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Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Southern Africa
Continuation of AFR 034
See enclosed note in AFR 035
Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. A representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) speaks about the international community being in solidarity with Southern African countries, and asks for support for SWAPO’s continued struggle for liberation in Namibia. A member of the Zimbabwe admission to the United Nations speaks about the bonds formed between liberation fighters in Africa and internationally. He speaks about the leaders of ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union), the ANC (African National Congress), and the PAC (Pan African Congress). He speaks on the history of the struggles for independence and human rights in Southern Africa, and the contued struggle for liberation. Sylvia Baraldini of the May 19th Communist Organization speaks on the National Campaign in solidarity with the ZANU Women’s League. She talks about the lessons of the struggle for liberation in Zimbabwe and looks at the process of reconstruction. A permanent representative of the PAC of Azania to the United Nations speaks about South Africa. He comments on South African president P.W. Botha’s refusal to erode Apartheid through economic means. He talks about a socialist solution incorporating equal distribution of wealth and power, and calls people to work together to fight oppression.
Saths Cooper on South African issues and Steve Biko.
Saths Cooper, president of South Africa’s Professional Board for Psychology, speaks about Steve Biko, leader of the Black Consciousness movement. He speaks about Apartheid and colonization’s influences on South Africans. He claims that the west usually ignores the exploitation and wrongs of colonization on South Africa, and instead concentrates only on anti-Apartheid movements. The struggle is both at the national and social levels. The struggle means repossession of land and social transformation. Whites own most of the land in South Africa, but constitute only 15% of the population. Cooper also talks about how the youth have taken the lead in the revolution because they have vested interest in their futures, so they fight against resignation to the law. He says, “The youth have become the collective consciousness of a people denied on a political, social, and economic level.” He speaks about racial and economic hierarchies in South Africa, and about Steve Biko’s influence and student organization influence. He lastly speaks about how AZAPO (Azanian People’s Organization) follows Black Consciousness ideologies, while other organizations in South Africa follow AZAPO’s ideology, and he claims that Biko had to be killed when he did (1977) because people were unified under UDF (United Democratic Front - a South African umbrella organization of banned black organizations) and they realized they had a common enemy, so they needed to strike together. Therefore, the government killed Biko because of his strong influence and threat to the psychological impact of Apartheid. Cooper’s talk is followed by a question and answer session, and continues to Side B.
Interview of AZAPO Representative about the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa.
Recorded off mic, poor recording
Interview of a representative of AZAPO (Azanian People’s Organization) about AZAPO in South Africa. He speaks about how the racist Apartheid regime attempts to set up “independence” within the urban townships, or “homelands”, but how the homelands were rejected by the people of South Africa. He speaks about the oppression of blacks and how they have joined forces with coloreds and Indians to fight Apartheid, and describes the legal restrictions placed on black Africans.
The state of South Africa and relations with the United States.
Interviews about the state of South Africa.
Elizabeth Sebeko is interviewed about the South African Freedom Charter, the ANC (African National Congress), the PAC (Pan African Congress), land issues, race issues, and discrimination and overt oppression in South Africa. She speaks about how the Freedom Charter is designed and should be for the native black people of South Africa, not the colonizers.
Next, Harold Fuluin, South African Minister of Cooperation and Development & “black affairs”, responds to a question about the government’s reforms increasing violence in the country. He responds, saying that the ones inciting the violence are the militant leftist groups in South Africa, who are only looking for complete revolution. He states that in the government’s reforms, the term “one man, one vote” does not apply to black enfranchisement because of such population diversity in the country. In response to the interviewer’s claim that the South African white government is only moving toward reform in response to black violence, Mr. Fuluin answers by repudiating the claim, instead saying that the reform process bagan around 1982, “long before there was any sign of organized violence in the country” (which, of course, is not true).
Next, a news program discusses Washington D.C.’s perceived pressure on Pretoria, South Africa, to step up reforms in the country. Mr. Maines of Washington speaks about President Ronald Reagan’s administration getting much opposition to its foreign policy on South Africa. He says that Prime Minister P. W. Botha does not seem to respond to the pressure. He also says that Reagan is in a quandry because his support comes from the Right and their ties with South Africa, but he is facing major pressure from all over the US to impose sanctions on South Africa. Lastly, poor recording of a woman and man speaking about the Congo and the Belgians.
4 Documents Found
