Black Consciousness

THE MEANING OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION IN SOUTH AFRICA1 by Ranwedzi Nengwekhulu [Note: Mr. Nengwekhulu, now teaching at the University of Botswana, was full-time Organizer of the South African Students' Organization from 1971 to 1973. This paper was prepared before the recent upsurge of African students in South Africa and the shootings by the apartheid regime in Soweto and other areas since 16 June. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author.] The meaning of Black Consciousness: an overview A proper analysis of Black Consciousness should, we believe, begin with its adequate and comprehensive definition, which would serve as a context within which we could then begin an exposition of the philosophy and ideology which are the basic tenets of Black Consciousness. The 1972 Policy Manifesto of the South African Students' Organization (SASO) defines Black Consciousness as "an attitude of mind, a way of life whose basic tenet is that the Black must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of birth and reduce his basic human dignity" The concept of Black Consciousness therefore implies an awareness and pride in their blackness by Black people and implies that Black people should and must appreciate their value as human beings. Black Consciousness also means that Black people should be aware of the significance and importance of their own value systems, i.e. their socio-economic, political and cultural values. Implied in this appreciation of their value systems is the need to reject those foreign, alien value 1 United Nations. Centre against Apartheid, Notes and Documents No 16/76. July 1976 systems which were forced down Black people's throats as part of the oppressor's logic of maintaining and perpetrating its brutal system of exploitation and emasculation. Thus the essence of this search for our indigenous value systems is the need to redefine ourselves and our value systems which are today engulfed in the foreign and alien exploitative and oppressive values which have been imposed upon us, both physically and psychologically, by our oppressors in order to make us malleable to subjugation. The challenge of Black Consciousness for any Black man in South Africa today is the need for a new and incisive redefinition, reidentification and reappraisal of the Black totality in the context of a capitalist, racist and exploitative South Africa, presided over by a self-appointed white minority acting as the missionary of international capitalism and finance capital. Another significant aspect of Black Consciousness is the call for cohesive group solidarity, i.e. Black solidarity. Thus the quintessence of Black Consciousness is the realization and acceptance by Blacks in South Africa that, in order to play a positive role in the struggle for liberation and emancipation, they must effectively employ the concept of group power and thereby build a strong base from which to counter the oppressor's policy of divide and rule. The philosophy of Black Consciousness therefore means group pride and determination by Black people in South Africa to rise together from the death bed of oppression and exploitation. At the heart of Black Consciousness is also the realization by Blacks that the most potent and effective weapon of oppression and exploitation in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. In South Africa, the oppressor has so attempted to twist and manipulate our minds to make us mentally and psychologically pliable to his exploitation and manipulation. Black Consciousness therefore calls for a psychological revolution in the Black community; this will be a revolution which is directed towards the elimination of all stereotypes by Blacks about themselves and one which is directed towards the complete eradication of the slave-mentality and feelings of inadequacy characteristic of an oppressed and exploited society. The basic logic inherent in Black Consciousness is that no man can wage a meaningful war of liberation unless and until he has effectively eradicated his slave-mentality and accepted themselves as full human beings who have a role to play in their own salvation. Black Consciousness therefore forces Black people to see themselves as full human beings, complete, full and total in themselves, and not as extensions of others. Some people have accused proponents of Black Consciousness of rejecting and spurning a coalition between white liberals and the Blacks. However, assessment and evaluation of the history of the involvement of the white liberal establishment in the Black struggle have convinced us that white liberals have indeed been criminally responsible for arresting and aborting the struggle by playing the role of a bulwark, a kind of buffer zone between the Blacks and the white system which has been oppressing us for centuries. In fact, to us, the white liberal establishment is part and parcel of the white system; indeed, the driving force behind the white liberal establishment's involvement in the Black struggle is its desire to kill the revolutionary zeal of the Black masses by promising them a "controlled" change which will result in some mystical, "mosaic" multi-racialism. This multi-racialism is never defined precisely lest it reveal to Blacks that it is nothing but a polished and sophisticated version of the racist system which has been responsible for the dehumanization of Blacks in South Africa. Implications of Community Projects in the Context of Black Consciousness in South Africa One of the basic tenets of Black Consciousness which SASO has emphasized is the development of socio-political awareness amongst Blacks in South Africa, i.e., to activate the Black community into thinking seriously and positively about the socio-economic and political problems that beset them in their country and to seek solutions to emancipate themselves from these dehumanizing shackles. This aim is to be achieved chiefly through community projects, which, as devised and run by the Black Consciousness movement in South Africa is designed "to heighten the sense of awareness and encourage Blacks to become involved in the political, economic and social development of the Black people". Thus SASO sees itself as a training ground for future Black leaders who will relate to the Black community and will be capable of assessing and directing the attitudes, goals and aspirations of the Black community. Vicious white racism and massive economic exploitation has placed upon the Black people a psychological yoke of despondency, helplessness and dependency which kills the initiative, originality and will of a people. Creative instincts and skills of Black people have not surfaced due primarily to the lack of opportunities but also because they have come to rely on whites who, ironically, are their oppressors and would not open venues for the social and political development of their victims. We have indeed, shockingly perhaps, come to rely on whites even for our own salvation. It is for this reason that SASO and other Black Consciousness movements saw fit to take as its ideology one which heightens the awareness and consciousness of the Black people, and confronts them with the realities of their situation, i.e. their oppression and exploitation. Only in this way would it be possible to redirect Black energies towards the goal of Black liberation and emancipation. The concept of Black Consciousness implies the awareness by the Black people of the power they wield as a group, both economically and politically. Hence group cohesion and solidarity are important elements of that ideology, all the more so in view of the "divide and rule" colonial strategy practiced by the white establishment. Our endeavour, therefore, is to try to arouse the entire Black community to strive for its liberation. Thus the main aim of our community development projects is to inculcate in our people a sense of self-reliance, initiative and solidarity that is essential in our struggle to free ourselves from white racism, capitalism, colonialism and psychological servitude instilled in us during all these centuries of colonial emasculation. One must, however, also be patient when one is involved in community development geared towards raising consciousness and political awareness. One should never assume that it is easy to eradicate psychological attitudes which took the oppressor centuries to cultivate. Another problem we face in our community development projects is in the area of communication between the community and students. Perhaps one of the ugliest aspects of oppression is that the oppressor systematically cuts off meaningful communication amongst the oppressed. In fact it is one of the essential aspects of the oppressor's strategy to keep the oppressed divided and not to allow communication amongst them lest they plot against him. Thus, police harrassment, intimidation, banning orders and other means are employed to make it difficult for the oppressed to organize themselves. One must constantly fight against fear which is a ubiquitous factor in the Black community and dogs even the most ardent exponent of Black Consciousness. It is fear founded on the realities of the situation - fear of finding oneself on Robben Island or banned - that has led to the frightening silence in the Black community in South Africa. The regime wastes no time in sustaining and perpetuating this fear in order to preserve and perpetuate the status quo. Indeed all the factors that create this epidemic fear in our community have become integral parts of the entire societal structure in South Africa. Black people know that the entire structure is against them. Hence it is not the individual white they are afraid of. It is the entire racist monolithic white structure that has lynched, maimed and exploited them. One is thus faced with the problem of convincing our people that, despite the real and great hazards, we must do something positive about our fate; we have to fight for our liberation.

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