Thirty years ago today, on Sept 12, 1977, South African police beat activist Steven Bantu Biko to death while he was in detention for his political opposition to Apartheid. He was a supremely intelligent and fiercely proud man with a commanding physical presence — qualities that struck fear in the hearts of those maintaining a social structure predicated on the manufactured inferiority of blacks.Biko made it his mission to raise black consciousness in order to promote social equality and speak truth to the racist power ruling his homeland. He refused to give in to the government's repeated attempts to silence his echoing independent voice, stubbornly returning to his writing and organizing activities whenever he could break free.
He titled a collection of his essays I Write What I Like, an apt description of his defiant style, and certainly an attitude we should all try to emulate 30 years later as we carry on a struggle for freedom of a different kind.
Steven Biko's murder was a final attempt to rein in his influence, but as with all of the previous efforts it was an utter failure. His martyrdom only amplified Biko's legend, ensuring that his words and example would live on in the hearts and minds of all those who champion freedom and equality.
Peter Gabriel wrote the following song to memorialize Biko's life and death (you can watch him performing it live on YouTube). Having only admitted their crime behind the shield of amnesty offered by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the police who murdered Steven Biko never spent any time in prison — a travesty as he spent so much time there without ever being charged. I hope this music and the memory of what they did will forever haunt those men.
Biko
by Peter Gabriel
September '77
Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual
In police room 619
Oh Biko, Biko, because, Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because, Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
The man is dead, the man is dead
When I try and sleep at night
I can only dream in red
The outside world is black and white
With only one colour dead
Oh Biko, Biko, because, Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because, Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
The man is dead, the man is dead
You can blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire
Once the flame begins to catch
The wind will blow it higher
Oh Biko, Biko, because, Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because, Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
The man is dead, the man is dead
And the eyes of the world are watching now
Watching now
6 comments:
It is difficult for me to express the reverence and gratitude I feel for the many people who have sacrificed their lives to bring us a better world!
Thank you so much for bringing this story to my attention!
Warmest wishes Francis,
Jen
Hi Jen,
I share your reverence, as they possess an inner strength that amazes me. What I like about writing these posts is that I end up learning more about the topic as I do the necessary research, so it's a bit of self-service as well. Thanks as always for reading :).
One think I know : humans are maybe not equaly - inteligence point of view,
BUT
all should have equal rights to be humans. No matter skin colour, they are or not religious or whatever other refference system would be used to keep people a part.
Humans are humans, point.
I`ll never understand why some must sacrifice just to make some others understand such simple fact.
Yet, seems sometimes is necessary, is only way, unfortunately ..
Full honour for people who sacrificed themself
and
full and eternal disgrace for ones opposing to freedom and equality.
Murder, when character assassination just isn't enough.
Thank goodness there are people who have walked among us who dared to stand up and so "no."
Valentin, you have summed the post up nicely in that last sentence.
Dave, I think these days those in charge recognize that character assassination is often the more effective weapon. They've got the PR and media machines to pull it off too.
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