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Subject: [AfricaMatters] THE RELEVANCE OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS (BC) IN THE
    NEW SOUTH AFRICA.

THE RELEVANCE OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS (BC) IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA.

AN ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF AZAPO CDE. PANDELANI NEFOLOVHODWE TO A 
CULMINATION OF BIKO WEEK ON 16/09/2000 IN LENASIA.


1. Introduction

On September 12 1977, comrade Steven Bantu Biko died in detention under the 
most brutal circumstances ever witnessed in apartheid South Africa. His 
death became a rallying point for the total liberation of our fatherland. 
Revolutionaries and human rights activists all over the world, became, more 
than ever before, convinced that the white racist regime was a danger to the 
entire humanity.


More importantly, the philosophy of Black Consciousness, of which Biko 
helped develop, continued to spread throughout the country, especially 
amongst the youth. Many young adherents and followers of Black Consciousness 
joined the struggle in its many different manifestations. As a result, the 
liberation struggle was rejuvenated and strengthened.


2. The Struggle

The struggle against the then White regime was in the first instance 
directed against national oppression. National oppression that was a result 
of colonialism. As we all know, White colonialist oppression in our country 
led to the creation of norms, values including institutions geared at the 
continued subjugation of Black people. A Euro-centric system was put into 
place which negated all what Black people had achieved for many years before 
the advent of colonialism.


Colonialism through institutions of oppression created a social, political 
and economic system which was directed at enhancing white privileges and 
continued subjugation of blacks. Political power was in the hands of whites, 
the control of economic resources was in the hands of whites, the social 
values and norms were those of the white society. The apartheid society was 
in all respects white-controlled and ghettos and separate residential areas 
for Blacks were created. Life became desperate for Black people. Black 
people lived under the threat of evictions, their sons and daughters grew up 
in jails. Many black families became increasingly incapable of feeding their 
children. Poverty and hunger became the order of the day.


Of particular importance is that, psychological oppression became a 
phenomenon in the psyche of black people and this created an inferiority 
complex.


3. What Black Consciousness is?

In order to assess whether Black Consciousness is still or not relevant to 
present day society we need to understand what Black Consciousness is. SASO 
policy manifesto defines Black Consciousness as follows and I quote:


"Black Consciousness is an attitude of mind, a way of life"


The basic tenet of Black Consciousness is that the Black man must reject all 
value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of his birth 
and reduce his basic human dignity.


The black man must build up his own value systems, see himself as a self 
-defined and not defined by others.


The concept of Black Consciousness implies the awareness by the black people 
of the power they wield as a group both economically and politically and 
hence group cohesion and solidarity are important facets of Black 
Consciousness


Black Consciousness will always be enhanced by the totality of involvement 
of the oppressed people, hence the message of Black Consciousness has to 
spread to reach all sections of the Black community".


4. Black Consciousness and the System

Central to the philosophy of Black Consciousness is the struggle for total 
emancipation both psychologically and physically. Black Consciousness 
posited that every society strives to create a political, social and 
economic framework around which the development and self actualisation of 
human beings is achieved both individually and collectively. Black 
Consciousness adherents chose to refer to the social, political and economic 
framework as the "system". For that matter Black Consciousness adherents saw 
the whole apartheid racist capitalists arrangement as system of controls 
that needed to be overthrown and eradicated. Let us now pause and ask 
ourselves whether we have eradicated the apartheid racist capitalist system.


5. Inheritance

When 1994 ushered in the first ever election for Black people, we inherited 
the ‘system" with its norms, values, its parliament, its rituals and all 
structures whose creation was meant to perpetuate oppression. We inherited 
the army, the police and police men and women whose training and outlook is 
consistent with the past. For that matter we also inherited the Western type 
of democracy whose purpose is to enhance Western values and norms including 
rules on how we should democratise our country. We have in this position, 
also inherited white parties as well as Bantustan parties which are very 
good at practising the politics of the past. Let us not forget that it is 
these white parties that maintained a system of capitalist exploitation.


The capitalist system of production is the one that made them what they are 
in the first place, and no wonder they continue to defend this system. We 
have inherited an education system whose purpose is to create men and women 
who can fit well in the wheel of capitalism. Black Consciousness on the 
other hand regarded education dished out to black children as part and 
parcel of instruments of control and subjugation.

Adherents of Black Consciousness knew that education in any given society is 
always an instrument that is used by those who are in power to sustain 
values and norms in societies. In other words, we learn those things that 
make us "spanner boys and girls" of the particular society where we live, 
and the knowledge we gain through education makes us capable of advancing 
the political, social and economic activities of the "system" we create: In 
our case at this moment in time, we are still living under a "system" that 
alienated us from its framework.


5. Black Consciousness and Liberals and their Parties

Present day white liberals, just like those during apartheid, pursue a 
non-racial approach, thereby playing their old game. They continue to claim 
the monopoly over who should govern our country, how it should be governed 
and what should be the rules of the game. They go further to claim the 
monopoly of setting the pattern and pace for the realisation of black 
people’s aspirations. In other words, they want to remain in good books with 
both the black and white world. They verbalise complaints of black people in 
the most clever and articulate manner, (the Democratic Party is good at it) 
while skilfully and arrogantly regrouping in order to continue championing 
values and norms of the past including clinging to the leadership of the 
very vehicle which they say is supposed to free Black people.


At the conference on racism, these self-appointed champions of the Black 
cause were exposed for what they are. Whites should realise that the 
"system" they had created has dehumanised them to the extent that they are 
now incapable of understanding why Black people continue to call them 
racists. That is why Black Consciousness posited that whites, by virtue of 
the fact that they considered themselves superior, they developed a 
superiority complex that continued to dictate their racist behaviour.


6. Black Consciousness and Community Development

I have decided to talk briefly about community development as envisaged by 
the founders of Black Consciousness. Black Consciousness teaches us that 
development is a process of determining one’s own destiny and that of 
communities we live. Black Consciousness further posits that Black people 
should understand that it is them alone who can determine their own destiny. 
Moving from this premise, community development and community involvement as 
well as a spirit of self-reliance are cornerstones of what we are all called 
upon to do.


The success of community development is judged by the way in which it is 
capable of transforming the material conditions under which the poor live, 
into something better, and its ability to enable the poor to sustain life. 
This aspect of Black Consciousness has never received much attention. 
Through community development, the involvement of poor people in their own 
development and advancement, it is envisaged that the poor will determine 
their own destiny thereby start a process of liberating themselves from all 
forms of oppression.


In this way the words of comrade Bantu Biko are relevant and I quote:

"We have set out on a quest for true humanity, and somewhere in the distant 
horizon we can see the glittering prize. Let us march forth with courage and 
determination, drawing strength from our common plight and our brotherhood. 
In time we shall be in a position to bestow upon South Africa the greatest 
gift possible - a more human face".


7. Conclusion

The relevance of Black Consciousness therefore lies in the fact that the 
"glittering prize" has not as yet been achieved. Black people are still 
faced with poverty and starvation. Black people still need to eradicate 
racism, capitalist exploitation and their lives still needs to be 
qualitatively enhanced.


Because Black Consciousness is a way of life, it therefore means it is a 
continuous philosophy and its relevance therefore is unquestionable for as 
long as society exists.

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