h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It is incredible what looking at a filmclip of an event thirty years ago can do to one's memory.

Thirty years ago, my younger son and I travelled to Johannesburg from Cape Town - a distance of some fifteen hundred miles, in order to meet my eldest son who was going to a meeting on the Witwatesrand.

I had completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Cape Town, and had spent a year reading Political Philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch before deciding that I wanted to continue my academic studies in Sociology.

I was not sure in what area I would do it, so when I was in Johannesburg I looked up some school friends who ran a nursery school for African children in Soweto. One of my friend offered to take me there to see how they were run, and so June 16th 1976 found us, at 9 a.m., in Soweto.

I commented on the large number of school children walking along the roads, and said

"Why are there so many children walking in the road. Surely they should be in school?"

She replied that there was a school boycott on. We, in Cape Town, had heard about the boycott, but it was not as widespread where we lived. The reason for this boycott was extremely important, and in view of the fact that this boycott has had such far reaching effects on the emancipation of the African in South Africa it might be worth while approaching the reason from a phenomenological approach.

A few points, therefore, need to be clarified. Education, (like every other form of social activity in south Africa under legislated aparthed) was segregated. This meant that the African schoolchildren attended African schools, which were situated in the areas set aside for for Africans. They were taught by African teachers. However, up until then they had been taught either in English or in Afrikaans (the language of the ruling Nationalist Party and developed over the years from a mixture of Hollands and German.)

In the H.F. Verwoerd Buildingl where my new department of Sociology was situated, there was an entire floor set aside for the development of Afrikaans as a language and there were numerous staff employed in developng new words for this new language. To test the truth of this statement all that one need do is to look at the size of the Afrikaans dictionary during the WW2 and size of it thirty years later.The new legislation ruled that English could no longer be used in African schools. The African schoolchild had to be taught either in his/her mother-tongue or in Afrikaans.

The State knew what it was doing. The full impolication of this new legislation was immediately apparent to the schoolchildren of SowetoIf you were going to be taught in your mother tongue there had to be the necessary vocabulary available for the words used in both Mathematics and Science. Patently this was impossible. If you were going to be taught in Afrikaans a rather more subtle distinction applied. As the University system was segregated it was highly improbable that any African Teachers had graduated in either Mathematics or Science, in Afrikaans. If there were any, the numbers would have been infinitesimal and far less than this education -humgry group of scholars required.

So the schoolchildrenn of Sowetp decided to boycott their schools until the government changed the system.

On this particular day, for whatever reason, the police decided to try and force the children to attend school. As a result the first schoolchild was shot - a young boy called Hector Pietersen. This act brought back the pain and horror I felt when I first saw that tragic picture.

My friend and I had continued on our way and got to the church where the nursery school was held and where I had been invited to attend a meeting of the parents. At about noon a very agitated messenger rushed in and said to all of us at the meeting

"The white people must go. They must leave immediately. The police are here and are shooting people"

On reflection it was an extremely brave act which this person did - to come and warn the white people to leave, although they knew the police were shooting with live ammuniation.

My friend and I left and I remember that the car in front of us turned right (and ran into the full gamut of the demonstration and reaction of the police to the boycotting students) whilst we turned left. We got out of Soweto very easily. That evening the newspapers were ful of what had happened. But I do not think that I realised how many schoolchildren had been killed until I saw the documentary last week.

This is just a brief account of a moment when the full tragedy of the apartheid ideology was implemented.

I do think that the fact that the transfer from apartheid to a democratic society was due, not only to these Soweto children who realised what was being done to them by denying them access to education, but also to the leaders in South African - both political and religious.

President Nelson (Rohihlahla)Mandela and Archibishop Desmond and Leah Tutu all played an incomparable role in helping the transition.
Lessons could be learnt from the way they effected the change.

NB This journal entry has been written as a thank you for Gnoman. He has exhibited such kindess and support to an old lady who had problems with the vagaries of the new technology.
His stimulating articles are an inspiration and I am so pleased that he has decided to continue on this website, carrying on the vision and inspiration of our founder
Douglas Noel Adams.

Wow. To read the memories of a first hand witness. I am awed. Thanks!

silence

plays Peter Gabriel's song about Steven Biko who was brave man fought against apartheid and lost his his life (12 September 1977). Donald Woods, a friend and journatist wrote a book about Steven Biko, to get book published he had flee his own South Africa. the book is made into impresive movie "cry freedom". in the movie is the Soweto rising shown as sign of aparheid.

Steve Biko Foundation
http://www.sbf.org.za/

Thank-you for writing this Christiane, it is wonderful to hear a first-hand account and makes me thankful again that this clunky old website allows me to 'meet' people from such a startling range of backgrounds

Thank you Milla,
Don't be awed. I am sure that all of you would have done the same

Christiane AR1

Very dear pheloxi,

When I wrote the first draft of this I talked about having heard Steve Biko speaking to us at UCT. I then decided that the draft was too personal, and too subjective, and that I had to try and write it from a detached point of view (tres difficile!!)

So I hope tht IF I ever get to write an autobiography, all the wonderfulnpeople I have met in my life will be remembered with affection and love.

With much affection to you, who do so much to fight for justice and peace.

Christiane AR1

Dearest Kelli,

That is what I think is the wonderful strength of this website. and we owe it to DNA, who had the vision to see how it could bring the peoples of the world together.

That is one of the reasons I was so upst when Gnoman had had enough. And why I was so pleased when he returned. Dialogue and sharing are the two things that can bring this war ravaged earth of ours together. Even if we disagree with someone, on this website we should at least be able to debate and argue our case without being vituperative and horrid.

And be able to say sorry when we are wrong!!

How are you my ? Bearing up I hope.

Christiane AlsoRan1

we have remember the agaist their will heroes against apartheid and injustice.

Hi Christiane,

Really fascinating account. I can see why your emotions have been stirred.

What happened to the car that turned right?

o/±

Christiane,

Thank you for this journal. I do hope you will write more. There is nothing like a first hand account to bring home what it was really like. Incidentally I don't think there is anything wrong with being personal and subjective, it brings it so much more alive.

I do hope you can tell us more without exhausting or upsetting yourself. Dredging up past lives can be painful, and some things are best forgotten, but in your case I think it is of historical importance that it is recorded. The more personal accounts there are the better we can understand.

After all, if we had only journalists to rely on, who had often been restricted in what they could write or say, then we wouldn't know nearly as much about our history as we do.

Thank you for sharing this with us.



Websailor

Thank you ZSF and Websailor for your kind comments.

I would find it much easier to write subjectively if I was answering questions. It must be remembered that we were working in an extremely repressive society. For instance, no white person was allowed to go into an African township without a permit. Both my friend and I did not apply for permits - and neither of us ever did. But we were breaking the law by refusing to apply for one.

ZSF - the car whose driver turned right ran into the middle of the melee. That night on the local TV one of the white women occupants of the car was interviewed and I shall always remember her cry

"T'm English!L'm English" Please don't hurt me"

One never knows how one is going to react in a situation. I think that it is vital for all those who campaign and fight against injustice to remember two things.

1. Know as much as you can possibly find out about the cause you are defending.
2. Be prepared to take the consequences for defending it no matter what they are.

I can remember a friend of mine who worked with me at the SAIRR saying to me, when I was saying how frightened I was about going to do an interview with some African people who were on strike. At that period I was being followed by members of the special Branch wherever I went to interview people for my investigation into the causes of the strike.

"Kim" (I had a nickname which my late husband had given me) "If you are frightened, and not prepared to take the consequences, give up the struggle now.".

Well I didn't give up, but I was always careful not to place myself in a position when I could have been coerced into giving away information. I guess I am a coward at heart, but as I cannot stand injustice of any kind feel I invariably feel obliged to try and do something about it.

Pheloxi has give us the thread of the Steve Biko Foundation. I think I shall probably write about hearing him lecture to us when I was a student at UCT next.

Must now Today is a busy day, trying to fight injustices with regard to mental illness!!.

Christiane AR1

AR1 I am glad you wrote this first hand account.
It is important for others to know how close they are to people whom have experienced being a witness. It is important for the witness to tell.


This is far less violent event but part of what I have been noticing.

I am fascinated lately by the young protesting. I wonder if it is newer to the social experience or if it has always been so. At first I saw faces in the crowds of poorer countries were mostly school age but not in school. I realise general health, little work, and wars leave fewer adults in general. in many countries.

Then it happened in America.
The children started the marches over immigration issues, environment. They are often the ones most affected by fears. They know it will only be worse later if something is not done.

The children living in one home with different status in several generations of relatives. Some fear and know ( have been) they could be sent back to a country and people and language they have never known, orphans in a strange country who does not want them.

Some know they might stay but loose the family around them. We want them to be educated , speak English but there is no hope of that or going onto college if they are not in the *right circumstances. What will that mean in the next generation? The children walking out of the schools in protest of the immigration policies are wise to the future if the wrongs are not righted.

The children keep needs simple. Wise.
The minimum requirements for a healthy society become apparent rather young.

This is a wonderful journal entry. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Education is such a powerful tool. Unfortunately it is still being misused in some parts of the world.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to say that the brave children of Soweto were the last group of children to suffer persecution? But, echoing what abbi said, fortunately they aren't the last ones to embrace a cause and stand up for their beliefs.

Thanks again, Christiane. You have inspired all of us.