Building on Luthuli’s legacy
Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa celebrated the life of Chief Albert Luthuli at the University of KwaZulu-Natal yesterday. Here is an extract from his address
TWENTY years ago, it was the culmination of 300 years of struggle that brought us to the point in our history where we could say definitively that we had seized the moment and entered a new time.
We stand on the shoulders of the giants who showed rare stoicism in the fight against colonialism and apartheid.
The struggle taught us, as OR Tambo would say, that as we capture state power, we need to use it to advance the objectives of fundamental social transformation.
Chief Albert Luthuli was one such hero whose contribution and ideas still shine brightly in our midst.
Luthuli was a profound thinker, a man of powerful logic with a keen sense of justice. He was also a man of lofty principles, a bold and courageous fighter, and a statesman. He was a true African nationalist and an unflinching patriot. Although he grew up under tribal conditions, he was uncompromising in his opposition to racialism, tribalism and all forms of racial and sectional exclusion.
He believed in and fought for full political, economic and social opportunities for the oppressed people of South Africa, regardless of race, colour or creed.
A staunch anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist, he fought and obtained the co-operation of all anti-apartheid, antiimperialist progressive movements and groups in South Africa and the world.
When he was stripped of his chieftanship because he refused to resign from the ANC, he acknowledged that the path of moderation he had taken had not borne any fruit.
He said: “The past 30 years have seen the greatest number of laws restricting our rights and progress, until today we have reached a stage where we have almost no rights at all… It is with this background and with a full sense of responsibility that, under the auspices of the African National Congress, Natal, I have joined my people in the new spirit that moves them today, the spirit that revolts openly and boldly against injustice and expresses itself in a determined and non-violent manner.
“What the future has in store for me, I do not know. It might be ridicule, imprisonment, concentration camp, flogging, banishment, and even death… It is inevitable that in working for freedom some individuals and some families must take the lead and suffer. The road to freedom is via the cross.”
In the 1950s, Luthuli was known for his unwavering commitment, and as an eloquent voice for the African struggle for freedom and selfdetermination. He was also among those who were put on trial, but remained steadfast.
He fused African tradition, Christianity and modernity. In so doing, he managed to take a perspective that combined different ways of seeing into one coherent vision, a totality of reflection and action.
Luthuli was a man of whom one can say that the struggle for freedom was part of his understanding of the Gospel, and this reinforced his sense of having a calling in life.
In 1958, he pointed out that “I personally believe that here in South Africa, with all our diversities of colour and race, we will show the world a new pattern for democracy.”
In this way, he addressed the complex issue of national identity beyond race, and espoused the ideal that South Africa should be a country where everyone feels at home.
Because of his work, he was granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960, and became the first African to receive this honour.
But, in his modesty, he saw the South African struggle as part of contributing towards world peace, and acknowledged that in fighting oppression and discrimination “we are serving our fellow men the world over”.
Luthuli’s contemporary at Adams College, Professor ZK Matthews, spoke of an African awakening. He said: “It is in the minds of Africans that revolutions which are rocking the foundations of African societies are taking place.”
In this way, through his words, we remember Pixley ka Isaka Seme’s 1906 call for “the regeneration of Africa”.
Nnamdi Azkiwe, the first president of Nigeria, also in 1937 spoke of a renascent Africa.
These words could equally describe Luthuli, who was the embodiment, the living spirit, of this idea – the gospel of service.
As we grapple with the radical transformation of the economy and implement the National Development Plan, let us do so inspired by the life of Chief Albert Luthuli.
He knew perhaps better than we do now that the road to social progress is always under construction.
He knew that we should travel this road armed with spirituality, freedom of thinking, regeneration, economic liberation and political consciousness.
These are the same tools we need today.
We need to carry that baton that the generations of Luthuli, Tambo, Mandela, Sisulu and others have bestowed on us. We need to be able to complete the work in building a truly equal and just society, where economic prosperity is not the preserve of a few, but benefits all.
Only in this way can we be true to the Freedom Charter that declares that “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white”. Only in this way can we say that we have learnt from Chief Albert Mvumbi Luthuli.
Because of this, we can say that we thank the Luthuli family for sharing their father and grandfather with us.
He made us see the unity of humankind. He gave us the freedom that comes from interaction with others.
And now in this living reality, we knuckle down and continue to construct the road which Chief Luthuli’s hands and others have started for us.
We accept the beauty of this birthright. We accept the obligations imposed upon us as new people of a new generation.
We pledge in this 20th anniversary of our freedom that we shall indeed show the world a new pattern of democracy.
The Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Lecture was held yesterday at the University of KwaZuluNatal’s Westville Campus.