A black conscious analysis of South African society post- 1994, along racial lines. In the spirit our great grandfathers, in the spirit of our beloved and belated heroes and heroines both celebrated and uncelebrated in the so-called ‘free South Africa’. This year marks 37 years of our conscious celebration of the life of Bantubonke Steve Biko. As we celebrate his life and his teachings we are able to see vividly his vision of our contemporary society being translated into its physical equivalent. His vision was not of an ideal society nor was it of a trouble free society. What he envisioned is now taking place right in front of our eyes due to our neglect and mostly misrepresentation from our ‘current leadership’. Some black South Africans find ‘home’ in white opposition parties, and hope to and sometimes do rise to high structures within those parties. Within this process they are able to increase their revenue streams and benefit from these positions but what they own as collective within these parties will never amount to anything as compared to their white counterparts and madams. What is also amazing about our South African society is the concept of a rainbow nation and multi-racialism. This is one misleading concept that some people, especially the educated blacks, continue to believe. As educated as we have become we have totally neglected or continue to reject our own history. This is a sad and absolutely a dangerous way losing our identity. Most of our people think going back to our past and learning from lessons learned is too much effort, and yet they get confused and fail to explain even to themselves as to what is happening in our present future. The lack of real transformation in all spheres of business, and other societal spheres continues to be a pain in our current South African, so called, “free society”. The Government’s inefficiency to address the land issue which is at the epicenter of South Africa’s problems is in no way helping black people regain their dignity. The efficient and well-organized white opposition plays a vital role in delaying this process using complex judicial and sometimes ‘constitutional tactics’. If our people were interested in solving the problems they currently face they wouldn’t think twice about going back reading about the 1913 Land Act, or rather the Native Land act of 1913. One supposes that it is not in the interest of those blacks within white opposition parties to bother to read about the disposition of their forefathers because they are already promised positions of power within these political and civil parties. The mismanagement of resources and ongoing corruption by government officials and government departments does not help either; hence it is ‘easy’ for some black people to resort to joining white oppositions. The white interests continue to dominate mainstream media. We have seen the likes of DA opposing the introduction of true black history as part of the curriculum in schools, also Afri-forum opposing the quota system in rugby. These are just few examples of white opposition to real change of our society and yet many fail to take note of such. The media continues to ridicule those that call for real change, hence continuing the inferiority complex amongst some blacks. This creates a dependency syndrome as people continue to look up to whites as saviors. Steve Biko did mention that this whole notion of multiracialism and integration is an artificial one and it has indeed proven to be the case. The staggering increase of churches which cost in excess of millions in poor black communities, being built by these communities, yet no schools whatsoever are built and efficiently run and controlled by the same communities. We live in society where a very few number of people enjoy high privileges which they do not deserve. This what we all know but we do not address, yet we are praying for things to change without taking action whatsoever, somehow other black people believe that some white man will come from the sky to rescue us. The idea of democracy in South Africa is a lie; the notion of freedom in South Africa is a façade. Yes, so many people have been able to lift themselves out of poverty but what has really come out of it? Conspicuous consumption, increase in the number of retail centers in black townships, where our people are nothing but consumers who do not own any valuable property. Has there been real change in ownership of resources? We should forever be grateful to leaders like Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe, Marcus Garvey and many more who were not idealistic but rather realistic of the life and injustices that the Black had been dealing with in the last 500 years. We can surely relate to Steve Biko in his quest for true humanity. Indeed there must be “a very strong grass-roots build up block of black consciousness such that blacks can assert themselves and stake their rightful claim”. There is no need for anyone to be apologetic about the wrongdoings of the other group by another. In post 1994, there was no remedy and repatriation to blacks after having suffered for more than 300 years of oppression, dispossession, and dehumanization. What followed was rather the pseudo idea of multiracialism and integration without doing justice to those who suffered the above mentioned injustices. How do you even integrate an unequal society without balancing the scales? We are led to believe by both the government and white controlled media that everything is fine and that there should be no questions of doing justice to those who have experienced the inhumanity. This is tied to the economic system that our government adopted. The present becomes the past, the past becomes history. History is usually told by those with economic power who impose that history on the less privilege. It is thus not in the interest of white people to preserve black history as it is for that will expose the undeserved privilege that they now enjoy. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from our South African history and many argue the importance of black history as being unnecessary and yet are not able to answer the basic economic problems that the majority black people face. The 1913 Native Land Act is the epitome of economic oppression, this is what we delay to address. The year 1994 is in the past but was once looked forward to by those who struggled for our freedom. South Africa is not yet Uhuru, so is the rest of the African continent. Steve Biko knew it then as we know it now the importance of black consciousness as a means to an end for self-realization of the black man. Unfortunately many blacks are yet to make sense of what he stood for. A time will come when they will wake up from the comma and realize the danger of individual self-interest of one group at the expense of another. It is the responsibility of the black masses to free itself of mental oppression by both the current government and white ‘unseen’ supremacy. Exlpoitaion of our people has taken many forms, from slavery to, colonialism, industrialism, and currently under the name development. Afrikan_Sazi
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 09:29:06 +0000
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