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How many black journalists -
myself included - or academics, ever interviewed Steve Biko on his thinking. In
flesh! It seems only whites were interested in him. They smelled the coffee! In
time! Now everybody wants to do a Steve Biko book, film or play. Or webinar!
And become famous!
Some claim him: He belongs to
#US! His legacy belongs to #US!
How can we own a human being?
Even God doesn't do that? We could at best carry on the work he did or strived
to get done. That's keeping a legacy alive in my book; doing things he did. Or
better.
And now they (the scribes and
scholars) hound us down with our faded memory of things that happened
half-a-century ago. And we tell them any type of nonsense and they think they
have a scoop!
Record people's thoughts now.
During their lifetime. Leave poor Steve alone; with Sobukwe (who nobody ever
cared about also -except some liberals) and give Mandela a rest. He's dead,
too.
Care about living people. The
unemployed. The poor. The homeless. The victims of massive looting. The
conditions of health care. The injustices meted out in the courts of law. The
students who can't find scholarships. Who sell their bodies for their studies.
People living in hovels who are visited by politicians just before the
elections. Parentless children heading families of other toddlers, maybe
through prostitution - with elders. The endless queues of people hoping to be
given R350 to see through the month. A CR 17 gift to humanity! Was this also
from Stellenbosch? Or was the idea coming from Luthuli House? How original!
R350 pm? For votes or to mock poor people? Trying living on R10 per diem
yourself. And you tell us about your most wonderful constitution!
September is around the
corner and Steve is going to be loved by everyone, and we're all going to
become BC adherents. Following the money! The squalor in the townships we won't
see. The neglect by municipalities of their own citizens we'll tolerate. The
mess that is going in politics in our name, we'll shrug it off. The
incorrigible police - acting like ambulance chasers, we'll laugh at them. The
woes that are befalling those who thought the economy would always be pumping
in their favour will satisfy us. There are a million topics which could occupy
our scribes and learned friends.
But no! It's going to be
about Steve Biko. As if we ever cared about his teachings. Or his family.
Disunited as we are. Lacking solidarity for each other as we are. Or do we
think of Solidarity only in connection with those people who are building a
University for their volk? Steve died for Solidarity. Black Solidarity! Don't
we know? Kanjani?
#VukaDarkie! ##VukaDarkie! ##VukaDarkie!
42
Thabo Peter Gallens, Vusumzi Moyo and 40 others
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- Vusumzi Moyo
That's true Bra B. A measured piece. Indeed, we tend to live in the past when the present is glaring into our faces begging to be attended. I hope we all take heed of the message!
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S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna
Living in the past has become an escape route for us Vusumzi. A denial that looks like an affirmation. We are afraid to face the beast of the present. Yet, it is unforgiving.
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- Tswagare Namane
Still, I feel we have not celebrated them enough; as personalities and as representatives of what they stood for. The problem maybe is that we intellectualize them too much. I think of Mda and Lembede, what they could symbolize for our children.
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- Arlette Franks
many are sort of on pedestals so high we can't quite 'reach' them... so adulation of them rather than actual learning about or from them then tends to happen.
if only our History texts for schools were re-written/re-focused already...
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S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna
Tswagare Namane, my homeboy, what about the sad condition of our own hometown Mahikeng? We could also talk about Dr Molema and others; but that is what I'm beefing about. Let the dead bury the dead, says Jesus of Nazareth. Our country's people are in misery and we look for heroes whom we never really cared fo to cover up the filth! Re busiwa ke magodu! Let's deal with that. Mda and Lembede will arise with all the others in a SA worth its name - for our children.
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- Tswagare Namane
S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna I get what you mean.
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- Thabang SonofSoil Madito
Raw truth - Like
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- Letepe Maisela
Bra S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna.Profound words those. As for me I simply want September month to become a period when we all should mobilise that those that led to Steve Biko's violent death be brought to book while some of them are still alive.
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S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna
We can't even do that Letepe Maisela. We're waiting for somebody else to do it, maybe Solidarity? What would be the reaction if they did? - Like
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- Zazalizitha Khumalo
Whites knew how good he is, same like Martin Luther king. Blacks never appreciate their own. They dont believe any good can come from them. They always see whites as Messiahs.
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S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna
So, what do you recommend we should do Zazalizitha Khumalo? I made a few areas that could be our focus, there must be many more.
Here's part of the list I suggested:
'Care about living people. The unemployed. The poor. The homeless. The victims of massive looting. The conditions of health care. The injustices meted out in the courts of law. The students who can't find scholarships. Who sell their bodies for their studies. People living in hovels who are visited by politicians just before the elections. Parentless children heading families of other toddlers, maybe through prostitution - with elders. The endless queues of people hoping to be given R350 to see through the month. A CR 17 gift to humanity! Was this also from Stellenbosch? Or was the idea coming from Luthuli House? How original! R350 pm? For votes or to mock poor people? Trying living on R10 per diem yourself. And you tell us about your most wonderful constitution'!
What else is there? - Like
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- Zazalizitha Khumalo
S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna l think the most important above all is 'self love'. Black people dont believe in themselves. We are the biggest consumers of white products, dont see S'makuhle's newspaper as good as Media24's. We lack faith in ourselves.
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View 1 more reply - Themba Edmund Molefe
Bra B your share button has dusappeared, I see four shares?
O Opile Kgomo Lonaka Rraetsho! Ga Fela Re Ka Go Tsaya Tsia
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S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna
I fixed it thanks Themba Edmund Molefe. - Like
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- Letepe Maisela
Bra S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna, have written an article in December 2017 that appeared in Sunday Independent about Steve Biko's Birthday being on the same date as Cyril Ramaphosa ascension to political power at Nasrec. You can Google it. In that article I urged our current President to expedite the prosecution of Biko's murderers as celebration on his commemoration. My next step am considering a Class Action taken by similar families who lost their loved ones to Apartheid killers in the face of a callously indifferent African majority government.
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- Meshack S'bongile Galekhutle
Tore it up again, I couldn't stop again
Letting go till there was nothing in the way
Fuck the feeling then, I cave in again
Sweet surrender to the angel I deny
When you came to life I was terrified
I knew that nothing else would ever feel the same
Doubt came over me, what kind of father would I be?
Another time I could stand up and be a man
To change a face in my life
(To change a face in my life)
Your future and mine
(Your future and mine)
Time to do what is right
(what is right)
A new beginning
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- Eugene Skeef
Ululations, mfokabawo S'makuhle Bokwe Mafuna!!!!!!! I hear you loudly and clearly, brother of my soul. Siyabonga. - Like
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- Chris Boyoyo
"Steve died for solidarity" let us do things Steve use to do even better"
Solidarity of Black consciousness adherents is elusive.
Steve set a foundation. BC need to move with time.
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- Thabo Peter Gallens
The living history, called HIS-story. Sure Bra B. - Like
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- Thabiso Mahlobogoane
Our sad reality and the very same people will come and go during september month and mushroom again next september-publicity,wanting to be seen to care about S Bikos thoughts and and but in reality, they just wanna launch some attention unto themselves...
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- Sam Moodley
May THE WORK continue. Our contribution will be the testimony to our BC TEACHINGS.
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- Moemedi Kepadisa
We must remember Bra B, that there was a time when some people wished Steve Biko dead, dead, dead. They wanted to have his memory completely erased.
Some had to die to defend his name and legacy: Sipho Mgomezulu, Martin Mahao, Paper Nxgale, Gunman Mhlongo, Ntate Lengane. The list is endless.
So many paid the price to immortalise his name. When we remember Steve Biko, we remember more than an individual. We remember also his many comrades who were martyred for our freedom. We remember the many who resisted to defend Black Consciousness, AZAPO and to advance our freedom struggle.
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- Aphiri David
It's a pity dibioscope di fedile I could have liked watching that film and explaining to my kids what that was about. Pity our education is gone to dogs e bulawe wo big stomachs ba matender and Bee - Like
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