[News] On Anniversary of Mandelas Release - South Africans are still struggling for their liberation
Anti-Imperialist News
news at freedomarchives.org
Thu Feb 11 14:58:32 EST 2010
On Anniversary of Mandelas Release
South Africans are still struggling for their liberation
Twenty years ago, February 11, 1990, Nelson
Mandela walked out of his prison cell and four
years later, a huge majority elected him
President. Now after 16 years of ANC rule, the
majority of South Africans are worse off than
they were under the white minority regime. While
petty apartheid is over and a handful of ANC
officials and their cronies have become
millionaires, more than 50% of the people live below poverty.
Consider these facts:
- South Africa has been called the
economic powerhouse of Africa and has enormous
wealth, but now has the worlds largest gap between rich and poor.
- South Africa is the worlds largest
producer of platinum, gold and chromium while
South Africa is home to the worlds largest slum.
- The ANC government made a deal to pay
the debt incurred by the minority white
regimesome $11 billion dedicated to paying for its own past oppression.
- 65% of young adults are unemployed,
2/3 of adults have no high school diploma and
only 8.4% have some higher education.
- Increasingly, South African police
confront hungry demonstrators who are demanding
jobs, houses, running water and electricity with
tear gas, rubber bullets and baton charges.
Yet, Mandela and the ANC are still celebrated for
liberating the masses of Black South Africans. In
Johannesburg, the countrys only Apartheid
Museum perpetuates the myth that Mandelas
release from prison ushered in South Africas era
of peace, equality, reconciliation and
diversity. Despite protests and legal battles by
veterans of the Black Consciousness Movement, the
ANC government authorized a consortium headed by
the Gold Reef City Casino to build and run the
Museum. Two white brothers, Abraham and Solomon
Krokwho made their fortunes in gambling and
selling skin lightening creams to Black South
African womenhave succeeded in expropriating and
sanitizing the history of apartheid and the struggle against it.
Now, Mike Stainbank, a historian and member of
the Black Consciousness Movement who originated
and first registered a plan for the Apartheid
Museum, is challenging Gold Reef City Casino and
the Krok Brothers in Court. He and many other
veterans of the Soweto Uprising insist that South
Africas history should not be told by the very
men who were part of the apartheid machine. In
the tradition of Steven Bikowho demanded the
right of Black people to speak for themselves,
Stainbank insists that South Africas history must be told by Black people.
By Arlene Eisen who spent two months in Soweto last year
<mailto:arlenesreport at yahoo.com>arlenesreport at yahoo.com
To write letters of support or for more
information, contact Stainbank at
<http://www.stainbank.co.za/>http://www.stainbank.co.za/
or email apartheidmuseum at stainbank.co.za
Tel. (011) 807 2042, Fax (011) 807 0766, Private Bag X63, RIVONIA 2128
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863-9977
www.Freedomarchives.org
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