Cultural Journal of the African National Congress
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/85 * Cultural Journal of the African National Congress Interview Artists and Video Festival INSIDE with O.R. Tambo trade unions Poetry 1985 YEAR OF THE CADRE CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO RIXAKA GOING TO THE VIDEO FESTIVAL POETRY Keorapelse Kgositsile Mongane Serote Rebecca Matlou Klaus Maphepha Mandla Langa is TRADE UNIONS AND CULTURAL WORKERS From DAWN the Journal of Umkhonto We Sizwe 20 INTERVIEW WfTH PRESIDENT 0 R TAMBO 2^ REVIEWS Mndikwe Dikobe and Jeremy Cronin MAYOMBE by Pepeteb Black Writing in South Africa by LEWIS NKOSI ^ SHORT STORY Something to Live For by KUUS MAPHEPHA is ROM CUBA AND USA Poems and Graphics John A- Williams iemandez Retamar Felix Pita Rodrguez Nancy Morejon Tom Feelings. Graphics M SPECIAL FEATURE The Sisterhood I Choose by LIZZIE ADAMS LISTEN TO RADIO FREEDOM READ VOICE OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AND UMKHONTO WE SIZWE. THE PEOPLE'S ARMY MAYIBUYE RADIO IUANDA ALL POWER TO THE PEOPU ! thorlwove, 40 t* 30 m bonds; medium wave ?ffi m txind-7,30 pm daily RADIO LUSAKA shortwave 31 m bond, 9580 KH/, 7,15-8 pm, Monday - Friday 10,05-10.35 pm Wednesday. 10,30-11 pm Fndoy 8 7-8 pm Saturday Sunday. 8-8.45 pm, 19 mb. IBSf «Es 1/895 KHz O nr \f/ RADIO MADAGASCAR shortwave 49 m band. 6135 KHz-8-9 pm daily Women MonthK loum.»l ol Cmkhoato w* SiiWf RADIO ETHOPIA shortwave 31 m band. 9545 KHi • 9.30-10.00 pm \l I ( OKRI NI*U\l»l V I IO: - — — * — ..— . —.—•— doily RIXAK \ I IH roKI M HOARD RADIO TANZANIA shortwave 19 m band. 15.435 KH* I'D. Il()\ .U~'H 8.15 pm - Sunday, Monday. Wednesday. Friday; irs\K \ 31 m band-6.15 om Tuesday. Thursday and /AMIil \ Soturday f\ ***»&.. MM I • J 4 S ', - f ^1 "*.* ;•*« 1.1 •\i aw .' ."•* TO THE READER In Shangaan, one of our national languages, realise that it also entails a delicate responsibility; KIXAKA means nation. particularly, it is an imperative in terms of accuracy We launch KIXAKA, the Cultural Journal of of interpreting and depicting human experience. the African National Congress, with the express We therefore view our Letters to the Editor co view of establishing a platform which will allow lumns as of inestimable importance. We hope it the full expression of the cultural voice of our will serve to ensure that our choices do not become movement for national liberation. mere pontification. We hope that readers will We believe that this challenge falls most subject us to as meticulous a scrutiny as possible, directly on all South African cultural workers, in so that the column can become an indicator to graphics, writing, theatre, music, dance, crafts our future KIXAKA issues. (modern and traditional). We appeal to all creative workers to send as their contributions for public We vehemently hold the view that Culture in ation in KIXAKA! We know that in the Americas, its broadest sense embraces all aspects of the expe Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle rience of all levels of all people in a geographical East, Africa, Australia, great works of art have region. It is not restricted to the so-called artistic been distilled from the collective political experi effort only. We can and must give exposure to alV ence of the struggles of the people. We intend to our people, for their lives are the buds that will publish these writings, thereby strengthening bloom into the flowering of our nation. The inter links with our progressive compatriots all over view of our President in this premiere issues of the world. In this issue we carry poems from KIXAKA signals what we intend to be a regular Cuba and the United States. feature that will attempt to cover as broad a specturm as possible of South African people and We wrll on a regular basis in thought. KIXAKA feature progressive writings, photo graphs and graphics from democratic, anti-imperia From these nudgings of the best in the list artists worldwide. performing arts, in criticism of tradition and The task of articulating the aspirations and custom, we are confident that "The doors of experience, of laying the foundations of our learning and culture shall be opened". democratic future, presupposes a certain audacity on the part of the editorial collective. Bui we —Barbara Masekela-- I\.I ..i GOING TO THE VIDEO FESTIVAL VIDEO IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING A VERY IMPORTANT AUDIO VISUAL AID OF COMMUNICATION: THIS ARTICLE DEALS WITH A VIDEO FESTIVAL OF THE ANC THAT WAS HELD IN LUSAKA TOWARDS THE l^ND OF LAST YEAR WHERE THE FERMENT CURRKN- TLY TAKING PLACE INSIDE SOUTII AFRIC\ WAS ON EXHIBIT. "WHAT have you done for tin- people of This day begins for us with multitudes treading Africa? " Pik Botha, the racist Minister of Foreign on mud under a driving rain. A roll call is made Affairs asks, the cigarette nearly dropping from of all the comrades, young and old, who have fingers which certainly itch to throttle the neck passed away. This is a yearly Iradition of the of the BBC interviewer. "What do you know about African National Congress. Moving from grave to the struggle of African people? lie glowers, his grave, the concourse hears the names of the dead. face technicolour red. "Look at your Ghana!" Drenched flowers and nameless shrubs garland Pik Botha roars. "What gives you the right to be the graves of soldiers lying still, listening in silence intellectually dishonest? lie rants and raves, lo the roaring shower from above. bullying: his shameful performance bespeaks the DIPLOMATIC CORPS confusion that rages in the minds of people who have held onto power for such a long liir- . people in the evening of the day, ANC and SWAPO who are sparring with shadows now U is increasingly comrades, Zambian people our hosts and clear that power is slowly hut irrevocably being the members of the diplomatic corps get together wrested away. in the hall to watch videos that comment on the M was not in London or more bizzare struggle of the people of South Africa. What still in South Africa that we watched the video no-one knows is that members of the Department which had been made inside the country by the of Arts and Culture together with SWAPO techni BBC: To The Last Prop of Mood. It was in Lusaka, cians are really sweating it out trying to kill the on a balmy Sunday afternoon. And the date was voice of Dennis Luwewe as be comments on December 1(>. Zambian TV on a soccer match between a local Some of us bad been away from South team and visitors frorr ome other African stale. Africa for more than two decades: most bad left It is a trying time, really: ;it the trial run of the the country after ihe convulsions that bad gripped videos, we were surprised to see the image and the urban areas of South Africa in June 1976. subheadings on the monitor accompanied by this Others had just returned from inside the belly discomhohulaling voice from the Y.'YX studios. of the beast two weeks before: intrepid fighters One technician almost had a heart attack when would hi1 launching an attack, assault rifles in he realised that he had brought a wrong feeder X1 hand, before the night of the following day. cord. While Sindiso fenyana who is chairing the whole festival greets the audience, we are praying December 16 bad once been called Ornis^i's thai the monitor, at least, doesn't let us down. Day. a long hour of gloating by the sons and lie introduces the people who would he making daughters of the Voortrekkers who bad won a brief remarks on the importance of the day. on battle against ')iiuaan*.s armies at cNcome, the the video festival of the need for informal ion river that turned red with blood. Our blood. Bui to be perpetually ai the fingertips of all tin-cadres then something must have rankled in the collective of the movement. sensibility of the rulers of the land: Are the kaffim celebrating this day. mouthing the phrase tilth Ollcy Mamma arrived from Ihe airport two tongue in cheek. Are they tcith us or are they or three days before the festival started. When planning something? (Interestingly enough, very we saw him sitting with his bags in ihe Ironi lew racists are asking this question as the phrase office of the department, looking ;it the posters a luta continuu increasingly becomes ihe parlance of the hour). So what seemed to upsei the com on the wall, I suddenly remembered that we had puters of the racist word-people had to IM* excised sent an invitation to the film-makers of /.tmiui'uc from our national consciousness. Thus the birth Hi rough ihe Minis! r\ of Youth. Sports and Cnl of the Day of 1 be Covcnanl . something inane thai Olley came in at a time when we wen ua'.ait; has nothing to do with blood, gore and gristle. problems with transport. I hen- w eWll tall: • They could just as well as named it the Day of the that lime thai we could use a 2(1 It- ( i .1 thai would haw beei 11 Lily -.id Turkey. Beleaguered and fighting people of South • • inylv funny Africa know December III io he Heroes Day. the for three ciillural organisers ,|, Hi. el• of Lusaka in the pcopli hour of the gladiator, the racists and their • "defence" force of death have their Nereis, but \\e were loam-.I a on countless occasion.-, our guerrillas with Polii ical i omin ilidn"i ii' i \vi 111 unprecedented mass upsurge* inside the count ry back because something w i • • have reduced the predatory lions to the level of hi ike*.