Salma Krafessi
Jihane Bouabid
Ghita Benayad
Fighting to End Apartheid
Due: by 23:55, 15 April 2022
In a response of at least 500 words, answer the following question. Make sure to use evidence
from the sources to justify your answers.
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Both the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) and Steve Biko both
understand and view Apartheid through binaries.
The ANCYL uses the phrase ‘race destiny’ and Biko sees Apartheid as a conflict ‘of race
on the one side and of ideals on the other’.
What is meant by these phrases and why do you think both sources approach Apartheid
through the use of such binaries?
In south Africa, Apartheid is a political system where people are discriminated based on
binaries; such as race and gender, class and ethnicity. Indeed, Steve Biko insisted that blacks live
in fear; he said: “The black community lives in absolute fear”. Fearing the police and the
government in general is expected and anticipated from any African since there are hundreds of
laws. Therefore, “no average black man can ever at any moment be absolutely sure that he is not
breaking a law”. We can clearly see the role that binaries play in Apartheid; policemen or people
“known for their grace” can sometimes slap and torture black people. The goal of the white men
is to foist themselves and “to perpetuate the "super-race" image of the white man, if not
intellectually, at least in terms of force”. Some Africans were fighting for their freedom; thus,
making them respect their colonists was nearly impossible. However, the white men decided to
use violent methods; “If you cannot make a man respect you, then make him fear you”. On one
hand, white people know exactly the cruelties that they are making Blacks endure. On the other
hand, the fear inserted in Africans cannot be underestimated. As Steve Biko said: “Their state of
insecurity however does not outweigh their greed for power and wealth; hence they brace
themselves to react against this rage rather than to dispel it with open mindedness and fair play”.
Thus, the coalitions between Africans and Whites are out of question”. We can conclude that the
tripartite system of fear is an important factor in South Africa politics. The tripartite system is,
according to Biko, “white fearing the blacks, blacks fearing whites and the govern- ment fearing
blacks and wishing to allay the fear amongst whites”. In addition, the two segments of the
community (black and white people) live apart. Because of this system and the different lives of
the segments, it is unthinkable to establish any kind of rapport between them.
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) protested against Apartheid.
This Apartheid and discrimination have caused Africans poor and inferior living conditions. In
fact, the white race has dominated the black one. Europeans possess military, political and
economic strengths; thus, taking the land of south Africa has been one of the easiest tasks. The
Black race, on the other hand, “has been deprived of all security which may guarantee him an
independent pursuit of destiny or ensure his leading a free and unhampered life”; they had been
enslaved, tortured by the authority and discriminated on a daily basis. The majority of White
men believe that their dominance over the men of color is destinated; nevertheless, “The
harshness of their domination, however, is rousing in the African feelings of hatred of everything
that bars his way to full and free citizenship and these feelings can no longer be suppressed”.
Moreover, “The very Act of Union 2 itself established as a legal right the claim of the White man
to dominate the man of colour”. Indeed, Africans were not considered as citizens with rights;
they were considered “beggar at the gate”. In fact, Africans were seen as pitied homeless people
in their own land.
Since European colonization, race and ethnicity have been and continue to be at the
center of South African history, politics, society, and economics. South Africa is still a
complicated melting pot of many races, cultural identities, languages, and ethnic ties. Indeed,
The ANC Youth League through its statement of policy admits that South Africa is standing on
the verge of a two-sided conflict, which mainly addresses a historical background of racial,
social, political and economic complications that have rose throughout the years between white
and black race, as stated here: " Race and ethnicity have been and still is at the heart of South
African history, politics, society and economy since the European colonisation." In reality,
History has brought upon the present world a predisposition, and has embedded deep into minds
of the white race this idea of ‘race destiny’ that supposedly is a rightful privilege over the black
race as demonstrated here : “The destiny of the White race to dominate the man of color”. These
differences and conflicts work against Africans. In other words, the white race is regarded as the
ruler and leader, while the others are expected to follow with their heads down. This resulted in
white people acquiring more than 87 percent of African land, as well as putting the African race
in an unequal position of inferiority and subjection in politics, the churches, industry, and trade.
As a result, race is a conflict that, on the one hand, stops the world from progressing and leaving
in peace.
On the other hand, it is a conflict of ideal such as the white race sees that power and
leadership are rightfully theirs to have as history had again. "When I turn on my radio, when I
hear that someone in the Pon doland forest was beaten and tor tured, I say that we have been lied
to: Hitler is not dead, when I turn on my radio, when I hear that so meone in jail slipped off a
piece of soap, fell and died I say that we have been lied to: Hitler is not dead, he is likely to be
found in Pretoria". This idea has rooted unconsciously in the minds around the world, and
transformed as an undisputable skin deep logic, specifically South Africa by putting the black
race out of the spot in the church, the industry, the state… All for one purpose: “the African will
never menace White domination”.
This approach with such binaries is the result of because as said before, history
has been repeating itself with no apparent change, and it is high time both sides address this issue
directly, because in the end, history serves as a lesson and experience for future generation not to
repeat again. And accepting that this circle has no beneficial outcome as it did not before may
only be the start of a new era of reluctance of these two sides of conflict of race and ideal.