Young people urged to be activists to emulate Biko
Self-reliance key to economic freedom
Student activist Chumani Maxwele has urged black South Africans to be self reliant if they claim to be inspired by the late Steve Biko.
Maxwele was speaking at the Fat Cats Book Club , which celebrated the legacy of Biko on Saturday at Flamingo restaurant in Pretoria.
Speakers were asked to comment on whether Biko’s black consciousness (BC) was alive or dead.
Among those who took the mic were author and lawyer Christine Qunta, who spoke about the history of BC, EFF Gauteng chairperson Mandisa Mashego and Bongani Gora of the Azanian People’s Organisation.
“Being black conscious is not just to intellectualise the concept. We must be prepared to change communities,” Maxwele said.
“We need people like David Letsoalo, one of the brilliant South Africans who thinks practically. He is part of the black forum at Unisa, which successfully dealt with white attitude in that institution. This is someone we can refer to as a Bikoist because he is doing things.”
He said this was what they tried to do with Fees Must Fall campaigns.
“As black people, we need to come up with ideas that surpass the thinking of party politics so that we have to go and build a community, literally galvanise capital funds and resources to go and build a road in Mdantsane or Mthatha.
“If young people are inspired by Biko, then they should do something for their communities.”
Gora said BC was a mental attitude and a way of life black people ought to embrace.
“For as long as we don’t have our own retailers, money and capital will always leave the country for Europe,” Gora said.
Thandeka Makhathini of Fat Cats Book Club said as young people, they wanted to find ways to replicate Biko’s philosophy.
“Some of us are not conscious of the daily struggles by black people. We need to find our voice and what we stand for,” she said.