Dennis Brutus Excerpts from Institutions, Individuals and Media
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Testimonials about Dennis Brutus Excerpts from institutions, individuals and media Photo by Anthony Arnove Institutions AFRICA ACTION and JUBILEE USA (Washington): We mourn the loss of a great friend, artist, and activist. We had the honor of working with Dennis for many years. ANTI PRIVATISATION FORUM (Johannesburg): Comrade Dennis was always on the side of the oppressed and remained true to his princi - ples in fighting for an anti-capitalist South Africa and world. His pen and his voice were always a thorn in the side of the rich and powerful, whether here or abroad, and were constant reclaimers of our collec - tive consciences and humanity. In the ten years since the formation of the APF, comrade Dennis was a regular source of solidarity, encour - agement and lively debate. He never shirked from joining the fight against narrow nationalism, ethnic chauvinism and gender oppres - sion and always had a word of affirmation for his fellow comrades. FREE BURMA CAMPAIGN SOUTH AFRICA (Johannesburg): Comrade Dennis is always forefront of the powerless. COMAFRICA (Rio de Janeiro): ‘A Luta continua!’ Este slogan tão con - hecido em nossa língua portuguesa e que se incorporou, no âmbito das lutas de libertação nacional, a várias línguas da África Austral, com a sua sonoridade do nosso vernáculo, bem caracteriza a obra de Dennis Brutus e sua vida, cuja divulgação nesta língua merece continuar. CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (Johannesburg): He was jailed and banned from public life in South Africa during this struggle, but this did not diminish his commitment to bring about non-racialism in sport and democracy for his nation. JERICHO NATIONAL AMNESTY MOVEMENT (New York): Dennis was one of those former political prisoners who never once forgot what it was like to spend time behind bars, or the significance of working for the release of political prisoners world-wide. We must pay our re - spects to one who never left others to languish inside prison walls. His was a principled for freedom of all people. Free ‘em all. JUBILEE SOUTH (Buenos Aires): Jubilee South is fortunate to have been able to drawn on Dennis’ multiple talents and commitments since our founding 10 years ago. He was a significant presence not just in the fight against apartheid debt, and for reparations, but in the struggle always against all forms of debt domination, ecological debt, climate debt, mining, water and privatisation debts - ¡AMANDLA! he cried, ¡A LUTA CONTINUA! JUBILEE SOUTH AFRICA (Johannesburg): Perhaps, the most promi - nent ideas upheld by Dennis belonged in the sphere of political econ - omy. He was such a formidable critic of the role played by debt in the economics and human rights of the people of the world that he was one of the founders of Jubilee South Africa in 1998. He has been its most active patron ever since, joining the organisation in its strategis - ing, campaigning, educational activities and action on the streets. He was also active in the international Jubilee movement and thought it was of prime import that the oppressed people of the world should find a rallying call for themselves in the World Social Forum. When he was already bed ridden, he expressed his strongly felt concerns at the capitalist system as an enemy of Mother Earth and that the great pow - ers were organising a fraud in Copenhagen. He urged the organisa - tions of the oppressed to put up such a counter pole to them in that conference as would recall the events of Seattle at the end of the last 2 century. Without him, our movement is that much poorer. It is now the duty of those he has left behind to live up to the glorious example he has set. NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIV. (Port Elizabeth): Profes - sor Brutus never stopped in his quest for a humane society, and in - deed became even more active in the post-apartheid period to campaign for social justice for the poor in South Africa as well as poor people across the planet as we are grappling with the negative effects of neo-liberal globalization. We have learnt immensely from his ex - traordinary life as a teacher, political activist and poet. NMMU is ho - noured to have been able to bestow a honorary doctorate on Professor Brutus in 2009, as a mark of our esteem for his distinguished record in service of democracy and human rights. NEW UNITY MOVEMENT (Port Elizabeth): We salute his memory and dedicate ourselves anew to striving for the more humane, and just so - cialist order in which he so fervently believed. PATERSON SECONDARY SCHOOL (Port Elizabeth): Paterson is proud to have played a role in his high school education and was blessed to have had him back some years later as educator. Brutus will forever be remembered in the history of Paterson High. He penned the lyrics of our school song and together with his poetry, his legacy will live on. SA GOVERNMENT (Pretoria): [His] contribution to the struggle against apartheid and passion for social justice and human rights for all mankind has left an indelible mark in South Africa and the interna - tional community. As we celebrate his lifework as a South African poet and political activist let us remember that Brutus’s poetic license was first and foremost inspired by the quest for the restoration of human dignity and achievement of a better life for all. SA NON-RACIAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (Port Elizabeth): The South 3 African sport boycott owed much to his fierce commitment and re - lentless organizing, from his founding of the Coordinating Committee for International Recognition in Sport (1955) to the South African Sports Association (1958) and its successor, the South African Nonra - cial Olympic Committee. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS INDABA - KZN (Durban): The world will be a little less friendly, a little emptier but we know that he will live forever in the minds and hearts of those who knew him. SPLIT THIS ROCK POETRY FESTIVAL (Washington): Split This Rock mourns the passing and celebrates the life of Brutus, who shared his prophetic vision with us as a featured poet at Split This Rock’s inau - gural festival in March 2008. UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL (Durban): We are deeply sad - dened by the loss of one of this university’s greatest figures, a poet whose work will be celebrated forever, and whose wisdom in so many campaigns for social justice will be sorely missed. A profoundly hu - mane and sympathetic individual, full of love and caring for those around him, and for those who suffer anywhere and everywhere, he was a moral beacon at a time when so many have drifted from social and environmental awareness to pursue selfish ends. UKZN CENTRE FOR CREATIVE ARTS (Durban): A true gentleman, frontline intellectual, grandmaster activist, great poet, and a very kind human being. The Centre for Creative Arts has been privileged to know Dennis personally and honored to provide platforms for him within our Poetry Africa and Time of the Writer festivals where his conscientising articulations have inspired and motivated so many. UKZN PRESS (Pietermaritzburg): The University of KwaZulu-Natal Press is proud to have been associated with, and to have published an edited collection of work by and on Dennis Brutus. We are saddened 4 by and mourn his death, but we also celebrate a life that remained rev - olutionary right to the end. WORCESTER STATE COLLEGE (Massachusetts): Brutus was a beacon of hope for human rights. The entire campus community and lovers of freedom everywhere will miss his great spirit. We are so very fortu - nate to be the permanent home of his books, papers and journals. ZIMBABWE COALITION ON DEBT AND DEVELOPMENT AND SOUTH - ERN AFRICAN PEOPLE’S SOLIDARITY NETWORK (Harare): We are deeply saddened with the loss of such a respected and trusted col - league in the movement. 5 Individuals TINA ABREU: Our best tribute will be to continue campaigns and fight for causes he believed in and illuminate others with his insights. LIONEL ADRIAAN: I was a pupil of Dennis at Paterson High School in the late 50’s. I had the good fortune of playing table tennis with him. I also witnessed his skill in the field of jive during his leisure time and was often worried that he would break his thin legs. His favourite ‘swear’ word often used for the difficult, troublesome and simply dumb pupils was MUGWUMP! LAWRENCE AFRICA: I was in his English Class at Paterson High school in 1959 and 1960, and owe him much: ‘now I understand what he tried to say to me, how he suffered for his sanity...’ BIKO AGOZINO: He achieved a lot more in those final years than he could have achieved in exile, at least judging by all those honourary doctorates that our Baba Dolphin gathered compared to the sterile chlorinated pool that he resisted being deported from when the wild sea was still ruled by apartheid sharks! NEVILLE ALEXANDER: A gentle, erudite and courageous man, an ex - emplary revolutionary, erudite scholar, master of the English lan - guage, dignified, calm and always willing to serve others. CHADWICK ALLENBAUGH: A beacon in my memory with his enduring spirit, infectious laughter, unrelenting sharpness, his great appreciation for sport and chess, and humble service and true leadership for causes greater than one person, yet courage to stand… to act… to speak and prove one person can and did make a difference for many far beyond himself, his loves, his country. ISAAC OTIDI AMUKE: A name that to me meant resilience, you in - spired many all over the world, you took the right position of the writer/poet in society, spoke the talk and walked the walk.