SANJANA VINOD
CHALLENGE OF BLACK CONCIOUSNESS TO THE
APARTHEID STATE
NATURE & AIMS OF BC
● Effective resistance - against apartheid - crushed - early 1960s.
● Suppression - feelings of hopelessness + apathy - those - oppressed.
● BC - philosophy - Steve Biko - 1968 - founder of SA’s first blacks only student
org.
○ It’s ideas - inspired renewal of anti-apartheid struggle.
○ Aimed - conscientise black people + instil self-worth + confidence.
○ It wasn’t anti-white - but believed - blacks only orgs - no white
influence + no support from them.
○ Encouraged to take pride in black culture + free mindset of white
superiority + black inferiority.
○ Empowered - confront the apartheid regime.
● Not political or armed struggle - instead - BC aimed to free people
psychologically from oppressive racist system - physically overthrow the
regime.
● Origins:
○ Based on many ideas - various African nationalist movements -
promoted black pride + power.
■ Movements: pan-Africanism, Negritude movement + BPM in the
USA.
PAN-AFRICANISM:
● Roots in the US + West Indies
● Called for - union - all Africans + those of African descent.
● Created - solidarity + unity - contributed - decolonisation of Africa.
● SA’s - embraced pan-africanism:
○ Anton Lembede - president of ANCYL - pioneered black nationalism in
SA
○ Robert Sobukwe - broke away from the ANC - formed Pan-Africanist
Congress in 1959
■ Africans - liberate themselves - without any foreign influence
, SANJANA VINOD
NEGRITUDE MOVEMENT:
● Ideological + literary movement by black intellectuals - experiences
discrimination n+ alienation @ uni in Paris.
○ Students - french colonies - Africa + West Indies - rejected colonial
attitudes - defined black culture - univ resale black values + black
self-expression.
● Steve Biko - ideas from these members in the NM;
○ Aimé Césaire - colonialism disrupted history of Africa, destroyed African
economy + brainwashed Africans - inferior.
○ Franz Fanon - inspired liberation struggles - oppressed need to liberate
their minds + embrace their culture + values.
BPM:
● Panthers - set-up - schemes - black neighbourhoods - provide the poor -
education + healthcare.
● BCM - influenced by BPM
○ Malcom X - AA - proud of who they were + liberate themselves without
help of sympathetic whites.
AIMS & IDEAS OF BC:
● Main goals - restore people’s pride in being black + African
● Way in which goals achieved:
○ Term: non-white - rejected for black
○ Blackness - positive concept of identity + included Indians + coloureds.
○ Encouraged to take pride in culture + heritage.
● BC:
○ Stressed cooperation between black + white - only begin after Africans -
achieved psychological + physical freedom - feelings of inferiority.
○ Self-reliance - key in BC thinking.
○ By building sustainable orgs @ comm level - BC leaders - hoped to end
black dependency on whites.
○ BC - not anti-white but pro-black.
CHALLENGE OF BLACK CONCIOUSNESS TO THE
APARTHEID STATE
NATURE & AIMS OF BC
● Effective resistance - against apartheid - crushed - early 1960s.
● Suppression - feelings of hopelessness + apathy - those - oppressed.
● BC - philosophy - Steve Biko - 1968 - founder of SA’s first blacks only student
org.
○ It’s ideas - inspired renewal of anti-apartheid struggle.
○ Aimed - conscientise black people + instil self-worth + confidence.
○ It wasn’t anti-white - but believed - blacks only orgs - no white
influence + no support from them.
○ Encouraged to take pride in black culture + free mindset of white
superiority + black inferiority.
○ Empowered - confront the apartheid regime.
● Not political or armed struggle - instead - BC aimed to free people
psychologically from oppressive racist system - physically overthrow the
regime.
● Origins:
○ Based on many ideas - various African nationalist movements -
promoted black pride + power.
■ Movements: pan-Africanism, Negritude movement + BPM in the
USA.
PAN-AFRICANISM:
● Roots in the US + West Indies
● Called for - union - all Africans + those of African descent.
● Created - solidarity + unity - contributed - decolonisation of Africa.
● SA’s - embraced pan-africanism:
○ Anton Lembede - president of ANCYL - pioneered black nationalism in
SA
○ Robert Sobukwe - broke away from the ANC - formed Pan-Africanist
Congress in 1959
■ Africans - liberate themselves - without any foreign influence
, SANJANA VINOD
NEGRITUDE MOVEMENT:
● Ideological + literary movement by black intellectuals - experiences
discrimination n+ alienation @ uni in Paris.
○ Students - french colonies - Africa + West Indies - rejected colonial
attitudes - defined black culture - univ resale black values + black
self-expression.
● Steve Biko - ideas from these members in the NM;
○ Aimé Césaire - colonialism disrupted history of Africa, destroyed African
economy + brainwashed Africans - inferior.
○ Franz Fanon - inspired liberation struggles - oppressed need to liberate
their minds + embrace their culture + values.
BPM:
● Panthers - set-up - schemes - black neighbourhoods - provide the poor -
education + healthcare.
● BCM - influenced by BPM
○ Malcom X - AA - proud of who they were + liberate themselves without
help of sympathetic whites.
AIMS & IDEAS OF BC:
● Main goals - restore people’s pride in being black + African
● Way in which goals achieved:
○ Term: non-white - rejected for black
○ Blackness - positive concept of identity + included Indians + coloureds.
○ Encouraged to take pride in culture + heritage.
● BC:
○ Stressed cooperation between black + white - only begin after Africans -
achieved psychological + physical freedom - feelings of inferiority.
○ Self-reliance - key in BC thinking.
○ By building sustainable orgs @ comm level - BC leaders - hoped to end
black dependency on whites.
○ BC - not anti-white but pro-black.
