Interview
History: Civil Resistance in S.A. (1970’s & 1980’s)
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In depth notes covering Topic 4 of the IEB Matric History syllabus. Completely summarized and provides acronyms to help you remember all the information.
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CIVIL RESISTANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA: 1970’s & 1980’sNATURE OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS (B.A.R.T.I)
• Black students (from ‘bush-colleges’) began to resist apartheid
• Adopted set of ideas called ‘black consciousness’
• Regarded as ‘a mental attitude, a way of life’ (it was not an
organisation)
• Term ‘black’ directly challenged apartheid terminology of ‘non-white’
• Includes all oppressed by apartheid (African, Coloured, Indian)
AIMS OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS (P.P.R.I.C.)
• Programmes aimed at overcoming passivity
• Promote unity amongst black people by encouraging them to ight
against apartheid and to overcome divisions (caused by apartheid)
• Raise self respect, dignity and con idence of black people
• Instead of working with white liberals in multi-racial organisations,
encourage them to educate other white people to change their
attitudes - Non-dependence on white people.
• Cultural transformation: promoting pride in black identity, culture and
history
BACKGROUND OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS (T.H.A.W.)
• Term ‘black consciousness’ irst used by American Civil Rights activist
William du Bois.
• He said that Americans of African origin should take pride in their
blackness.
• African Americans had a ‘double consciousness’ - William du Bois
(which meant they viewed themselves how the world viewed them)
• Why double consciousness corroded their sense of identity:
• Stereotype / misrepresentations of black Americans as weak & stupid
• Experienced racism that excluded them from mainstream life
• Con lict between being African and American
f f f f
, BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS AND PAN AFRICANISM (A.T.H.)
• After WWII, Pan Africanism spread through
African colonies. Pan-Africanism, the idea
• There was a call for ‘African for the Africans’ that peoples of African
and independence descent have common
• However Pan-Africanism wasn’t going to interests and should be
work, people were ‘psychologically
incapacitated and no longer capable of action’. Therefore BCM needed,
as it focused on psychological change.
BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS PSYCHOLOGICALLY STRUGGLING (B.A.T.S.)
• Black people were ashamed of their skin colour. Some women wore
wigs to hide their African hair.
• A degrading of black culture made it seem inferior
• This rendered black people incapable of action and revolt
• Steve Biko realised that a psychological revolution would be needed
before a physical one. To liberate themselves, black people needed to
rede ine their values and self-image.
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the
mind of the oppressed” - Steve Biko
BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA (summary) (B.I.N.T.S.)
• BCM was a way of thinking, not a political party (drawing on black
power emerging in US in 1960’s)
• It rejected white people’s in luence (did not seek to work with white
anti-apartheid groups)
• Not anti-white - but it sought black self-reliance and independence
• The role of white liberals for BCM was to educate other white people
about the need for BCM and wrongness of apartheid
• Slogan: “BLACK MAN, YOU ARE YOUR OWN”
f f
, STEVE BIKO (S.A.C.)
• Steven Bantu Biko
• Active member of National Union of South
African Students (NUSAS)
• Came to conclusion that white liberals picked
parts of apartheid that suited them and weren’t
committed to equality.
The BCM that Biko founded rejected the notion that white
people could play a role in the liberation of black people. Felt black people needed to
learn to speak for themselves. Believed in non-violent need for physical liberation.
WHAT BLACKNESS MEANS FOR BIKO:
- Black South Africans includes those classi ied as Indians and Coloureds. This
contrasts with Africanism. He wants to eliminate suspiciousness and tensions
across minority groups to stress unity.
BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS ORGANISATIONS (S.B.B.N.S.)
• South African Students Organisation (SASO) 1968.
• Founded by Biko to represent Black students and formulate Black
Consciousness ideals.
• Black People’s Convention (BPC) 1972.
• Founded by SASO leaders to encourage adult participation. It became an
organisation to co-ordinate all Black Consciousness activities (I.E. literacy
campaigns, health projects, economic co-operatives and cultural forums).
Did not have a large membership as poorly funded and heavily repressed.
• Black Community Programmes (BCP)
• Encouraged self-reliance and organised community medical clinics, adult
literacy classes, aided entrepreneurs, provided legal advice o icers and
conducted consciousness classes.
• Dr Mamphela Ramphele started her activist career here.
• National Youth organisation
• South African Student Movement (SASM)
• Organised student representative committees at high schools. Eg. Soweto
SRC which organised Soweto Uprising
f ff
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