The book starts with how the Dutch East India Company sending Van Riebeeck to Africa to farm lettuce to cure scurvy.The Dutch thought they were the chosen people following Calvin's theological views.They used Bible quotes for their actions.
"For you are a people of holy unto the Lord!Thou shalt not be affrighted for the Lord thy God is among you..His angel fighting at your side!"
"Have I not commanded thee be strong and of good courage?... You Shall go into possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it."
"And I will give their kings into your hand and you shall make their name perish under the heaven."Van Riebeeck planted a double row of wild almond trees across the peninsula to protect his companions from hostile blacks, this was the first act of racial segregation, which latter grown into Apartheid.The Dutch gradually moved inner in searching of the Lord's chosen land, they fought bloody war with Zulus and was involved in a diplomatic battle with the English to control the land captured.This became the Great Trek.These trekkers gradually avoided the East India Company, to the envoy who came to claim the taxes, Hendrik Bidault replied fiercely "Be off with you! We are no longer Dutch but Afrikaners!". Thus the new tribe born- "Afrikaner".These God's chosen people started segregating the native blacks based on their skin color.
But the English did not like the idea of black slavery, so they decreed that Boers should work on their own and they also formed a tribunal called " Black Circuit Court " to hear the charges against employers.These made the friction between Boers and the British who started to control Boer's domain.In 1835, French Huguenots named Piet Retief sent a message addressed to British Crown to a newspaper in Cape:"We leave the colony with full assurance that the British Government expects nothing of us, and that in future it will allow us to govern ourselves without interference".With trek wagons christened "Freedom Wagons" they started their Great Trek to their promised land.
The Voortrekkers encountered many obstacles , first the fight against the mighty Zulus lead by King Shaka,then the Ndebele warriors ,wild animals and cruel weather,.after two hundred years Her Majesty's government recognized the independence of Orange Free State and South African Republic of Transvaal.The Boers desired to have their own identity and they created their own language "Afrikan".Unlike British who governed the other part of the Africa with thier own parliament and constitution where all people enjoyed the right to vote but the Boers decided other way round.Their founding text of Orange Free State said "Only Whites are citizens of the Republic" and Transvaal republic declares "The Nation recognizes no equality between whites and natives".
Then the book tells how the Diamond and Gold were found and how the Boers utilized these precious metals for their economic prosperity.Boer war between the British and the Boers which resulted in Boers subjected to Her Britannic Majesty.With the government change in England , the Boers were able to negotiate and got what they want,after the 1912 election, the excluded blacks from the national community by passing "Native Lands Act".They divided the entire nation into two , one for whites and other for blacks and others.
Although there were twelve times more black people than the white, they inherited only 7.3 percent of the total area of the countryThus they planted the idea of total segregation "Apartheid". On January 8,1912 Pixley Seme founded African National Congress(ANC) a nonracial and nonviolent movement for equality and liberty.To counter the growth of ANC, the Afrikaners' created a secret society called Broederbond(League of Brothers).The main aim of the league was to uplift the Boers from their poverty and create Afrikaner businesses.The people behind these league were Henning Klopper,Daniel Francois Malan and Hendrik Verword.They revitalized the Boer's spirit by organizing twelve hundred kilometers new trek which reminded the people of their incontrovertible right to the land bestowed upon them by God.
The remaining part of the books tells the cruel story of how the White government suppressed the blacks and other tribes.The whites gradually moved all the blacks from their land to the ghettos.The introduce many legislative acts like the blow ones to restrict the blacks in all sides.
Urban Areas Act
Immortality Act and the Prohibition of Mixed Marriage
Population Registration Act
Group Areas Act
Black Prohibition of Interdicts Act
The Bantu Education Act
Sabotage Act
*click here for full details Apartheid Legislation in South AfricaThey used a "moronic" way as author describes to find whether a girl was white or not.They placed a pencil
in the parting hair, if the girl belongs to the white race, the pencil would slip between the locks and fall to the ground.The difference between other books and this one is that Dominique instead of telling all the negative things happened , he shares the stories of human triumph like Helen Liberman and Christian Barnard and their work among the blacks.
Nelson Mandela, no words to explain, have to read his book "Long walk to Freedom". If anyone asks me to suggest a book about South African freedom struggle i will say "Read this book!".
Some info from the book:
District 6
Coon Carnival
Walter Sisulu
Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika - God bless Africa.
toyi-toyi
Wouter Basson-Dr.StrangeLove
466-64
Amandla - power
Erasmus and Louisa - the kids who found the diamond
Shebeens - clandestine bars
Wit baasskap - white spremacy
Asihambi - We are not moving
umkhonto we sizwe - the Spear of the nation"Eie Volk,Eie Taal, Eie Land" - Our own people,Our own language, Our own land
No comments:
Post a Comment