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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Our Black forebears lived in this lower end of Africa for
thousands of years. They reared cattle and small-stock, and
raised various types of crops. Many of them produced clay and
wooden crafts. More than 1 200 years ago they began to mine and
smelt iron, copper and other minerals which they used to make
work implements. The various communities spoke different
languages yet had trade and inter-marriage amongst themselves.
Sometimes, as the numbers grew and they needed more land, they
would fight or negotiate, as other communities did all over the
world.
Like the legendary phoenix, AZAPO emerged from the ashes and
cinders of the Black People’s Convention (B.P.C.), South African
Students’ Organisation (SASO) and Black Community Programmes (B.C.P.)
- some of the black consciousness organisations that were banned
on Wednesday, 19th October 1977 for their role in the resistance
and the June 16, 1976 uprisings.
AZAPO successfully campaigned for the isolation of apartheid
South Africa by tirelessly and vigorously waging the cultural
boycott in the country.
Under the guidance of AZAPO, Black people increasingly regained
their resolve to fight for their rights and formed trade unions
and civic organisations that drew the blue print for the conduct
of struggles by civil society.
Through AZAPO, Black people in this country regained their
collective dignity and self-pride. We in AZAPO believe that
people that take pride in themselves are likely to make a
meaningful contribution to a quest for true humanity.
To this day, AZAPO remains the leading exponent of the black
consciousness in this country and draws inspiration from such
eminent sons and daughters of this soil such as Steve Biko,
Onkgopotse Tiro and Vuyelwa Mashalaba. At its historic
Constitutional Congress in December 1994, AZAPO resolved to
participate in the forthcoming General Elections.
In October 1994, AZAPO merged with its sister exile organisation,
the Black Consciousness Movement of Azania (B.C.M.A.).
OCCUPATION AND RESISTANCE
Whites started coming here from Europe about 500 years ago. They
sometimes traded with Black people. Other, whose ships sank,
were found and looked after by local communities. Later, as they
arrived in large numbers, they began to cheat and fight our
forebears. They took our land by force pushing our ancestors
into poorer areas and making them slaves. They also brought
slaves from Java, Malaya and India.
Although our ancestors fought the settlers bravely, they were
defeated by superior weapons. But Azania, the land of Black
people, is still ours and that is why we will reclaim it by
force.
THE ECONOMY
Azania is very rich, with large deposits of various minerals, a
lot of good land on which grain, fruit, vegetables, cotton and
other crops are grown. Its oceans have large stocks of fish. The
labour force has a number of skills and transport is fairly
good.
THE STRUGGLE NOW
We have learnt from the tradition of our forebears and continue
to strive for the control of our land and its wealth. From about
1910, people such as Sol Plaatjie and later, Clement Kadalie
have been rallying Black people to unite and fight for their
rights. Many national organisations have been formed to advance
the struggle. In the 1940's Black mine workers fought for safe
working conditions and better pay. There were brave struggles
against discrimination and farm labour abuse in the 1950's, and
against pass laws and repression in the early 1960's. Large
numbers of people were killed or imprisoned in those campaigns.
THE RISE OF THE BCM
After these frightening attacks, our people were quiet for some
years until the youth spearheaded the renewal of the struggle in
1968. The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) which arose then,
called on the Black people to unite because they are all
oppressed, exploited and discriminated against, wether they are
called Bantu, Coloured or Indian by the regime of the white
settler colonialists. The militants of the BCM such as Steve
Biko, Mapetla Mohapi and Mthuli ka Shezi urged Black people to
accept their identity, to unite in the struggle and not fear the
whites nor to imitate them, and especially not to accept being
told by them how to fight our Liberation Struggle.
Those who oppress us and get rich from our labour will not
liberate us. It was our youth who staged the Viva FRELIMO
rallies in 1974! It was our children who fought with stones
against armoured cars during the June 16, 1976 Uprisings! We are
our own Liberators! Power is ours if we unite against our common
oppression.
The Black fist on our publications and garments stands for unity
of Black people. The red star stands for our hope that Black
workers, whose blood has been spilled for our liberty, will lead
the struggle, and will rule a free socialist Azania. The gold is
for the wealth of our country.
THE BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT PROGRAMME
When we say we stand for socialism we mean a take-over of
political power by the working class and the control of the main
sections of the economy such as mines, banks, large factories
and big farms, without any payment to those who developed their
wealth through exploiting Black workers. The profits of these
will be used to provide free education and medical care for all
the people. When the working class controls state power and runs
the economy, it will not exploit anyone else, since it will be
working for itself.
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