COBSAN NEWSLETTER Church of the Brethren Southern Africa Network Newsletter 1821 W. Cullerton, Chicago, IL 60608 (312) 421-5513 Winter, 1991

FROM THE NETWORK: ing-the focus of the tour will be interaction with people. This is the first Newsletter since the Annual Conference in South Africans will arrange for us to see plays and swim in Portland where COBSAN invited conference-goers to write the Indian Ocean as well as attend worship services and letters in support of South African sanctions. Nearly I 50 let­ other meetings. ters and cards were sent to senators, representatives and the The cost will be about $3,000 which includes, travel president during conference week. (from Chicago), lodging and food. The tour is limited to ten Conference-goers were also asked to pray for South participants. Help us find a minimum of three Black Africa via the conference newsletter which read: "This week, Brethren to make this trip. For more information and sug­ as Brethren are gathered in Portland, the African National f gestions on how to raise $3,000, call Joan at COBSAN. Congress (ANC) is meeting in Durban, South Africa. In the spirit of the I989 Annual Conference statement of South DENYING THE VOTE: APARTHEID CONTINUES Africa, the World Ministries Commission asks conference­ On November 4 and 5, 3.5 million South African workers goers to pray for those gathered in Durban as they choose participated in a general strike called to protest the imposi­ leaders and set goals for the future of their country." tion by the deKierk government of a II% Value Added Tax (VAT) on consumer goods. The strike was not so much Merv Keeney, Africa Representative• for World Ministries against the tax itself, although there were parts of it that the Commission (Elgin), as well as Southern African committee strikers wanted modified, as it was against the manner in members Barbara Cuffie (Baltimore), Jeff Hardenbrook which the decision to impose VAT was made. The govern- (Dayton, Ohio), and Joan Gerig (Chicago), attended the National Council of Churches Consultation on South Africa in October. Held in Newark, New Jersey, the consultation gathered over a hundred church people and anti-apartheid or­ ganizers to hear South African Council of Churches General Secretary, Rev. Frank Chikane call for continued sanctions and hard work to end apartheid .

The summer '9I COBSAN Newsletter• called for letters and prayers for the safety of Smuts Ngonyama and his family of Dimbaza, South Africa following nighttime shooting at their NOIJI>.ian ·. :r:;:: home. While numerous ANC organizers, such as Smuts, basic toads, ::)? Defend Ih e ri)!hl' . · es water , :-_; ,. • have been gunned down in the past months, we are pleased rnediC\11 • }. o I 1IC poor Ibe spent? to inform you that the Ngonyama family remains intact. electriciW and '; I ~f doctors lees. \ l l's:llms lU_J Has your church or any member• connected with southern ~--_.J Africa in some way? Send COBSAN the information, we'd like to include it in the next Newsletter. ment devised this policy without consulting the people the "TRAVEL WITH YOUR NOTEBOOK, I policy was going to affect most. NOT YOUR CHECKBOOK" On November 2, the government decided to increase the Join General Board Africa Representative, Merv Keeney in a land allocated to the artificially created black homelands. learning tour to southern Africa ,in 1992. At the recent NCC Millions of people have been forcibly relocated to the home­ consultation on South Africa we were encouraged to visit lands, only to be oppressed by puppet governments put in South Africa to learn from the people, not to spend money in place by Pretoria. There was no warning or consultation. the high cost tourist spots. This tour will attempt to do just Reforming South Africa and eliminating apartheid cannot that. be left to the same people who created it. It must be done by While final arrangements have not been made, the three the whole country, a representational government, elected on week trip will take the ten Brethren to South Africa and one a one person one vote basis. This is why the democratic neighboring country. Joan Gerig, who worked in southern movement in South Africa is calling for (a) a constituent as­ Africa for three years and has kept in regular contact since sembly to write a new democratic constitution and (b) an in­ then, will coordinate the tour with assistance from her terim government to impartially oversee the transition pro­ friends in the region. cess from the present government to a democratically elected Participants will visit community groups and church peo­ one. ple in several parts of South Africa. We will stay in homes, The anti-apartheid struggle is about the right and the abili­ church centers and other "off the beaten path" places in com­ ty to vote, not just removing Ji:scriminatory laws. munities that most tours overlook. Learning is not just listen- -Adapted from Africa Fund Update by Adotei Akwei

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ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED WHAT DOES JUSTICE REQUIRE OF US? Under a tarp canopy, with light from a generator (the village Rev. Frank Chikane, General Secretary of the South African received no electricity from the state, while 200 yards away a Council of Churches addressed the National Council of new settlement for Jewish immigrants had all the modem Churches Consultation on South Africa. Excerpts from his amenities and services-water, electricity, paved roads, talk: sewage disposal, etc.), we shared strong coffee and mint tea Learn to do right, .seek justice, encourage the oppressed. while we heard the villagers express their anger and frustra­ -Isaiah 1:17 tion with the government's proposed relocation scheme. In What does justice require of us? the midst of such pain and hurt, there was still laughter at the • "It requires that we correct the imbalances created by government's transparent bureaucratic arrogance, as it sought apartheid over the years .... If it is not corrected, there will to camouflage its policy with patronizing and humiliating lan­ be no justice in the country, even when apartheid is gone and guage. the apartheid regime is gone." I was able to see similarities between South Africa and • "What justice means in South Africa is that there must be Israel because we stayed primarily with Palestinians in East restoration and restitution .. . . The land was taken from the Jerusalem, Gaza City and the West Bank. These experiences people by force without compensation and the land must be were possible only with Palestinian guides. Most tourists to returned to the people." Israel, including our church theologians, stay in Israeli de­ • "Justice requires that we set up a just economic order for fined territories such as West Jerusalem; they go on Israeli­ the future of South Africa." led tours. The two perspectives are very different. But when we were in South Africa we found the same phenomenon: What you can do. white South Africa looked very different than black South • "We are asking you to join us in our struggle for justice." Africa. Unless our travels take these perspectives into ac­ • "Even if all the obstacles (to negotiations) have been re­ count, we will miss the message of Jesus: "Blessed are your moved, political prisoners are still in prison .... We need to eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear." (Matthew argue that there is no reason whatsoever why they cannot be 13:16) released." • "We need to argue that the repeal of (some) apartheid laws PLAN AHEAD does not mean that apartheid is gone." Christmas: Remember those who • "We need to say that the government, in fact, is involved cannot spend holidays with fa­ in the violence . .. There is evidence that the police are mily. Send letters or call Harry involved." Schwartz, South African Ambass­ ador to the U.S . Call for release of SOUTH AFRICAN INSIGHTS INTO THE MIDDLE EAST all political prisoners by Orlando Redekopp. pastor of First Church of the Brethren, Christmas: Chicago recently returned from a two week tour in the Ambassador Harry Schwartz ' Middle East where he saw many similarities to South Africa South African Embassy where he worked for three years: 3051 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Although it is dangerous to draw too close a parallel be­ Washington, D.C. 20008 tween South Africa and Israel/Palestine, my experiences in (202) 232-4400 -=-- ~ southern Africa did find some commonalities in Israel/Palestine. January 20: Dr. Martin Luther King Day Observed. In the The use of religious legitimation for political policies was spirit of the 1991 Annual Conference Brethren and Black evident in Israel. In South Africa, the Afrikaners claimed Americans Paper, plan an event that connects Dr. King's themselves as the chosen people, with God giving them the struggle and that of South Africa. In 1965 Dr. King called for land through battle and conquest. Israel also claims the land sanctions against South Africa. Remember Dr. King by work­ on biblical grounds; even today, the Occupied Territories are ing for freedom of all South Africans. Chicago-area Brethren referred to as Judea and Samaria. plan to join the annual SING OUT AGAINST APARTHEID Other arguments for oppressive policies had a familiar ring at the South African Consulate. Call COBSAN for help in or­ to them. The fear of being driven into the sea-total annihila­ ganizing local events. tion-was sounded by Israel as reason for its aggressive mili­ tary activities. The Nationalist Party has often said the exact AVAILABLE FROM COBSAN same thing: where else can the Afrikaners go? And who rr The Africa News Cookbook: African Cooking for Western would drive the Israelis into the sea other than the "hostile Kitchens. This book includes an array of recipes (beverages, Arabs"? Just like the "svart gevaar" (the black danger) threat­ main dishes, deserts) representing African countries from A­ ening the whites in South Africa. Algeria to Z-Zimbabwe. Easy to use spiral binding, 175 One of the most visible examples of racism was the Israeli pages. $16.00 includes shipping. policy of license plate colors for different "groups," a bureau­ rr The Road to Damascus: Kairos and Conversion. This cratic move used purely to control the Palestinians. Those booklet was prepared by Christians from seven nations in­ who lived in the Occupied Territories-the West Bank and cluding South Africa as a follow up to the South Africa's Gaza Strip-had differently colored license plates than Israeli Kairos Document. The nations are each experiencing violent citizens and Jews living in the settlements. South Africa used political conflict and have Christians on both sides of that a pass system to control the black population's mobility, es­ conflict. The preparation of the document involved many pecially in regards to residential rights and employment. Christians and extensive consultation, its results are a The forced removal of Palestinian/Arab villages-South "proclamation of faith and a call to conversion." 28 pages. Africa used to call them "black spots"-from Israel proper . $4.00 includes shipping. brought back memories of sitting under a grove of trees with Make Checks payable to SYNAPSES and mail to: South African blacks as they worshipped and discussed COBSAN, 1821 W. Cullerton, Chicago, IL 60608. strategies to resist their threatened removal by the govern­ ment (as recent as August 1990). Our group drove to the village of Ramya, not far from the COBSAN Newsletter is prepared quarterly with assistance city of Haifa, where the villagers were (and still are) threat­ from the World Ministries Commission. Use information ened by removal from homes they had settled more than sev­ from the newsletter freely, send information for the next enty years ago, before Israel even existed as a modem state. issue. Joan Gerig, compiler; Dale Hasenick, typesetting.