'South Africans May Not Know Everything' (And That Goes
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‘South Africans may not know everything’ (and that goes for foreigners too) – ‘Zuidafrikanen mogen niet alles weten’ (en buitenlanders ook niet) http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nizap1024 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org ‘South Africans may not know everything’ (and that goes for foreigners too) – ‘Zuidafrikanen mogen niet alles weten’ (en buitenlanders ook niet) Author/Creator Roskam, Karel Publisher Omroep voor Radio Freedom Date 1989-00-00 Resource type Pamphlets Language English, Dutch Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa, Netherlands Coverage (temporal) 1989 Source NIZA Description From support group of Dutch radio and tv workers for ANC's Radio Freedom. Format extent 64 (length/size) http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nizap1024 http://www.aluka.org 'Sut Af rin ma no 'Sut Af rin ma no kno 9 9ry* 9 n*an tha goe for Karel Roskam alles weten' KAREL ROSKAM 'South Africans may not know everything (and that goes for foreigners too) 'Zuidafrikanen mogen niet alles weten' (en buitenlanders ook niet) Summary Preface 4 * Voorwoord 5 1. Limits to freedom? 8 " ;renzen aan de vrijheid? 9 2. South Africans do not wish to know 16 0 Zuidafrikanen willen niet alles weten 17 3. Freedom to complain 20 e Vrijheid om te klagen 21 4. South Africans may not know everything 28 0 Zuidafiikanen mogen flet alles weten 29 5. The battle for the soul 32 0 De strijd om de mening 33 6. The news is coloured 36 * flet nieuws wordt bijgekleurd 37 7. And that goes for foreigners too 40 * En de buitenlanders ook niet 41 8. Western media and South Africa 44 * De Westerse media en Zuid-Aftika 45 9. Radio Freedom 48 * Radio Freedom 49 10. Radio Freedom and the war 52 * Radio Freedom: de Radio Oranje van deze tijd 53 11. Support for Radio Freedom 56 0 Omroep voor Radio Freedom 57 12. The need for a transmitter 58 * Noodzaak van eigen zender 59 13. Transmitter for Radio Freedom 60 * Zender v)or Radio Freedom 61 Post Script 62 " Nawoord 63 Inhoud 4 Preface Why does the South African liberation movement, the African National Congress, have a radio-station of its own? Would it not be better if the ANC were to spend its energy and resources for activities which are directly related to speeding up liberation? Surely sufficient newspapers and magazines appear in South Africa which oppose apartheid? What is so special about Radio Freedom that other media in South Africa cannot play its part? Why is Radio Freedom so popular with the majority of the South African population? And why is it necessary to keep Radio Freedom on the air? The answer to these questions may be found in the history of the censorship, which controls everyday life in South Africa. The censorship which enormously restricts the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press in South Africa. The media in South Africa have been forced to put blinkers on and the Pretoria regime has gagged the journalists. It is e.g. forbidden in South Africa to write about the police and the arrest of political prisoners; it is also forbidden to write about the torture of detainees in police stations and in prisons; it is forbidden to make reports which tend to 'undermine the confidence in the police'; it is moreover forbidden to write about the security of the country in general and about the South African Defence Force in particular; it is since 1985 also forbidden to write about unrest and banned demonstrations; and it is forbidden to quote listed opponents of the regime, like the ANCleadership. It is forbidden to report on strikes, boycotts, stay-at-homes etc. In the end it is not the journalist who decides what he writes. It is not the editor who has the final say, but it is the legal advisor who decides what the newspaper may or may not print for fear of prosecution, fine and/or imprisonment. The legal advisor of the 'New Nation', Amanda Armstrong says: 'We try and stress that they should never not write a story. They should be aware of the problems, but they should bring it to the lawyers, so that we can advice them to use this or that angle. But I think very often XA aaroui heeft de Zuidatrikaanse bevri ' jdingsbcNvcg]ng, lict Afrikaans Nationaal Congres, cen eigen radio-onirocp Kan het ANC zi.in geld en energic nict beter s(ckcn in actics die de bevrijding dichterbij brengen Er AJn in Zuid-Afrika toch nog kranten en tijdschriften gcnoeg die zich vcrzcttcn tcgen de apartheW Wat doet dcze Radio Freedom voor de Zuidafi-ikaansc luisteraars, dat andere omroepen en kranten in Zuid-Afrika nict kunnen? Waarom is Radio Freedom zo populair bij dc niccrderlicid van de Zuidafrikaanse bcvolking? En waarom is het nodig orn Radio Freedom in de Iticht te houden? Het antwoord op deze vragcn heelt te maken met de censliur, zoals die in Zuid- Afrika hct ]even van alledag beheerst. De censtiur die de persvrijheid danig heeft ingeperkt. De inedia in Zuid-Afrika hebben cen mitilkorl"voorgebondcri gckrcgen en het regime in Pretoria dwingt dejournalisten hun werk te doen met oogkleppen op. Het is in Zuid-Afrika bijvoorbeeld verboden oin te schrijven over de politie en de arrestatie \,an politieke gevangenen; lict is ook verboden om te schrijven over de martcling van at-rcstanten op de politiebureaus en in de gevangenisscn; het is verboden om datgene te berichten waardoor het I vertrouwen in de politic wordt onderinijnd'; het is bovendicn verboden oin te schri ' jven over de veiligheid \,an liet land in het algemccn cn over lict leger in het bijzonder; het is sinds 1985 ook verboden om te schrijven over onlusten en ver-boden denionstraties; en het is verbodcli oln erkende tegenstanders van het regime, zoals de leidCFS \,an het ANC, aan het woord tc laten. Hct is verboden oin te berichten over stakingen, boycotacties, thuisbbif-acties e.d. I let is in laatste instantic niet dejournalist die bepaalt wat hij schrijft. Het is evenmin de hoofdrcdacteur die het laatste woord sprcekt, inaar liet is dejuridische adviscur die bepaalt wat de krant wel ofniet straffeloos kan afdrukken. Voorwoord that the self-censorship process intervenes at a very early stage.' (Irish TV- documentary, 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind', 1989.) So it is the Pretoria regime that ultimately decides what the South African readers may read. WEE MAIL f. The EPG report. An extraordinary documn made ordinary by our extraordinary times FRONT PAGE COMMENT Our lawyei tell us we c; say almos nothing criti about the Emergenc3 But we'll try: PIK BOTHA, the Minister of Foreign told US television audiences this week South African press remained ftee. We hope that They considered our publication subvero * If it is subversive to speak out 1, we plead guilty. Of1 it is subversive to express concer i, we plead guilty, *If it is subversive to believe that tl better routes to peace than the plead guilty. *To PAGE a A leaf-munching plan 7 to beat malnutrition 7 rC an cal Affairs, that the sive. against in about iere are we In 1986 the liberal paper Weekly Mail made the effects of censorship regulation clear to its readers. Soon afterwards this became forbidden too. v - NW6 De bectriif'sjuriste vari de 'Ncw Natiori', Amaii(ki Armstroiig zegt: 'Wij beklermorim steeds dat dejourrialisteii tiooit mocteii bcsluiteii eet-i verhaal iiiet tc schri ' iveii. Zij mocteii zich bewust zijui vail de problemeri, maar die moeteii /ij voorleggcii aari c1cpristeii, zo (tat wij kurincii zeggeri dat A j het op eert bcpaalde mariier moetcii doeii. Maar ik deiik (tat het proccs vari zelfceiistitir at heel vroeg begirtt.' (terse tv-docturici-itairc 'Otit of'Sight, Out of' Mirid', 1989). Het is dtis het regime iri Pretoria dat ititchidefiJk bepaalt wat de ZUidaf'rikaanse krariterilem- voorgeschoteld kriigt. Het oppositionele weekblod 'Weekly Mail' maukte de (ensuur in 1986 oan hoor lezers zi(hiboar. Een handeling die later werd verboden. 1. Limits to freedom? Many books, magazines and newspapers are published in South Africa. In the Afrikaans language, in English, in Zulu, in Sotho, in Xhosa and in many other local languages. Likewise there are radio- and television programmes in the many tongues of the country. Radio and televison are fully supportive of the government, but on the other hand there are quite a number of newspapers and magazines which vehemently oppose apartheid. Numerous books have been published, among others those of writers who detest apartheid like Andre Brink and Nadine Gordimer. So on the face of it South Africans may know whatever there is to know.