THE BIG STRUGGLE AGAINST THE RACISMO OF THE SOUTH AFRICA PEOPLE

by Ângela  Guimarães

(Sociologist, National Youth Council member and Youth President of Union of Black People for Equality - UNEGRO Salvador-Bahia - Brazil.)

Not so along ago there was one of the most merciless domination of our time: the ‘APARTHEID’ regime of the South Africa.  Criticized and sanctioned by U.N.O. and most of free countries. The Apartheid, ruled by racists  theories, as those that Israel keeps until nowadays against the Palestine people,  has endured for almost one century in South Africa.

The theory that supported the ‘Apartheid’ policy – the South Africa white terror – was similar to that which legitimated the Black slavery in Brazil for more than three centuries. The non-scientific believing that Europeans were superiors to people from other regions of the world and just for that they were prepared to dominate them, because those people were unable to decide by themselves remained until the 21st century.

First the British Empire and after the Netherlands people endured a strong and complex domination system, in which they would deny all Human Rights to Black people preserving them only for the white people who controlled the economy and the politics.

The ‘apartheid’ started with the first white immigrants since 1652. By 1913, under the British Empire law, the white people became the landlords of 87% of all territory in South Africa.

The racial segregation and the terror ruled by Europeans reached all Black people. They had to live apart from the white people. They could not live in the same territory, not use the same buses, bathrooms, beaches, schools and libraries.

Black people were allowed to engage only among themselves. They could not act as unions’ workers, and no Law could protect them against unjust imprisonment.

The Black Struggle

Zulu, Venda and Xhosa people were fighting against Europeans until the 19th century. The British Empire founded the South Africa, in 1910. In 1912, a group of black people founded the ANC (African National Congress). For decades, the ANC was the main organization who struggled against racism and white supremacy.

In 1940, Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Anton Lembede became the ANC leaders and started a mass movement on the fight for human rights for the black people. The next step (1952), they organized protests for not obeying the racist laws.

The U.S.A. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was a permanent ally to racist government and had an important role to maintain the National Party. In 1962, Mandela was chased, imprisoned and condemned to a life sentence. This fact got attention of foreign public opinion to South Africa ‘apartheid’.

Later, organizations such as SASO (South  Africa Students Organization) and the Black Consciousness Movement, headed  by hero Steve Biko, joined the ANC. Biko used to say that only black people could free themselves of the ‘apartheid’, right after getting the real conscience to defeat the white oppressors.

By 1973 Steve Biko was forbidden to travel through his own country. The racists also ordered him not to be along with more than one person. Then he was kept under strict surveillance of the repressive system. His political ideas influenced thousands of people who were humiliated and prejudiced as a result of the ‘apartheid’ violence. They were starving too.

September 12th 1977 Steve Biko was killed in a state prison. Black people went out on riots claiming the end of ‘apartheid’ regime.

Only 13 years after the Steve Biko murdering, the ‘apartheid’ collapsed as result of black people struggle and support of international human rights and U.N.O. countries positions. The United States of America and Israel tried to avoid many sanctions against the ‘apartheid’ government. United States made South Africa a safe place for mercenary allies, as UNITA’s Jonas Savimbi. UNITA was a terrorist organization financed and supported by U.S.A. Department of State for decades.

Nelson Mandela was set free in 1991. Finally the movement ‘FREE MANDELA’ got a victory after many years.

Mandela was elected President and since then he becomes the first black president of South Africa. During his government was eliminated the racist legislation and adoption of   new politics to recuperate the economic, social and human conditions of the black people who suffered untenable pain during ‘apartheid’ years.

                                                     Aluta Continua!