great song. I encountered the story while helping a professor to organize a conference of African writers at Howard University. I had forgotten that brain damage was involved though. I don't know how well known the story is here for most people.
Dana On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 22:25:48 -0600, Gruss Gott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > For some reason I found myself reminded of Biko today and, of course, > Peter Gabriel's excellent tribute to him. I looked up the story and > it still brings a tear to my eye. If you haven't heard it, I highly > suggest getting the MP3. > > Here's to Biko! > > Stephen Bantu (Steve Biko) > Founder and martyr of the Black Consciousness movement in South Africa > > Date of birth: 18 December 1946, King William's Town, Eastern Cape, South > Africa > Date of death: 12 September 1977, Pretoria prison cell, South Africa > > From an early age Steve Biko showed an interest in anti-Apartheid > politics. After being expelled from his first school, Lovedale, in the > Eastern Cape for 'anti-establishment' behaviour, he was transferred to > a Roman Catholic boarding school in Natal. From there he enrolled as a > student at the University of Natal Medical School (Black Section). > Whilst at medical school Biko became involved with the National Union > of South African Students (NUSAS). But the union was dominated by > white liberals and failed to represent the needs of black students, so > Biko resigned in 1969 and founded the South African Students' > Organisation (SASO). SASO was involved in providing legal aid and > medical clinics, as well as helping to develop cottage industries for > disadvantaged black communities. > > In 1972 Biko was one of the founders of the Black Peoples Convention > (BPC) working on social upliftment projects around Durban. The BPC > effectively brought together roughly 70 different black consciousness > groups and associations, such as the South African Student's Movement > (SASM), which played a significant role in the 1976 uprisings, the > National Association of Youth Organisations (NAYO), and the Black > Workers Project (BWP) which supported black workers whose unions were > not recognised under the Apartheid regime. Biko was elected as the > first president of the BPC and was promptly expelled from medical > school. He started working full time for the Black Community Programme > (BCP) in Durban which he also helped found. > > In 1973 Steve Biko was 'banned' by the Apartheid government. Under the > 'ban' Biko was restricted to his home town of Kings William's Town in > the Eastern Cape � he could no longer support the BCP in Durban, but > was able to continue working for the BPC � he helped set up the Zimele > Trust Fund which assisted political prisoners and their families. > (Biko was elected Honorary President of the BPC in January 1977.) > > Biko was detained and interrogated four times between August 1975 and > September 1977 under Apartheid era anti-terrorism legislation. On 21 > August 1977 Biko was detained by the Eastern Cape security police and > held in Port Elizabeth. From the Walmer police cells he was taken for > interrogation at the security police headquarters. On 7 September > "Biko sustained a head injury during interrogation, after which he > acted strangely and was uncooperative. The doctors who examined him > (naked, lying on a mat and manacled to a metal grille) initially > disregarded overt signs of neurological injury."1 > > By 11 September Biko had slipped into a continual, semi-conscious > state and the police physician recommended a transfer to hospital. > Biko was, however, transported 1,200 km to Pretoria � a 12-hour > journey which he made lying naked in the back of a Land Rover. A few > hours later, on 12 September, alone and still naked, lying on the > floor of a cell in the Pretoria Central Prison, Biko died from brain > damage. > > The South African Minister of Justice, James (Jimmy) Kruger initially > suggested Biko had died of a hunger-strike and said that his death > "left him cold". The hunger strike story was dropped after local and > international media pressure, especially from Donald Woods, the editor > of the East London Daily Dispatch. It was revealed in the inquest that > Biko had died of brain damage, but the magistrate failed to find > anyone responsible, ruling that Biko had died as a result of injuries > sustained during a scuffle with security police whilst in detention. > > The brutal circumstances of Biko's death caused a worldwide outcry and > he became a martyr and symbol of black resistance to the oppressive > Apartheid regime. As a result, the South African government banned a > number of individuals (including Donald Woods) and organisations, > especially those Black Consciousness groups closely associatiated with > Biko. The United Nations Security Council responded by finally > imposing an arms embargo against South Africa. > > Biko's family sued the state for damages in 1979 and settled out of > court for R65,000 (then equivalent to $25,000). > > The three doctors connected with Biko's case were initially exonerated > by the South African Medical Disciplinary Committee. It was not until > a second enquiry in 1985, eight years after Biko's death, that any > action was taken against them. The police officers responsible for > Biko's death applied for amnesty during the Truth and Reconciliation > Commission hearings which sat in Port Elizabeth in 1997. The Biko > family did not ask the Commission to make a finding on his death. > > "The Commission finds that the death in detention of Mr Stephen > Bantu Biko on 12 September 1977 was a gross human rights violation. > Magistrate Marthinus Prins found that the members of the SAP were not > implicated in his death. The magistrate's finding contributed to the > creation of a culture of impunity in the SAP. Despite the inquest > finding no person responsible for his death, the Commission finds > that, in view of the fact that Biko died in the custody of law > enforcement officials, the probabilities are that he died as a result > of injuries sustained during his detention."1 > > 1. From the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa > report, published by Macmillan, March 1999. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:151865 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
