KENOSI MOSALAKAE | Forget pettiness of glamour and recall Biko's teachings

The most tragic thing to have ever happened to African people, especially in this country, is the widespread internalisation of the fraudulent history that dissociates them from a core belief in their worth. This has left them with a mindset that does not allow them to have self-actualisation  foremost in their minds.

All over the world people are glued together by an absolute commitment to a shared belief that usually defines their standing as human beings. All religious faiths and economic systems are nothing else but how those people define themselves and a framework for how they are to live their lives. Essentially, they are bound by beliefs that inspire them in the pursuit of progress.

Most of the “revolutions” in the world were led by people who wanted to shape society in the frame of the thoughts they had generated. They believed in the ability of such thoughts to take society to a higher level. SA was no different. The real “struggle” was driven by thoughts of real African intellectuals.

These have been expressed in numerous writings and books. Strangely, tons of books have been written by African intellectuals all over the world in attempts to assist Africans to understand themselves and be able to map the way to their prosperity. But these books seem to be read only for entertainment. Africans have no commitment to any belief that is their own and that is meant for their own progress. This is the missing key that could release them from a programmed mindset and infuse them with a sense of purpose to prioritise and be effective in uplifting their communities.

Instead, they are seduced by glamour. They attach too much importance to material possessions and only see value in materialism as opposed to the pursuit of excellence. That is why individuals with low IQs or who lack moral fibre are their greatest heroes simply because they are surrounded by the trappings of power and material possessions. They are therefore bound by retrogressive norms that go a long way to inducing a tolerance for mediocrity and unethical behaviour.

They have minimal sense of their own history, of the value of self-reliance, of the work ethic, of pride in the self, of self-confidence and intellectual pursuits.  I doubt you can find any educated person in the US who has never heard of John Kennedy, yet in SA you can find African graduates who have never heard of Robert Sobukwe. Right now it is September, the month in which the most impactful death that commenced the downward spiral of the apartheid system happened and yet most will not spend a second to reflect on it. I am referring to the death of Steve Biko, which happened today in 1977, which was followed by the eradication of what the press termed “petty apartheid”.

The importance of Biko’s death is downplayed in the commonly punted narrative and most Africans unashamedly imbibe this without a second thought.  

But the worst thing is to forget what Biko said, which is even more relevant in today’s society. He said: “It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realise that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality. The first step, therefore, is to make the black man come to himself; to pump back life into his empty shell; to infuse him with pride and dignity, to remind him of his complicity in the crime of allowing himself to be misused and therefore letting evil reign supreme in the country of his birth.”

Societies that make progress in the world do not ignore the teachings of their own philosophers.

Rest in peace Steve, you left us pearls. It is up to us to be swine or not. As you said: “It is better to die for an idea that will live than to live for an idea that will die.” 

You died for ideas that will NEVER die.

* Dr Mosalakae is a Sowetan reader