Fighting talk, Vol. 13, No. 7, Sept. 1959 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/. Page 1 of 22 Alternative title Fighting talk Author/Creator Fighting Talk Committee (Johannesburg) Contributor First, Ruth Publisher Fighting Talk Committee (Johannesburg) Date 1959-09 Resource type Newspapers Language Afrikaans, English Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1959 Source Digital Imaging South Africa (DISA) Rights By kind permission of the Fighting Talk Committee. Description South Africa: The Inside Story of the Natal Women's Protests, by Joe Matthews. "Women in the Freedom Struggle", by Chief Lutuli. Treason a la mode de Pretoria. The United Party Split and the Progressives, by S. Franklin. The Umzimkulu is Washed White by Flood, by Dr. W. Z. Conco. Africa: Nyasaland: A House Divided, L. Bernstein on the Devlin Commission Report. Africa's Biggest Dam will be Soviet Built. World Events: Why Latin America Sizzles with Revolt, by Harvey O'Connor. Short Story: "The Pass and the Home-Girl", by Ronald Williams. Theatre: Two New Plays: "The Long and the Short and the Tall" and "The Hostage", by A.D. Films: The Defiant Ones: Censored. The Murderers of Anne Frank. Science: Radioactivity: Its Dangers and Uses, by Dr. Edward Roux. Format extent 16 pages (length/size) Page 2 of 22 Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper.VoL 13. No.SEPTEMBER, 1959Price 6d.PARTYRMYASN11ERENCELANDWOMEN IN ACTION Page 3 of 22 FIGHTINGTALKmonthly journal for DemocratsVo 13. Number 7.SEPTEMBER, 1959Published by theFlGHTING TALK COMMITTEEI )O Box 1355, JohannesburgPrice per copy: 6d.Annual subscription: 7s.6d.0verseas subscription: 15s.I registered at the G.P.O.editor:RUTH FIRST.I I THIS ISSUEPageSOUTH AFRICAThe Ii side Story of the Natal 5WomeL $ Protests, by Joe Matthews"Woei in the Freedom Struggle", by chief LutuliTreason a i rode de PretoriaThe United Party Split 6Progressives, by S. FranklinThe Umzimkulu is Washed Whiteby Flood, by Dr. W. Z. ConcoAFRICANyasaland: A House Divided, L.Bernstein on the Devli Commission ReportAfrica's Biggest Dam will beSoviet BuiltWORLD EVENTS 11Why Latin America Sizzles withRevolt, by Harvey O'ConnorSHORT STORY 12"The Pass and the Home-Girl",by Ronald WilliamsTHEATRE 13Two New Plays: "The Long andthe Short and the Tall" and "TheHostage", by A.D.FILMS 14The Defiant Ones: Censored.The Murderers of Anne FrankSCIENCE 15Radioactivity: Its Dangers andUses, by Dr. Edward RouxSNUFFED OUT"The report (of the Devlin Commission) is fair d most of us in Central Africa have 40 taste for fairness any more." This, Written by "Dissent" on White reaction in the Federation to the Devlin Report might well have been the epitaph composed for its own tombstone by the little cyclostyled journal, just banned, together with "Contact", in Nyasaland. "Dissent" was issued by Whitfield Foy, Terence Ranger and John Reed from Wesley House, Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia and though it lasted only eight issues for Nyasaland it spoke out fearlessly and more than fairly on the emergency and African opposition to Federation. It was this little journal which first raised the hue and cry about conditions of prisoners at Kenjedza, of which the Evening Standard wrote "It would seem . Belsen could not have been much worse .MUSIC STUDYSomeone tacked on a bulletin board in a New York new paper office the following imaginary report of a workstudy engineer on the efficiency of the N.Y. Philharmonib Orchestra: "For considerable periods the four oboe players have noshing to do. Number should be reduced, work spread more evenly over the whole concert, eliminating peaks of activity. All 12 violins playing identical no es this seer z unn'ces sary duplication. The staff in this section should be drastically cut. If more volume required, use electronic equipment . .. Too much repetition of some musical passages - scores should be drastically pruned. No useful purpose in repeating on horns passage already played by strings . Conductor agrees generally with these recommendations but says there might be some falling off of box office receipts. In that unlikely event, sections of auditorium could be closed off saying money on overhead, lighting, attendants, etc.''HORIZONSThe greatest obstacle to the effective teaching of environment studies is the ignorance of the teacher, according to an article in the government's Bantu Education Journal. How many teachers can pass the following test, asks the writer, an inspector of Bantu Education:(1) Give the length and breadth of the school site, correct to the nearest yard.(2) Give the depth of soil on the sports field. (3) Say who built the first building on the site. (4) Name four previous principals of the school. (5) Say how many families live within half a mile of the school. (6) Give the cost of a bus or train ticket from the nearest stop to the nearest town. (7) Say which is the nearest neighbouring school and how far away it is (to the nearest mile). (8) Name the ministers of four different denominations in the district. And so on.Children are intensely interested in their environment, and "a teacher who through laziness or ignorance is unable to direct and satisfy their curiosity is not only doing a bad job in the classroom," writes this school inspector, "he is denying the children one of their prime intellectual rights."DEATH OF A SENATOR?The American Senate Judiciary Committee sent to the floor in August a proposed constitutional amendment which would allow state governors to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives by appointment if a nuclear explosion or other disaster killed more than half the elected members of the House.IMMORALITYThe Afrikaans magazine "Brandwag" interview a number of leading Afrikaners on the Immorality Act and whether it should be retained after the spate of offences brought before the courts. Consensus of opinion: the Act must be retained and applied even more rigorously.Prof. H. J. Veneer, the Pretoria expert on criminology said the real aim of the Immorality Act was blood purity. Miscegenation created serious probllins. "Intelligent readers realise that the South African, and the Afrikaner in particular, is concerned about his blood purity and he protects it with legislation."There was no alternative to the Immorality Act. Offenders should be imprisoned for long periods, and if this failed they could be emasculated, because in any case they were "poor human material."The Rev. F. J. L. Norval of the Gereformeerde Kerk said the Immorality Act should remain. Emasculation was not permissible "because the Lord said man must multiply." It would be better to imprison offenders for life or to hang them..,SCRAPBOOKPage TwoFighting Talk - September, 1959 Page 4 of 22 SOUTH AFRICAThe Inside Story of (heNATAL WOMEN'S PROTESTSCHIEF LUTULI ON`WOMEN IN THEFREEDOMSTRUGGLE'CHIEF A J. LUTULI'SMESSAGE TO THE N TONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AFRICAN A TONAL CONGRESS WO MEN'S LEAGUE DEALTH THE PART AFRWOMEN AR PLAYING N THE FREE DOM STRUGGLEHere I am, caged in, in the Lower Tugela District, by the oppressor's ban on me The confinement resulting from this ban is a painful reminder to me and to you all also that Apartheid laws deny us freedom of movement.Feudal days in Europe could not have been worse.Fortunately, the oppressed people, here and elsewhere, in Africa, are becoming increasingly aware of their plight, and are making heroic efforts to free themselves. It is gratifying to record that African women are playing an admirabc part and, in close cooperation with their sisters of other races, are showing a growing aggressive opposition to serfdom.Ever since the mighty antipass protests to the Union Buildings African women have joined Congress in large numbers and have increasingly played their part in it.Many successful local demonstrations have been organised against the issue of the `Dom" Pass to African women.In the attempts to boycott Bantu Education Schools, women were there. As managers in the home they have contributed significantly to the recent Potato Boycott.To the admiring surprise oCHEF LUTULI (continued) many of us, including many outside Congress circles, African women in Natal for the last two months have engaged in spontaneous Natal-wide local demonstrations.The demorstrations have high-lighted many important current issues affecting Africans in urban centres and in rural areas alike. What a chalenge to our Congress! The only jarring note in these demonstrations has been the appearance of vi&ence in some areas.Violence does nobody any good, but does our cause much harm.WE ARE INDEED IN THE WOMEN'S ERA IN THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE IN THE UNION.The freedom road is likely to be long and weary. We shall need all the stoic fortitude and wisdom to face and surmount mountains of problems, troubles and miseries that are generally met with on the march to FREEDOM.With the heroic contribution of our dauntless women we shall succeed, I have no doubt.May South African women continue to play their noble and heroic part in our liberation struggle.I charge them to use their womanly influence and tactics, 0 win increasingly into Congress and into the struggle, growing numbers of men.