| Monday, January 16, 2006 |
| BIKO |
There was a little advert for the African Nations Cup on TV last night. They asked a load of people who they thought was the most famous African. Unsurprisingly Nelson Mandela was the person that most people mentioned. Everyone knows Mandela's story, Non-violent and then armed struggle and eventually ending up as President.
There is another South African activist who doesn't ever seem to get as much publicity. Steve Biko was killed in police custody in 1977. The police said this was due to a hunger strike but Biko had massive head injuries. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission said that...
"Biko sustained a head injury during interrogation on 7 September 1977, after which he acted strangely and was unco-operative. The doctors who examined him (naked, lying on a mat and manacled to a metal grille) initially disregarded overt signs of neurological injury." I just want to give you some of his more inspiational quotes....
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." Speech in Cape Town, 1971
"It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realize that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality."
"The system concedes nothing without demand, for it formulates its very method of operation on the basis that the ignorant will yearn to know, the child will grow into an adult and therefore demands will begin to be made. It gears itself to resist demands in whatever way it sees fit."
In "The Quest for a True Humanity"
"The power of a movement lies in the fact that it can indeed change the habits of people. This change is not the result of force but of dedication, of moral persuasion."
"To get to the right answers, we must ask the right questions; we have to find out what went wrong -where and when; and we have to find out whether our position is a deliberate creation of God or an artificial fabrication of the truth by power-hungry people whose motive is authority, security, wealth and comfort."
There is a film about him called 'Cry Freedom' , which I have not seen. If you have, is it any good?
Oh and please join my guest map (down the right hand side).
UPDATE
With regard to some of the last posts and all the comments I would like to encourage everyone to have a look at this excellent little film (about 3 minutes long). Thanks to Nolff. |
posted by michael the tubthumper @ 10:36 am  |
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| 10 Comments: |
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Yeah, can I throw in Desmond Tutu. Not at all the same stature or activity, but I have seen him interviewed a number of times, and he is the most peaceful man I have ever heard. I walk away feeling that strange giddiness that I get hearing the Dalai Lama speak.
Also, let's throw in Nigerian Ken Sarowiwa(I think that's the spelling) who was killed fighting the government and Shell oil.
Mike
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i mentioned Saro-wiwa a few posts ago ('Oily Customers'). i actually met his son once too.
i find the dalai lama sometimes is not the full article. Tutu is a funny when he gets excited.
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I'll have to check out the links later on, but I have seen Cry Freedom, many years ago now. It's a pretty good film, providing your expectations are not too high in regards to full contextual accuracy. Denzel Washington is a good actor in my opinion so it makes for compelling viewing.
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biko is a pretty good film considering, the time it was made. Land of my birth if he had lived the place would have been such a better place. I won't get into an arguement about Mandela, but he is certainly not the saint personified. And Mbeke there are things I would say about him but I wouldn't want to use such language on your blog, I'll keep my potty mouth back at my place
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'Cry Freedom' is a good film but in order to appeal to mass audiences the story focus is on the white guy (Donald Woods, played by Kevin Kline) who befriended Biko. Denzel Washington is good as Biko, but it's essentially a supporting role.
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Regarding the Update section. I just saw Eugene Jarecki on the Daily Show plugging his new movie, Why We Fight.
It looks interesting
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/main.html
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peaky, i have no love for thabo mbeki either and i think you are right that mandela is not quite who he is made out to be.
binty, your right too. that happens all the time
graeme - 'why we fight' (not the frank capra one, the recent new one) is an excellent film , download it for free here
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I love your blog...enigma here..I have seen your comments over at watergatesummer and some other places, so I am glad I wandered here....you mentioned Biko- no one ever talks about him...and you even have some of his best quotes....Peter Gabriel's song for him is the best and ( Dec2003) there was a Mandela Concert for AIDS taped and played at Christmas time and Peter Gabriel sang it...and there was 1000's just standing with their fists up listening to him swaying ...it was the most moving thing I have ever seen....I might have to blog roll you if you don't mind...come back over to watergatesummer anytime...
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Name: michael the tubthumper
Home: Glasgow, Scotland
About Me: Tub-Thumper - 1. A speaker or preacher who for emphasis thumps the pulpit; a violent or declamatory preacher or orator; a ranter. This blog will be a combination of reasoned posting somedays and an occasional rant.
28 years old, I write and research for a couple of websites and also do my own stuff.
See my complete profile
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| Thumping The Tub Video |
I have made a few short movies. Here are links to free downloads for them all in the order that I made them (as far as I can remember). Please feel free to use, distribute, disagree with, shout at etc etc
Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammunition
This was a REAL song from World War 2. I was so stunned by it I had to make a movie
How Far Is It From Here to Nuremberg
This is my attempt at a video for the excellent, if worrying, David Rovics (see links) song
What You Like
I believe the word for this is "splenetic". Only 20 seconds long.
Imperial Measures
What is going on in Iraq? Some things you knew, some you didn't. A couple of bits of info are out of date now.
Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here is a 6 minute film about the unprecendted rate of animal extinction we are currently experiencing
Gorillas and us
I don't like creationism, neither did Douglas Adams
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U.S. MONETARY Cost of the War in Iraq - other people are spending too, and the human cost is much higher
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| some of the blogs I look at |
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| Arse of the month |
The inaugural 'Arse of the month' award goes to our very own Scottish First Minister Jack (Joke) McConnell. He seems to spend a lot of his time sucking up to english politicians and yet it appears they don't even know his name. Follow the link to see..
NODOBY KNOWS ME
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| It's All Gone Scottish |
A list of some other Scottish sites and blogs most of which, if not all, are pro-independence. I don't agree with content on all of them obviously. Some are Scots at home, others abroad.
The Scottish Patient
Kim Ayres
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1820
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politics and the english language
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the gore exception
your tax dollars at work
a cultural chernobyl
choose life (not trainspotting)
shooting an elephant
a war crime within a war crime...
the menace of liberal scholarship
the modern era of law
naming the problem
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come september
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countering corporate power
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