Cape of Storms:
LAND OF HOPE
Bright Freedom
PROGRAMME LENGTH
1 hour
SCREENING DETAILS
Monday 27th April at 9.30am EST/ NZ
This program’s main focus is relations between black and white South Africans in the
Twentieth Century. It explores Apartheid and the struggle against segregation.
There is an overview of industrial development and the impact of world depression
before WW2. The post WW2 doctrine of Apartheid and the resistance and eventual
success of the ANC are featured.
This is an overview that could effectively introduce a study of Twentieth Century
South African History. It could also be a valuable starting point for a series of case
Studies of Apartheid, the ANC, Nelson Mandela and Racism.
Dr Denis Mootz
STAYING FOCUSED.
This is the data collection stage of the activity.
The detailed questioning is designed to ensure that students decode the visual and aural materials
presented to them in the video.
The video programs can be stopped at the end of each section. This will allow students to share and
discuss answers.
Introduction.
Note the description of South Africa as seen by Europeans.
Note the description of its “History”.
Act 1.
What was the central issue of the 20th century for South Africa?
Note the situation of Walter Sisulu in 1927.
Note the details of Hilda and Rusty Bernstein.
What was the only point British and Boers agreed on when forming the Union of South Africa?
Why is Johannesburg mostly English speaking in the 1920s? Result?
Why was Johannesburg a “boom town”?
Note the resources available near Johannesburg.
What was the source of cheap labour? Result?
Why was technology and labour so necessary? Result?
How were conditions for labourers determined? Result?
What argument was used to pay black miners less? Result? Implications?
Where did Walter Sisulu find work in Johannesburg? Result?
Note the impact of the Great Depression.
What was the main problem of the late1920s?
How was the “poor white’ problem dealt with by government? Result?
Note the national welfare system. Result?
Why did ‘unrest’ grow among the black population? Result?
Note the origins of the African National Congress (ANC).
Why was Gandhi a ‘role model’ for the ANC? Result?
Note the role of the Indians in South Africa. Result?
Why did Gandhi move to Johannesburg? Result?
Note the details of the Resident’s Permit”. Implications? Result?
How did Gandhi respond to the “General Pass” legislation? Result?
What was celebrated in South Africa in 1938? Implications? Result?
Who were the Boers?
What did they believe?
Why did the outbreak of WW2 intensify events in South Africa?
Note the details of “Ox Wagon” organisation. Implications?
By what means did the Bernstein’s oppose racism in South Africa?
Note Lionel’s decision in 1939.
Note Hilda’s work on the Johannesburg City Council.
Note Toni Strasburg’s description of her mother, Hilda Bernstein.
Where did Walter Sisulu meet Nelson Mandela? Result?
What catastrophe occurred in South Africa in 1948? Result?
Note the ‘boast’ of the Boer leader Daniel Malan. Implications? Result?
What legislation made “segregation” legal and systematic?
Note Luli Callinicos’s comments on the “Population Registration Act”. Result?
Note PM Hendrik Verwoerd’s explanation of “Apartheid”. Implications?
How was “good neighbourliness” enacted? Result?
Act 2.
What was the intention of introducing a “Pass” for all black South Africans? Result?
Note what black South Africans called this “Pass”.
Note the result of not carrying the “Pass”.
How did the ANC respond to the issue of the “Pass”?
What was Sisulu’s stance on this issue? Result?
How were non-whites driven out of the cities? Result?
Note the “homeland” areas “reserved” for non-whites. Result?
Note the description of life in the “country”.
Why did whites living in the city know little about life in the country?
Note the ‘secret’ work of the Bernsteins. Implications? Result?
Note details of the “Defiance Campaign”. Result?
Note Luli Callinicos’s comments on defiance.
Note Walter Sisulu’s actions of defiance in 1952. Result?
Note details of the 1955 “Congress of the People”. Result?
What did the “Freedom Charter” claim? Result?
Note how the discrimination operated in the prison.
Note how Sisulu and Mandela reacted to their imprisonment.
What action was taken against the Bernsteins? Result?
Note Toni Strasburg’s comments on growing up in South Africa in “those days”.
Note the description of the thriving African urban cultural “scene” in Sophiatown.
Note how the government responded. Result?
Act 3.
Note how the policy of “Forced Removal” was applied across South Africa. Result?
What happened to District Six in Cape Town? Why? Result?
How else were Africans divided other than by “colour”? Result?
Note conditions in Soweto. Result?
Note events at Sharpesville in 1961. Result? Implications?
Why was a state of emergency declared?
Note the origin of “The Spear of the Nation”.
What was its aim? Result?
What was Walter Sisulu’s situation at this time? Result?
How was the South African economy fairing at this time?
Why were profits so high?
How did the ANC continue its fight at this time? Result?
What were the consequences of the arrests of ANC leaders on 11 July 1963?
What were the charges at the Rivonia Trial? Result?
Note details of imprisonment on Robben Island.
How did the prisoners manage to survive the conditions?
What ‘system’ did the prisoners impose in the prison? Result?
Note the fate of the resistance leaders.
Act 4.
How did other countries regard South Africa?
What were conditions like in the “streets”?
Note the rise of “Black Consciousness”. Result?
Why was there a general outcry and uprising in 1976? Result?
How did the international community react?
Why did South Africa become bankrupt?
Why were young people opposed to the regime?
Note President De Klerk’s decision in February 1990. Result?
How did some “whites” respond? Implications? Result?
What was the result of the first “free” elections in South Africa in 1994?
Note the work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the “Truth Commission”. Implications?
Result?
EXTENSIONS.
Useful, interesting, challenging, books, sources and websites will provide materials to supplement and
complement the History presented in the video program.
The data collected here should be used in the notemaking below.
Some useful Internet sites:
South Africa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Africa
http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/history.htm#.VSRNKrr-efQ
http://www.sahistory.org.za
Union of South Africa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_Africa
http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/union-south-africa-1910
http://africanhistory.about.com/od/southafrica/a/UnionSA.htm
http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/521106.htm#.VSRNobr-efQ
Boers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Dutch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaner
http://www.wmbr.org.za
(Use with care) http://www.boervolkradio.co.za/who_are_the_boers.php
http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h37-af7.htm
“Ox Wagon”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossewabrandwag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaner_Broederbond
Gandhi: http://gandhi.southafrica.net
http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/gandhi070609.htm#.VSRJD7r-efQ
Apartheid: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_laws
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantustan
http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-separate-development-south-africa
http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/apartheid-and-reactions-it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/apartheid/
http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Apartheid.html
http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/resources
http://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/index.php
Daniel Malan: http://www.biography.com/people/daniel-f-malan-38713
Hendrik Verwoerd: http://biography.yourdictionary.com/hendrik-frensch-verwoerd
ANC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_National_Congress
http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=206
http://www.sahistory.org.za/organisations/african-national-congress-anc
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21564829-it-has-made-progress-becoming-full-democracy-1994failure-leadership-means
Walter Sisulu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Sisulu
http://www.anc.org.za/list_by.php?by=Walter%20Sisulu
Hilda and Lionel Bernstein: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_Bernstein
http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/hilda-bernstein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Bernstein
http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/lionel-rusty-bernstein
Defiance Campaign: http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/defiance-campaign-1952
http://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/multimedia.php?id=65-259-9
Forced Removal: http://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/multimedia.php?id=65-259-6
Soweto: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soweto
http://www.southafrica.info/travel/cities/soweto.htm#.VSRYFLr-efQ
Sharpesville: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville_massacre
Spear of the Nation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umkhonto_we_Sizwe
http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/umkhonto-wesizwe-mk
Black consciousness: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Consciousness_Movement
Nelson Mandela: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
http://www.anc.org.za/list_by.php?by=Nelson%20Mandela
F.W. de Klerk: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._W._de_Klerk
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/31/nelson-mandela-de-klerk-apartheid
NOTEMAKING.
This is the collation stage of the activity. Students need to organise the field of information and begin to
explore its context.
Directions and /or Inquiry questions are provided for notemaking / summary exercises that
will follow the viewing of the video.
The materials / data for the summaries have been collected above.
The activity could be done in teams, groups, or by individuals, or as a class with teacher direction.
1. Draw up a timeline / chronological chart of the events described and discussed in this program.
2. Note details of the development and formation of the country South Africa.
3. Note details of the Union of South Africa.
4. Note details of the Boer population and its political policies.
5. Note details of the post – WW2 policy of segregation.
6. Note details of the implementation of Apartheid.
7. Note details of the African National Congress (ANC).
8. Note details of resistance to Apartheid.
9. Note details of the anti-Apartheid leaders.
10. Note details of the events that lead to the end of the Apartheid regime.
ISSUES & INQUIRY.
Key issues and inquiry questions that have been raised by the video are addressed at this stage for
discussion and research.
1. Why didn’t passive resistance as practised by Gandhi work in non-white South Africans’
struggle against Apartheid?
2. How was an anti-white genocidal “blood bath” avoided in South Africa after 1990?
PROBLEMS of EVIDENCE.
Questions of reliability and validity of the perspectives, evidence and sources presented in the video
program need to be considered, tested and researched.
1. How much did white South Africans know about the conditions under which their non-white
fellow South Africans lived, and died during the majority of the Twentieth century?
2. Why did F. W. de Klerk decide it was ‘time’ to release Nelson Mandela in 1990?
COMMUNICATING.
The key issues and inquiry questions are potential topics for debate, essay writing, reports, historical
recount and explanation.
1. Write a REPORT on the ANC and its leaders.
2. Prepare notes (both sides) for a DEBATE of the proposition that
Passive resistance to injustice is preferable to violence and more likely to succeed.
3. Why did Apartheid fail in South Africa?