elt~entred pursuit'.Vehaft said that these are peoplelltDare avare of the situation andtM. Mans that t~ey have to ju.tify their non-involve.ent SOIIehovand, so to say, seek a scapt!Koat
10
"-Dnast this KrouP you also findpeople who are ever po.tponin&their involve-ent in the stroWefor instance it is co~ to hearpeople CllUtiOI\in& others vbo areinvolved in the strogle to - letyour deCree first and tben you canstand on your head and shout asa1ch as you like". This is obviously nonsense because a. soon asthiS person ac"",ires his educational deuee, there will be otherre.pon.ibilities in store for hia- for instance - Cet'tin« aarried,rea.ri.n& a. re.aily, acquirin& pro~
erty, cetti.nl; a cood job, etc. Infact, there is no end to this listwhich ukes nonsense of postponingco-.it-ent to the .trowe. Liberation is first priority and this_ans a.t no stqe of one's lUe,should one subordina.te it to anythil\l, for oppression does not&ffeet you at a fev specificstl.&es of your ensteoc.: but theIlinute one is . for-ed. (That is,for Black people) one is subjectto persecution and ~pression fro_the forces of darlmess. In thisIrouP you also find the Bla.ck cultural activists who ai'Olop.se fortheir non-in\'Olve-ent by occasion&11y raisil\l Black pover fists,vear duhiki 1 s and talk "Bladeand revolutiona.ry _n they a.reuong; people for the stNWe. Butas soon as they put into actiontheir beliefs and preac:rlngs. Theyare a.t a loss. It is illpOrtantthat ve note how the people inthi. categ;ory an: conscious of tbesituation u it obtains in thiscountry, in spite of their nonin..-olve.eot. And their non-inwlve_ent st.s f~ • nuaber of albjective anel objective factors. Thenature of this country's lavs andthe law of the "law. enforce.ent
~its prove too alch for the wale.The extent of the vhite doIdnationand oppression exercised in thisCOWltry has very fev equals throu&bout the history of unkind. Ttiiscauses those without a deep insit;ht into the problell to concludethat nothin& can outdo the vhiteaan. Those who lack direction,conviction and faith .1 easilyrecede into the bac:k&round andwait for a Iliracle to happen.
Nov W COile to the second sroup ofpeople - those who have lost allhope and have accepted their predicutent as the Yill of God. Thisis the aost dant;erous .ental statethat one usually obsenes fro- theelder section of the co IOi ty_Because of so lI&I1y years of indoctrination and psycboloCical terroria .ted out by the vhite powerstructure a nuaber of Black peoplelose hope: and start buryi.n& tJx..selves even before they are dead.Pol ice intt.idation, -rlitaryllisht and various other fol'WS ofrepression dissuade aost peoplefro. attellptins anythin& towardsliberatin« the.selves. Indoctrin...tion throup the vide dissellina
tion of prop&J:anda and poisonouseducation and failure t 0 putthin«s in their correct ,rrspeetive, convince .any a we Bl&ek• i n d that nothinc can be doneabout the situation.
Then there is the third and lastCroup in our list. Those t hatreject vhite doalnation and o~
renion. In this croup you findpeople who believe in the principal of the funda.ental equality of.an - the risht of every t..a.anbeine resardlen of race, colouror creed for fullest participation
II
in society. Because of this stJ'Cl'f;belief, and the assurance t hattruth alvays thrives in the end,co-it theaselves to the stnacclefor the liberation of the Blackco mity. It is this reaction ofou r co IDity that is articulatinsthe ideolosy 0 f our oppressedco-.nity. ldeolosy beins a pointer to the coals, aspirations, bellefs and ideas of a co~ty.
This .y be expressed explicitlyor illplicity. But the tnath is fin every co~ity there is alvaysan ideolo~. It is the 11111tantsection of our co~ity t hatproposes solutions to the BlacklW\'s proble.s i n this country.The-Black Consciousness aoveaentplays an Uiportant part in thissphere. Black ConscIousness a a'an illeoloC is not ~thin« fio...tin3 in the aJ. r in the llillds ofintellectuals; but it ca.s fro.the co 'Oity, t b e people whosuffer. And it finds articulationand refine-ent froe procressivestudents, you t h, intellectualsand workers. The icleoloC itselfIs shaped by the probleu andfrustrations of the people, theirsous, aspirationa, beliefs andideas. Hence, Black Consciousnessis thus an attitude of aind and avay of life. Black. consciousnessis intecrative and solidarist inintent; and ttaas it at.. to uniteall Black people; on the basis ofca-on sufferinc, to j 0 i n thestruccle for liberation.
Vbat ia the role of Black Consciousness in the struccle for Blackliberation? Ve haft sketcbed outthree se~ta of our Black eo-unity. The one that feels t batnotbin& can be done to alleviateour sufferinAl tM one that ~ves
indiTidual will enjoy the fruita,of justice and social security, Vie
will have to mbUise the effortsof the whole of our co.-mity.This _ans that top priorityshould be p ven at radically ralsinc the level of political consciousness of the oppressed II&Sses.Wea1st be clear, though, about thecontent of our won and the _thodwhich we have to e.,loy in the process of politiciaing the ..sses.Black Consciousness is not an alien ideology that needs to be fo,....ced on the people, but it is bomeout of the existential situationof the Black ..... oppressed in hisow land of birth. This lleansthat the people have got the ideaslatent in thea and ou r II&.in dutyis invoking the latent ideas andalso instil confidence in thepeople by shoving possibilitiesand direction. This is how wecould show the people the powerthey are not aware that theyhave. Political. Consciousness isPower Consciousness.
itself fro. reality throu&h selfdelusion and the third that put'ports to confront the problea. TheBlar~ Consciousness -ove.ent fallsinto the third category and a sBlack consciousness is an integr...tive and soliduist ideology, itpurports to perweate into, and engulf the first two groups throu&hr.oncientisation.We have exposed the different seg_nts of our oppressed co.-mi.tyin ter-s of level of consciousnes&We have also seen how these arecontributive to the present state01 events:the pace of our stru~This leads one into concludingthat if our struggle has to progress it has to be.. struggle ofthe people and not of a s..n vanguard. For we will never achievetotal liberation if only a s..:u.seglleOt of our eo~i ty supportthe struggle, and the aajority sitback and watch. To achieve ourgoal: a true de.acratic society,based on the acceptance of the principle of the fundaaental equality of 11&I\, where each and every.....LETTERS
near Editor,
At least white chauvinls. has finalised its decree on the fate ofthe Federal Theological Seminari.All along we' were aware of thefundaaental tension that wouldlead to the closing dow of fedss.We were aware of the adlUnistrative conflicts, of the inCOllp&tibilities between the official whiteworld-view and the Black identitythat was fast groving through Ib;:kTheolol)', of the inherent contr-
12
adictions in the develop-ent ofBlack Consciousness and the Statereaction to this new awareness.
However, one did not expect suchsharp reaction fro. the Chief Minister of the Transkei against Fedse. students who have a right ofprotest against Separation, whe_ther it be in the Ciskei or theTranskei or Kwa-Zulu.
If Black ltudent:l cannot be allowed to freely play thei r role asstudent. then they have a right todellUld that ript by appeal.inA tothe ..as of Black people.
We can delland the right to have asay in the history of our pa.t andprelent. \l'e have the hI_an riptto choose what; we aI.t leam oraccept: as q:tional tnat;h. We haTethe ri&ht to decide tocether withthe will of the people what alitbe done with t;he pre'ent .che-e ofthin«'.
Tho.e who con.ider Black .tudatlto be trouble rkers are th..aelvel trouble caulers qunlt theBlack at:rugle.Vha't ri&ht do 'they,as fellow Black ~ple, have towan't to do 'thf' IYI'te. l • job?
I underatand Black eonaciousnesl'to include conscious awareness of'the 'third. world reali't,. prevai1~in 'the Black Co mj 'ty. That; isvb,. I .. for co mali_. ADd beCallae of ·'this we ahan forever tisJrt; for 'the wideninC of our sen.eof iden'ti'ty. If we are qainl't 'theBantus'tan collabora'tors,I t;ake i't,i't is DO't jult; for 'their falsecUltural T&lues. I't is for so.!'tb.inc worae 'than t;ha't. I .. aiaiAl't 'the Bantul'tan leadership forwha't it; l'tands for in the life o-t-
IUacks; and 'the reac'tionary role'they play qains't 'the Black pe0
ples' s'tnaccle for libera'tion.
the 'falle propbet:l'vbo are sa'tisfied wit;h bundu freedo. have ~ne
qainst Black Consciousness vehave said we are qains't raei_,'tha't we do not; wan't vhi'te c~rciali_ and i'ts false CODlIUIIer e'thics, that we say "to Hell" with inatitu'tionalbed poverty, that; wecannot; st;and anr-ore state iaposedune.pIo)'MDt, that there bAs beenenou&h of orcaniled acta of voUsce qains't -Blacks and tba~ wesa,. "shit to white cbauviniat ~ture" •
Student;s or int;ellectuals everywhere have reason to sa,. certainthi.n«s. It is for tboae in mtbority to look into the- with objective concern. To threaten students and educa'tioDists, even reli&ious leaders, is not of de.ocrati::spirit.
For the Chief Hinister to -.ke anapolop'tic pature in support of"ap&Rheid" baa hastened the process le,di nc to the peoples' realisation of t;his &rOIS illusionvbich can no.ore be justified bypersons of principle.
Pati Nwi.ande.
•••••••••••••••••••••••
C:::I~~~====>
In 1943 the political situationof South AfricaI I 81ac:k1 va.a inone of its .It; crit;ical .etOds.Itvas bec·inA obvioul that; the de.-
13
ocraeiel were OIl the threabold ofn.ctory q.1nrt fuei.. The colonial peoples who bad cODtributedlUlU,. 'to the defeat of the bis
- Povers vere dCl!Wl.din& self dete- This Convention notiD& that:raination.
Out: here in Soutb Africa the "herenTOlk" -adc it clear that Blacksvere tc Te.un without ridtts.
Blacks CaM toðer over this issue. And the result vas the All4frican Convention.
In 1972 Blacks ~ain CPe toðerand fo~ tbe Black People's C0nvention.
\'lien then the Black RenaissanceConvention of Dece-ber, 1974 aaderesolutions on the Black san's situation, it vas largely a repetition of the two previous conventiG1Svhich vere spanned by the FreeOO_Charter.
rbe only outstan~ resolution ofthe Black Renaissance Conventionis the one that ~aYe Black Vorkersthose who produce the wealth ofthis country, deep consideration.It is on this resolution that wesh&ll have to base our i.-.ediateen&a&e.ents in the quest for Blackliberation. For is it' not tiAethose vho labour vere brou&bt intothe aainstre.. of the Black$'tnaw.e?
1he B.R.C. Resolution vent ttus:
(l) the &reat aajority of Blackpeople are workers
(2) besides bein& diacrtmnatedacainst the workers also -.dfer the .ost blatant forws ofexploitation
(3) the vacca that writers recehe are far below the breadline aI1d they are therefore fnlstrated in the atte.pt touse tbeir bar&a:inin& pover,
Therefore resolves that:
(a) the Govem-ent i.-ediatelyrecotpiae African Trade Unions;
(b) that there is need for worlte r s to or&anise thcllselvesinto trade unions free froaGovem-ent interference.
1'tus soul brother vu .are thancorrect when he said, "We lookaround in the world today, and welook around at ho.e rlpt nov andve see that oppression exists.We knov that the woriters are u:pl._oited, and that .,st of the peoplein this COUDtry are u:pl.oited, inone way or another. We knov thatas a .,.:ople, ve -.ast seise ourti.-e."
••••••••••••••••••The FreH.o Rally: Arrests, Trial:
Let us think back to the ~'s mire.ellber representative Black 01"&aniaations such as the Pan AfricanCon&ress and the African NationalCon&ress throu&h which Blackpeople edressed le~ally their
I.
opposition to the ideolo&T of apartheid. These or&ULaations, sorelevant to the aspirations of theBlackS, were nlthleasly cli....t1.edbefore bein& finally banned outti_pt.
it is nov going on to eight ~nths
since the initial group of leadersand supporters ~f the Black Consc_iousness Moveltllflt were arrested,and detained on the 25th Septellber1974 - and thereafter, after' aproposed ·Fre] j.. Rallytt at CUrries Fountain, Durban. Various,"Freliacf' Rallies were to have beensta,;ed at different centres throughout the country by the prot&&Onists of the Black ConsciousnessMoft.ent, the ....ior represent....tifts of vhich are orsanisationssuch as Saso, Bcp, Bpe, Bawu andTecon. The State has led uny cases against .eabers of these organisations, succeeding with conn.ctions so.etilles b.J.t f&ilin.!; dis_ally in lI&I1y instances. Moreo'Yer,aany leaders and supporters hayebeen forced to nee across the country's borders to increase thealready swelling ranks of exilesfro. tids country.
To date since Septe~er, 1974about 4~SO adherents of the BlackConsciousness MgvUlent haye beenheld, or are still being held, in_co~cado initially under theRiotious Asseahlies Act of 1956under the Sections of the Terroris. Act of 1967.
We would not like t 0 co.-ent onthe paranoia so obviously .anifested in the charges and thehistory of the different acts.
There is only one conclusion thatBlack people can draw fro. thisreckless display of force 0 y e I'
what was after all, st..pl.y a proposed declaration of solidarity,vith the people of HosPbique a tthe attai.n-.nt of their bas i chuaan, ri,ithts •••• vis, that despite
"
declarations to the countrary, theSouth African Covem.ent and itssupporters fear and detest thechanging p.a1:tem of events lOin.!;on throushout Africa.
Before the Black ConsciousnesaHovllltllnt organisations CaJae intothe scene there had been for so.tille a lull in the vocal activityin the Black Hove.ent. This vasunderstandable in the light of thecrushing attack on the Black leadership by the racist power structure. However, the Black MgVelleDtwas writing quiet.1.y. Our forcesand Jl&l\power wen:. regrouped, ourstJ'&te&ies re-defined and the necessary ren~vations being initiatedto revive the vibrance and thefearles~ess of the Black YOice.In this -.noel', the foundations ofthe Move.ent were secured v i t hoptt.ua success.
\;enenl.ly, the Black Consciousnessorlanisations recosn!se the deten_tions and arrests for what theyreally are I an attellpt to crushtotally the Black ConsciousnessHove.ent and thereby any Blackopposition vhatsoeYer to the totalitarian state of affairs in thiscountry.
In the face of this totalitarimdrive by the State there has beenvide reaction a,;ainst the .Fre1 i.,
R"l.lyl' arrests md solitary confine.ents. There has been a petitionfro. Black vo.en. There has beenappeal f~ -.bel'S and leaders ofGovem.ent-<:reated institutions CIC, sue, Bantustans. There bavebeen picket pro1:ests. There havebeen appeals fl'Oll a broad crosssec1:ion of cwrcbes. There has
oeen vide and so_tiAes sr-Pathetic covera,;e given to the detentions and arrests b y the Press.There has been International reaction in the form of declarationsand dellOnstrations of solidarityand support for the detainees, theaccused and their representativeBlack organisations, abroad.
ret a Terroris. Trial. has been~oing on since 31st January, 1915.\ny person accused under the provisions of the Terroris. Act (No 83;)f 1967) has to prove that hisintention vas not to co~t terrorisa. The Act carries a staturyIIini.-.la sentence of five years tothe ••xi_l. sentence of life t.prison.ent or .. death penalty.
What do we see behind the facade?Apartheid as rtapant as ever, i nill its aanifestations. Blackscontinue to be discrimnated against. The charges qainst the thirteen accused under the TerroriSllAct face any Bl&ek Ybo refuses tobe oppressed - who refuses to havethis m.an dignity traapled on.The thirteen accused for offencesunder the Terraris. Act are thescapegoats chosen by the syne••These scapegoats of the atrocioussyste. are: "Saths" Cooper (Bpe)Justice Lindane Mye.. (Saso), Mosioua Patrick J.ekota(Saso), NcbaupeAubrey Hokoape(Bpe), Nkvenkve Vincent NkoIlO(Bpe), Pandelani Nefolavbodve(SalO), Gilbert Kaborane S~dibe (Bpe), Rubin H&Te(Saso), Strinivasa Moodley(Saso), Sadec::queVariava(Pet), Zithulele Cindi(Bpc)Aimed "Soll)'" I ...n (Bpe), SivHog... Moodley (Tecon).
Let us not forget ill those still
I.
being held in confinew:nt, whosefate bas not co_ to light.
It 1IlOU1d see. that the odds areal.1 against us...... but are they?In the face of ill this intimdt.tion and harass~nt what do we do?
Perhaps Y e can take a clue fro.the accused theuelves....... andfTOll those people who were released lately. rar from being brokenpeople, they ca.e out 0 f theircells literally bursting over vithresistance. And herein lies ouranswer: resistance.
We are a I 1 seeking a solution.EYen those world.ng vithin the syste. clai.-. they are seeking a solution. Let those who take lightlythe Black students effort takenote. We _an those who point out"infantiliSll", those who talk oflI youth adventuriSll", those Y h 0
chide about "students" irrationalIty", those who seek out "co-.nistie influence". They live nthus. And we live a-ongst the••The ral.1ies were merely t 0 callu p 0 n Black people to share andjoin Yith Frelba in celebratingthei. weil-eamf!-t freedo.. Therevas nottu.ng unClenWld about, ROrvas there any ulterior oaotive forhaving the planned rallies.Surely,if Ybites in this country couldpublicly demnstnte their supportfor the terrorist "Hoveaent forFree Mo...bique (MFH)" vithout anyinterference fro. the State, whatvas YTOng yith Blacks supportingFRELOO?Definitely there -.1st be a solution. There -.1st be a solution toYbite arbitrary thinking. But whatif we get up one day to find that
the stnJ.&&1e for this solution hasoutll'OWl the traditional toras?The tuture of our present .hallhaft &bsolTed all those who stoodup for the truth••'his tt.J' those
vbo face police haraauentJ' ~.t.J' solitary confineaentJ'banninc.and bouse-arrest•• 'lbo.e in RobbenIsland. Tho.e in exile. Those whohaft died stand.:i.n& up tor thetrutb•
•••••••••••••••••••POWER IN OONSCIOUSN&SS AND OONSCIOUSNESS OF POWD
MM.y person. who clu.. to be Imovi.n& what Black CoD..ciousness i.all about haft recently co.e outwith rather confiictin& state.nt.on what they ulntain is the clifterence betwe_ Black Con.ciou~
ness and Black Power.The recent ell: elections constantly broupt thi. conflict intofocus, especially amD&st t b eLabour Party candidates. We aretalkin« of those Labour Party candidates who said they d 0 acceptBlade Consciousness u ali f ephilosophy. Do we haye 1:0 CO badeand aake explanation or apalol)' onbehalf of the quest for Black Consciousness, when the prevalentsocio-econollic situatLxl 0 t theBlack Co-.uU.ty can offer enoupto .atisfy the doubtinc Tho-aases?
We who uphold and want to pro.oteBlack Consciousness principleshave fir'll opinion of what thineswe appreciate; and also of whatthin,s ve reject.We .!J!:preciate the need for Blacksacquiri.n« their 0 w n iciel1tityqainrt the forces of white doaiDatioR. We appreciatcJ'as student. _eckac:ation that is «eared for liberation. We appreciate socW pro«reu in the Black Co IOi ty.
We We~.s POftrty, lack of proper liOUSUlI, poor health emces,
illiteracy. We definitely rejecteckacation that aaIce. u. sophisticated slafts. Hany of t b e caecandidates of t beLabour Partyhave said they are tor Black eoa....ciousness, but they are q&instany for'll of Black Paver. What dothey lICan by this?
Without haT1n& to think for the.w are lOin&: to have to point outhere that you CanDOt be for BlackConsciousness and at the .... t.t.enot be for the 'Power' nece,saag!.upbold }'OUr Consciouaness. u'me Sa8e UMer n 0 'POwera canCOlIC f!'WI the Blacks without theahaYint; the mcb needed Solidaritythat bas to be stt.Uated tbf'OU&bBlack Consciousness.wPowera thenforeJ' co.. in when. JOUr rejection.of white teras a f re1'erence isfollowed by SUUertion.. of new _d_re rlahle Black teras of reference. Vben :rou I":sb your avareDUIbeyond t b e _re acceptance 01existent but suppressed Black te~ at reference. Most at UI knovwe a1st redirect our co.-!tIlCnt.in teru""'QT"'i;;fse7irior.tties illa fut cbanpnl reality. But we donot see. to kDov exactly where orbow.
Rerllin& our prioritie. vill iAclude, of nece.lityJ' a re-eYaluationof our teras of reference. Betonwe can eyen weich the co-.itaent
possibilities within 0 u r Blackfr..e of relerence.
Then it can ri&htfully be sta.tedtha.-:.. consciousness has assu.ed thecharacter ol power under the lol1ovin~ conditions:-
(1) 'When consciousness mnsbeyond Blackness, intothe socia.l and political&.aties of Blacks;
(2) vben consciousness -ovesinto prw.anent challeMeq;&inst vtUte political.~rality and capitalistnoras of life;
(3) when consciousness goesbeyond Black discourse toBlack brotherhood andBlack Solidarity-in""""ction;
(4) when consciousness e.braces resolutions for 501idarlty-in-Action withinthe per-anent challen&e.
Tho.se who choose to draw linesbetween Consciousness and Power do50 for the s~e reason that theyhave one foot in blackness and theother f 0 0 t in the politics ofwhite domnation. No ..,unt ofCajOlill& with words i s ioin& tohide the historic troth that Bla.ckConsciouaness has, within theracist socio-political. se~p,
beCOM a historical force. It isthe fear of Black Consciousness a.s.. historical-force~iOthe arrelrts .nl"b'anni.n&s of Blackstudents. But no a-ount of intiaidation is 1Oin& to deter us fro.enhancin~ the historic troth.
Powr to the Pooplell
II
CourK!
It loyalty pves courq;eThen belief pes beyond loya.lty;Like belierl.n& in )'OUr people
and thines natura.l,is where the spirit of hlleenj ty
lhea on Courq;e.The earth and the sky
nenr Met;oec..se the sky isWhat lets us see the world
10 I"O\Dld.But the current of the seadoes Ret the current of the sky;In stol'll and th.mder,Then the oceans flood.In -r journey thtou&h the
broad streetsOf Durban's Grey Street~mp1ex
I see uny an acid-belly faceof the mrnin&:-a.fter;Then there's a hangover,What I wish to see stillis a hang~ver fro. the-ass rallies of the nineteen six
ties.The current that should
flash, flush, rushis the current of chance,Change. Against the deceiving
couortof Cutle beer, ViJlpy Bars and
Kentucky Chicken.
H. Pascal Gvala
_,0<00>-
A reaainder: that project ••••••••
Suo Projects tbou&h apparently atlow ebb, haye not been closed ••••Suo has not dropped its aias invantin& to offer belp where thereis need tor it and t 0 stia&latebasic self-reliance in the BladtOll lDity and a.)D.&st s~1I1e1lts.
Suo stil1 bu intentions onthe Free Uninrsity ScbeMto boost B1ack t4Il.teducation.
Saso still wishes to establishthe Black Educational Ad....nce.ent Trost Fund to belpstudents fro_ post-pT'i.a.pyto un!yersity leYe1.
Suo still aiaa to pl'C*)teliteracy thtoucb the Ho-eE&.lcation Scbeae to s~ulate B1ack literacyoIdlls.
Saso still nnds need lor thecontinuation ot the SelfHelp Projects to encour&&e se.lf-reliance uongstour peoplel
Do not lose hope, Black student.Your hand is still needed. Take tothc task. We shall overeo.e.
into the dark
a ptto lIUndDlI1
south africa coughs ll1stinto the streets ot alexandracoup with a sM:') ot bloodblood stained fro_ vhitepolicy
aarders
J.
at langasharperilleny....carletonYille
i vait for the darlce.tlrace the shadovsguerilla into the darlaless ot hopeconter with the nidtttalltor the darlc hutens positiYe.ly,
<be darl<where the futUebut nry bil; etfortsto keep the city white
by nipthaye shown the city liptsto be very scared by nighti conter with this darll:tbe darlc tunnel to liberationwhere no pet dolS enjoy a bark
M. PASCAL CWALA.
Whereby the Senate asked Batiatus,
·Were there no siFS ot conspiracydiscontent, plottin&?ft
"There were none,. he 1.D.sisted.
"And when you executed the A.frican- Idnd you, we consider youraction quite proper - was thereno protest ? "
"None"
"lie are particularly interested 'inwhether any sort of outsiele bel,.foreiF pro?OCation of any .artcould ban entered into t his-.atter ? •
·It is Upossible," said Batiatus."ADd there vu no outaide belp or
f\alds pronded tor the tri..n._rate ot Spartacus, Garnicus md."Crims?'l
"Spa-rtacus" - NOYel by IkwardFast.
Perhaps Chief Gatsha Buthelesiou&ht to be congratulated forh&VLng pointed out recently thatthere is little point in the PrilleMinister, Mr. B.J.Vorster, desiring peace in the northern bor-ders of ZL-babwe whilst at ho.e,within our own borders, the situation can hardly b e consideredpeaceful.
This is not the a&lU'1er in whichthe Kva-Zulu leader expressed hisviews. But ve have the rl&ht toaake interpretation of his re_ritsregardin(!; chan&e. And for this welearn that he has been repriJIandedfor not co-operating vi th thePr,Uae Minister's efforts.
What does detente hold in view ofthe present conditions!
We have observed h 0 v ZaabiatsPresident Kaunda has been singledout as a Christian and a .an· nthqualities of a states-an. On theother hand President Nyererc, theIIan who engineered "Ujaaaa" forTan.ania's aasses has been critiched for taking a radical stand inthe "Rhodesia Talks".
For the Za-bian leader we can saythat, whilst appreciating his diplomatic .ayes, we can however,point out that he has no choicebut to be a peaceful negotiator.The geography of his country andthe econ~c effects of s&nctions,against the Saith regille ou(!;bt tobe considered. Also the possibleinstability that would result in aZaabia that is not yet free fro.tribal factionalisa and the grip
'0
of i~rialist inves~t_parti_
cularly the influence of thelonhro group, aakes it necessaryfor hia to playa .aderate role.
If Zubia chooses to stand in thei~rialist cup in these detente.aves then we oupt to voice concern over a Black state wanting tosell the aspirations 0 f thepeople1s 0 f Zubabwe. Horeso,since the stnlgle in Zi.babwe hasnow crystallised and only the han~
ing over the pover to the rightfulpeople can nov stop the fighting.For it is not tnae that in everystnagpe the basic question isthat of state power?
Guerilla warfare is not only the-.iIi tary llethad 0 f obtainingchange. I tis a political,economic and social .cvelDCnt a swell. This we can learn fro. theFreu.o exaaple. Gue ..illa varfarein Zi-babwe has, likewise, notreplaced .ass actions within thecountry or the peace initiativesof leaders oS u c h as the BishopMu&oreva. Without isolating the...selves fro. the urban Blacks those.engaged in arlled stn.iggle have,with their stimulation of resistance in the n.tral. areas, eOllbinedthe internal. and extemoll effortsto effect change.
The leadership in Zi.babwe is nota paid bureaucrati.ed leadershipas is the case with the Separatistleaders that we have here. Thisthe Priae Minister, Mr.B.J. Vor-ster is very ..eh aware of. He isalso conscious of the fact thatthe Prelim takeover has generated
a force &&ainst which Afrikanerdo.rell&ins 'YUlnerable, if not Urpotent. Faced rith a fast chanp.n~
reality ~he South African econo.yis not deYelopin&, as we are con-'stantly beins led to believe. Unellploywtent is risi.n& at an unprecedented rate, resulting in theworsening of ~eneral. living standards. ManufactuJ"'in& is at a very10'11 ebb. There are disturbances onthe aines. Whilst life has not ~proved for those lirl.n& in the socalled OO-lands. And in thefinance sector we haYe had a -ajorbank such as the Western Bankbeing taken over by the BarclavsNational Bank.
In the international field theArabs have their secret weaponthat is no .:Ire a secret: oil. IfMr. Vorster were to aake a falseItOve nov, either in Zi-tlabve orMosaabique he would start a chainreaction that would ftSS up thecapitalist world. In the Saft aannel' that Holland vas forced intoconceding to Arab pressure afterhaving sided with Israel over tIEMiddle East Crisis.
If there is any other reason forvhich the liberal proprietorialwhich can call the Pri.e Ministeran able statesman it is for hisavareness of South Africa l s vulnerable position vithin the nev situation. The tree prefers cala. Thewind is not subsidin~. Winds ofchange!
And where do the 'ho_Iandlleadersco.ae into this? The historic .,. ent is one that calls (or greattest on thea. Yes, they do criticise the existi.n& gonm.-ent policies and social inequality betweenwhite and Black. But they do notexplain the Syste. and its undertones within the context 0 f theBlack II&Il'S stroggle for nationalliberation.This is vhy they cannot,and shall. not within the foreseable future, IlUter the proble.sthat cc.e into their vay. Theissue, vb.ich only yesterday vasbeins seen as a problf!ll, can novbe siltplified: vhen a tooth hAsreached decay it alst be extracted.Before the issue reaches crisispoint.
This the separatist leaders fallto face up to. They ignore thetroth that O\lr hlPan ripts cannotat any st&&e be abon the existi.n&socio-econoa1c stNcture; and thatour social progress and culturalstability vill alvays b e conditioned by this factor.
Against this reality detente canbe seen as an essential part 0 fnegotiation, a conco.itant of dialopae, whereby those faYOU~ thestatus quo can be able to buy t~The precoDceind notions o( theAfrican and his adjust-ent pattems are nov being centred on theGatshu I and the Kaundas I forreasons of counter-strategy.
"
~WHAT 'ftIE PHILOSOPHERS SAY
What the pbilosopbers have s&i.d isvhat un tb.rou&h the a.« e s b.udeead fit to say. Because philosophy i s nothj ftC but the synthesised Imovled.&c of un.
"Why seek soothing vords, ¥benany test would provc the vords,false?" (Sophocles.)
"Han is naturally good, andonly by institutions is he aad~
bad." (Rousseau.)
"It is for Black people forSoul people to realise thereTOlutionary potential intheir vay of life, for soul._an' wholeness and energ)· andhealing_" (Stephen Hendersen.)
"The use of force is buttellpOrary. It aay sub&.le for a.:IIIICRt, but it docs not re-i)vethe necessity of subduing a&ain.And a nation is not governedwhich peJ1)etually has to beconquered." (Ed-lnd Burke.)
"Justice is a tool of thestrong to be used &5 the stroD&desire." (Ciscro.)
"To drive .vay .. volf thelamter alat han a rlfie in hishand." (Latin A_rican sayi.n&.)
"There are no foxes that arehonest and no tigcrs which donot ea.t h·e • n nesh". (Burwese••yinl;.)
"
"You can BCyer get .at r.". ..tiger's mutbn (r.orean Proverb.)
·There are three realitiesinext:ricably woven tosetber 111the Western fabric. They arerelipon, tradition and illperiali_; and in none of thesehAve the Black .en been takeninto account.Oues Baldwin)
liThe idea of white 3Upreaacyis the very VUlt and wolf ofthe herita«e of the Vest. n
0 .... SoleMn)
nThe events in tbe ConKO Vietn_, Kalaya, Korea are taki.n&place all. for the sa-: reason•The co..otion, the violence,the struggles in all theseareas and lUlIy .ore sp!'ing fro_one source, the evil and aaligi,possessive and sreedy Europeans.Their abstract theories. developed onr centuries of IonSusa«e, concemi.n& econoaics andsocioloO take the fol'W thatthey do becaase they sufferunder tbe aistaken belief thata aut can secure hi-self inthis insecure world by cn«lership of great personal, prhatewealth." (Georse Jackson.)
Thin&s Hanen.in&:·to m.ack peoplS.
Conscimtious ObJ£etion:
In the face of the current drinfor the recruitiDl; 0 f Blacks assoldiers ill the South African ANyit i s worth Mlltioninc out thatthe H' enskraal. Reso1ution onConscientiou. Objection applies tom.acks as vell..
The systell is biddinc for • 0 r epowers of repression. The newspapers sbow this clearly. The attellpts beiDl; lUde to set up ViPlante Co-.ittees ill the Black~unity till us.
What business hue Blacks to fiptan unjust war that i s ai_d atperpetuatinc our enslave.ent?
funds and Foreip. InnstM:nts:
A Poser:
Further lRdIS of 'aid funds' hanbeen advanced by the Trade UnionConCress to the Institute forIndustrial Education (nr:) and theUrban Trai.niJl& Project. The lIEgets a further R3 000; and theUrban Tr.JnillA Project «ets Rl 76Q.
Since, to us, these bodies are notwortdnc for the true interests ofBlack workers,one wonders what thechief desi&Ds of the 'I\IC are. Oris it their none-awareness of thetrue situation?
The TIE is a weak-«need liberalanti-Black pseudo research institute. It now plays the part of
policy ulter for the white nul unioru cmtred a t Durban's BoltonHall. The Urban Tr.in1nl Projecthardly desern:s -e:Dtion: is thiswbat 0wenhtli-r _ant b y Tradeunion.s for Black wrkers?
If these oftrseas aid p.vers contiDue to !&Dore Black Objections toopiniODised channelJinl, then weshall. haft to re enedne the 1\IC'sconcern. wid. Black workers.
Who I s Pu.lJ.in& Whose LeSs?
It is in the news. Finance, Bantustan style. It has been reported,that apart fro. co~n shares 0--.ned by the various Bantustan Goverrmen.ts, 3o,C of all the shares inthe African South African Bank,areto be owned by the inoostrialsector.
It is even doubtful that the industrialists bold only 3o,C; sincethey as innstors with lbe: eland'Pft1"l1-erlts will be able In.duallyto lain substantial control. TheAfrican 'control' beiD& _rely,noalnd.
1'ttl.tinationals that aren't
national.
Everybody's talkin«. Everybody'stalkinl soccer. In the petto,tbat
23
is. What we ou&ht to brin&; out ofour brothers thou&b is their realnation that there is nothin& 'national' about these'aalt1nation.al'touml nts in soccer, athletics,cricket, bo:rin&.
fo our vitness this i. all vbitetalk. This is tribal sport;vi.ndov(re.sed. so as t ° keep apartheid.South Africa in international sp0rt. No wrlder the Indian Cavern_nt could not be fooled by so_collaborators who new all the wayto Calcutta to take the world for• ride. To put our picture strai&bt their's was the ride. Thereand back without a sin&1e aatch.
What PoUtics?
Ou.r p:llicy rejects it. The wholeworld abhors it. Reality is in bitter .tnt&&J.e aaainst it. T hispolicy of separate political platfo,..••
Mockery aade by the apartheid sy...tea on us vas once .are depictedwhen the Federal Party leader inNatal, Mr. B.C. Swales said thatColoured leaders should not rejecttithe priYiler;es and concession.sthat are alternately COIIi.n& tI tothe Coloured. people (Natal Mercury2/1/75). He further stated thatIrldians aDd Africans ha:..e theirown leaders to fit;bt for the••
"You don't hear African voices,backiJ\& our fit;bt". A blessinr;that there is still a 8PC and aSaso to refuh these claillS•
Doe s the CRe really fiSht forBlack ri&bts? The Labour Party,would not have boycotted the eResessions and. the Vorster talk. ifMr. Swales' I'ell&.Jits were tnte. Wethe Black oppressed. of this country d. 0 not need .aRby politicsand. any·. ° n key parll.-entariaDi....
'nIE BURDO. OF OOMPIllHISE
,.
~be iAitial cleciaion of the African, Coloured and Indian leadersto accept the political. eli spens..tion whereby the Black Co mitT,vas eliTided into nearly a daRndiffelWlt -natiorls- appears nov.are clearly than ever blefore as ar;ro.. error of jud&~nt. Hit;bhopes vere then expressed of usin~
the ~oYem-ents -.c:b.i.n.ery to testthe honesty of this t;0Yem.ent incarryin& out their pror;r..-e of.$eparate DeveloJl!l'C!f't to its 10«1~~ conclusion, Tisl the ~ranting
of self-deteraination to Blacks.
rhere can be no doubt to a thinkiJl& person that a poHcy forallated within the white society canonly be upected to sene the lilterests of that society. It doesDOt sem reuonable then to laat;ine that this p ....el"ftM:llt, equi~
ped as they are vi th all the resources to uke and to chanr;e lav~
to plan and to aanipulate the cle~
tiny of others, can create .. syste. that will destroy the••
The idea ° f usinr; the platfOI"lUthat have been created by the gov--
em.ent to articulate the aspir...tiona of the Black people, as hasbeen clu.-:d by these systea created leaders, baa a. raaiHurin&. We baYe beard it all before.~ 1935 African intellectuals wereusing the "t'ery s-..e ~ts todefend their participation in theNathe Representatin: Council inthe face of repeated counsels qa.inst that .....jB ating COllllprotise.
TvelYe yeus &&0 nov the firstBantustan expert.ent vas IiYenfOnl. The co-=,n be1ief a t theti.-e of its inception vas that theTranskein exper-L-eDt as a wholeha.s not really been iIIIIposed by Pretoria but vas a develos-ent andan ~roVelleDt of an older tbouchcruder systea of self-rule (TheTranskeian Territorial Authorityor the Bunga. a.s it va.s co.-»nlycalled)in which the chiefs as thetraditional lellders of the peoplewere already playing the leadingpart; yet who can deny the factthat as long qo as 1860 alreadyTheophilus Shepstone had relegatedNatal chiefs to nothi.n&. .:Ire tlwladainistrative puppets and that,the Bantu Authorities Act whichobrlously owed a1ch to the Shepstonian srstea of ad-jnistration finally sealed the fate of chiefs inthe Black co mity? Nobody canpretend that they ha... e nov thesue authority and poyer that
. their forbears had o"t'er their su~
jects. So that t 0 Uple thatchiefs are in positions of leadership nov as they were in the "Bunga" SJ'stea is as good as to saythat Pretoria's p:lwer is unchallenged. Whatever the real truth a.sto the actual author of the Transkcian experilleJ\t there is no denying the fact that it vas fol'W.l1at-
"
ed and planned in Pretoria.
Nov the Transkei without any cl...Las to econoaic viability andreal political sovereignty i sladen vith so -.an] necative p:lwers over her "citisens" (Prod a.'_tion R.400, bannjD&S vithout trial,the hegemny of chiefs in its political structure etc.) that anyhopes 0 f p:llitical freeoo. haYebeco_ a .ere illusion.
)l,ach has been said about the lacko t appreciation of the role thathas been played by SOlie 0 f theBantustan leaders in laJin&, the&J'OUDd-vork for detente vith therest of Africa. The Yery effortsat establishing detente, in fact,see. ceared at securing what is inthe interests of the white -.inor_ity in this country, vbo,realisingthe anollaly of their position inan African continent that has largely dispensed with the racis. ofAfrica's fonter colonial ..ster,have found it expedient t 0 ukeSOlie efforts at establishing closer ties and understandin& with therest of Africa. South Africa knovsonly too wll that the politicalcharacter of the rest of SouthernAfrica is clwl&in& so rapidly before their eyes that she i .jnsthe last bulvarlc of white ainority-rule in the Continent. Scores ofAfncan leaders have unequicocallystated their disenchan1»eDt with"detente". The oddity of this situation, .:I1"eO"t'er, is sbown by thefact that whilst the detente initiatives are going OR South Africa's ailitary budget for this yearalone has reached the alaI'llin& figure of R980 aillion; which -putsSeA. within the a:ilitAry-spendingbracket of European countries. The
only conclusion that one can COileto is that S.A. is .erely tryin&to buy tille with the detente .,ve$
Mr. Vorner, .,reoyer, hu clearlyindicated that Black Africa lUstaccept S.A. on her own tenu. Noatte-pts vi.ll be aade t 0 effectsi¢ticallt ctl~es in her dallestic policy. The changes that haYetJ:een effected in the past six .onths which haYe been halled as indications of "re chan~.~s to COile
by the liberal sector of the whiteco~ty have been so superficialthat they can in fact be refl;arded,as non-<hanfl;es.
It is therefore, in passing. strangethat any leader in the Black co...unity 1IIOU1d want to clan creditfor haYing laid the fonulationsfor the operation of detente. Thisdetente has yet to be show tohave benefited the oppressedBlacks.
At another lev<'1 the Coloured Labour Part)' has equally collpro.ised.Their leader's recent proaises of1\ly&1.ty to White South Africa are
rather inconsistent with the standthat the Labour Party has taken inthe past. They got their aajorityin the C. R. C. on the bui s oftheir prolaise to do away with theC. R. C. if elected. Noy they areDOt full)' participating in it tutsee- ready also to discard evmthe lip-service they used to payto Blackness. Nov, accordin,; totheir leader, they are a Browpeople and for- a separate entityfro. the rest of the Black co-.mity and have nov co. to reco§1i.setheir close affinity to the whiteculture and civilisation.
Even people who stronpy held thecharitable new that the Indian,Brow and Bantustan leaders wereeYolri.n&: so. kind of strateealst nov be ready to eat theirwords.
1'he Bantustan leaders followingtheir gradualistie approach -.dedraaatlc claiJu for .,re land notso 100& a&O. Nov that they havebeen ginn the little that theyasked for one can well ask whetherthe v h ole exercise va. worthanything.
History has the queer habit of repeating itself and life takes itsrevenge on those v h 0 vilfullyforget the lessons of history.
AR1'S & UTl'ERS: REVIDlS:
BEING BlACK in the WORLD
by N.C. Kan~an)'i
Published by : RAV.\N PRESS
Dr. Hancanyi does not: blah-blahabout Black: Consciousness. He b.iR«s it up to our t-ediate experience. His essays set to point outto us that, as natural prerequisite acUnst d.ivide and nUe - andinferiority tags, Black Consciousness is nothing but "a historicalnecessitY". Wo~ on the premsethat Black Consciousness is ti.ebound, a transient force, the author goes on to shov hov Black Consciousness in "its es:pression ofthe present it is first 0 f all-.atual. knovledge about its hist-
oricity". And, further, that itsconco~tant, solidarity," amountsto a recognition and the desire tore-establish co ,nity feelings."
"Solidarity a.ongst other things-eans that we as a people have toshare". This is the basic philosophy of c"-UlaliHl.
What keeps Black Consciousness andsolidarity in close attachaent?Dr. Hanganyi is aware of this possible question. His answer is tha~
"one has to be th:i.nld..ng of a consciousness that leds to action".This way one's awareness does notbeco_ static; but beCOHS creative. Therefore "the creative potential of black South Africanswill b e _asured against theiraction potential."
The author i s deeply concernedwith the experience of being blackin a vtrite dollinated society. "Thedistance between blacks and vtritesis real.. There is a black ->ad ofbeing in-the-world. The relationbetween blacks and ~tes, thoughinescapable, is of a categorial.nature; i t is in the nature ofstereotyping ("us" and "thea").Since these conclusions are true,dialogue between these two groupsvill reaa.in SUperficial for a longtime. This is understandable because there vi1l always b e twofraaes of reference (two existential experiences) with regard toany iaportant issue which arises."
The book probes against the falseassesaent of the forces vhich con_dition the outlook of thosewho hold suspicions against BlackConsciousness. The author &lyesBlack Consciousness a socio-hist-
21
orlcal validity. He points out theimpending doom of the West.WNov inthe '70s Africa is going throughits Renaissance - its own contri~
ution to world huaanis.. This develo.-ent is of the ut.ost i.portance since it is beco-.in& increasingly clear that Western civilisation has gone into a veritable crisis.The civilisations of the Westare nov approximating the cancerous decline stqe of the Roun. Eapire."
There i s clear understanding bythe author of the syabols,pseudo-philosophical arguJlents,political gestures through vb:ichthe racist white society sust&insitself. Dr. Manganyi separatesayth froa reality. The essay on"African Tie" could easily be developed into a book.
The book does have its navthough. Dr. Manganyi does not succeed in bringing to us the cut difference between Negritude andBlack Consciousness. Indeed veryfev writers and Black thinkershave aanaged to p.at Black Consc_iousness into its own sociohistoric context, as differentiated fro a Negritude. Since thiswould help u s have insight intothe levels of Negritude and intohow SOlie protagonists of Negritultehave becolle apologists of the 'Il'~
This book should be read by everyone concerned with the future directives of Black Consciousness andthe very atch desired consistencyin national consciousness.
- 000 _
MArIkA p. GWALA
THE PARK AND OTHER STOftI.!eS
!LJaaes Mattbews
Published by B L "C Publishin.cHouse, "thlone 1974.Obtainable at Rl,OO per copy.
The stories in this collectionhan a basic character. 'fhey are ade'Pict:ion of th., saple lives ofBlacks. Blacks are ...de faceleuby the social syste. Yhose pressure they cannot escape, but callonly fidlt.
A J'OUD& -an is druUed by the saothine alsic of his portable radioSo one is confronted by cops whoauapect he is carryin~ banned literature. Until this vicU. of copsu.picion is forced to brinl: backto his tind vbat he once read fro.a book: that -The la" is an ass I"This is just another incident i nthe life of a black un in SouthAtrica.
In one sbort story, "Baby, That'sThe Way It lsi" two young -.en arcarrested for public indecency. Intheir police cell-sroup a youth isarrested tor ar,;u!.n& with. ;olice-.an in cktence ot Black childrensellin& fruit on a ~veaent.
Protest is closed to the SouthAfrican Black. Because this vowur:a.n's arsu.ent lands hi. behi.ndbars. It is this ellbittered yoW\&un who urges ooe of those arrested - Jonas, a local "rou&.h", to• bout out, "Der la" is shitl"All. u.e .tories have a painfullyta,Mn touch. The characters arethe ... people we .eet everyday
in the street. The SaMe people welive with in our &hcttoes.If thereare characters with colour pride,it is because of the self-s~ f .....llacy that flakes SOlie of us believe we are better off separated onethnic lines. " fallacy negated bythe reality portrayed in these stories. The reality that we see. In"Tribute to a Hullble Man" an oldaan says of the late I... Karon,"Yes, I me" tau Haron while hevas staying in Clare.:>nt. II. nota HusH.. but then I ... had a lotof friends vho were not of his religion."
Whatever led to the detention ofthe I ....n:t have sureh' co. efro. the State's rear of his innuence in the Black Co-.nity.There are -an). Blacks who havebeen decreed to silence for thei rleadership qualities or huune understanding of their fellow Blacks.1IA,s.ikvelva" is an C!ld J.-s Matthews stot")" (like The Portable RadiQ and Park) that carries back nostalpa to those who experiencedthe ..ss rallies of the Anti-PassCppaig:ns and the Bus Boycotts.
Prose can be sald to be a • 0 r cconcrete fOnl of expression thanpoetry. The prose vriter h&.s .oreto say in his stories. He alst beprepared to face up to the task ofsaying the truth just like it is.For this, there is .:>re need forartistic discipline in j'lrose vritin& than in verse. It is this artistic disciPline that we wish theBlade. vriters should be preparedt.o adopt with .:>re deterwination•To take up froe where Richard Rift,Can T~a and others left off.Jues Matthews ,"hes the cue. •
HAlIKA. P. CWA1A.
1t'HIRB 00 THE BlACKS FEATURE IN THE NA.TI(J(AL EOONOKY
With the riainl infiationary ten~
encies sweepinc thrau~ the We·stern World (Capitalist .onetarysystea), it is also bi&hest ti.ethe Black student aSked hi"elf
what poaition our B1ack peop1.ebold in the econo.,- of this rep..ssi,-e society.
It i s already a widely acceptedtruth that it i s the Bbch whocarry the econo.,.. of this countryon their shou1clers. Further it isco 'n truth that the alper hi&hvays, the recreation partes, thehi&h buqet for National Defence(defence aca.inat what?) the skyscrapers _ all these co_ froID"undistributed. "aces" ri&htfullyhaving to go to Blacks. Because itis Blacks, throU&h their ausheand predDm.nant inp.lt into thegross National Product(G.N.P.) whocarry the whole burden; a burdencreated by the v hit e superstructure.
Let us look fnto these facts:
(2)
(3)
transport costs in theB1ack co-.urlty are expl~
itathe;
food prices in Black areaSare far higber than in thesub-urtlan alper aarketsand c.* ...d-c:arry abops;
the arate. of Hire Purchase is crippl ing the buqet and b&rpi.niJ1& paverof the anrage Black;
une.ployllent has soared"'D.,Cst Blacks. The econollic fallin&s lie with thewhite do~ant sector.Which is even worse weBlacks today suffer fro.non~.p1.or-nt, as an oppressed Co 'nity. That iswe have been -.de subjectto a deliberated une.ploy_nt at a rate bein& constantly kept by the 50
called labour ...rltet;
(1) Blacks pay .ore taxes thanthe whites thrau&b an ineSh'ect -.mer that is notproportionate to ea.min«s.Look into our education,bJt-tax, poll-tax. Yet weare albjected. to the s..custoas and excise taxation ... the Whites forcigarettes, clothes, food,etc. But Whius still eam*' re than they ought. to begettinl:J
(6) the V&&e gap has widenedinstead of narrovi.n&, interas of cash increasesbetween Blecks and Whites;
(7) there has been an intensification of labour restrictions and pass lavs instead of their relaxation;despite proalses -.de bythose that decide where weshould work. and lin.
•••~I! III.,. TlllP\.1: I:SS ""IHTI:IS," o.y.. JII_, 0AIrw-.
"BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS IS:
1. an mltude of mind, I way of Ilf.;
2. its bMic tenet is that the BI.:k "*1 mUll reject .11 Y11lu. IYstems thet ..to nwk. him. fOI"l" in the country of his birth and reduce his *ichunwn dignity;
3. it implies ew.r.... bv the Bleck peopl. of the powu they wl.1d IS I grouP.both economlClIIV and politiClIIV Ind hencI group cohesion end IOlidirityere importlflt flCetl of BI.:k ConIciou..-;
4. The BlICk nwn must build up his own value IYllems, _ hirmelf IS self·defined and not defined bV othen;
5. BlICk Consciousness will Ilwlys be enhanced by the totality of involvementof the OW" d people, hence the IT'" age of Black Consciousness has tosp..1d to reICh III sections of the BlICk Community;
6. Liberation of the Blacknw'l begins fim with liberation from PlYchologiCiIoppression of himself through an inferiority complex Ind .-condly from thephysiCiI one accruing out of living in I white recist lOCiety;
7. BID people Ire thoM who Ife bv law or tradition, politically, socillly andeconomiCilly discriminlted aglinst 81 I group in the South African societyof their aspiflltions."
Join the growing number of Bleck Thinkers:Reid about the BI.:k liberation;
BlICk Community;BlICk Programmes.
AllIn s.o in making this N~m... Inorvan borne by the BlICk Community. Tlkean extrl copy for your friend or neighbour.p_ this COPY on to your bleck brothers end.-.
Support SIlO N..~....ISuppon the BlICk C.UilI