Steve Biko

**Bantu Stephen Biko** OMSG (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) be South African wey fight against apartheid (anti-apartheid). Na he mind dey follow African nationalist den African socialist. For de late 1960s den 1970s insyd, na Biko be de frontliner for one big anti-apartheid movement wey dem dey call Black Consciousness Movement. Na ein ideas be articulated insyd a series of articles he publish under de pseudonym **Frank Talk**.

Biko be Xhosa guy wey dem born for poor family insyd. Na he grow for one place dem dey call Ginsberg township for Eastern Cape. For 1966, he start dey learn medicine for University of Natal, wey der na he join National Union of South African Students (NUSAS). But Biko no dey like de way apartheid system dey do de one wey white people dey rule den separate demaselves from black people (racial segregation). Na he bore say NUSAS den oda groups wey dey fight apartheid, white people dey control dem pass, even though na black people de thing dey worry pass. Biko believe say de white liberals, even though dem mean well, dem no dey understand how black people dey feel. Sometimes too, dem dey do like say dem be papa for black man matter. So he reason say make black people start to organise dema own thing wey no go depend on white man at all. Na so for 1968, he help start one new group dem dey call South African Students' Organisation (SASO). Dis group be strictly for “blacks” den wen Biko talk blacks, he no mean only Bantu (Bantu-speaking Africans) people oh, he add Coloureds den Indians insyd too. He make sure say white people no go control SASO, buh dat one no mean say he hate white people he still get white paddies wey no dey support hatred. At first, na de white-minority National Party government think say SASO be good for dem, secof e look like e dey promote dema idea of separation.

Biko den ein people get influence from one Martinican philosopher dem call Frantz Fanon, plus de African-American Black Power movement. Dem take dat vibe build de Black Consciousness ideology for insyd SASO. Na de Movement fight make apartheid end, wey e make South Africa turn to place wey everybody go fit vote, plus make de economy run on socialist principles (universal suffrage den socialist economy). Dem start Black Community Programmes (BCPs) wey dey focus on how to build black man ein mind den give am power from insyd. Biko believe say black man for free einself from any mindset wey dey make e feel say e no reach na why e push de slogan "black is beautiful" make e enter everybody ein head. For 1972 insyd, na Biko help start de Black People's Convention (BPC), wey be to spread de Black Consciousness message go de whole black population. Buh government start see Biko like big wahala wey dey shake dem system. So for 1973, dem put ban on am wey mean say he no fit talk to people, travel anaa organise anything freely again. Even plus de ban, na Biko still dey active. He help run BCPs like health centre den crèche for Ginsberg. As time dey go, e start receive anonymous threats. Dem arrest am chaw times. De last one be August 1977 wey na dem arrest am, beat am bad, wey na he die insyd de hands of state security people. Na over 20,000 people show up for ein funeral. E pain plenty people.

After Biko die, ein name spread go far. Plenty people do songs den artworks about am. One of ein close paddie, Donald Woods, wrep book about am for 1978, wey dat book be de inspiration behind the 1987 film *Cry Freedom*. While Biko still dey alive, government talk say he hate white people. Some anti-apartheid activists say he be sexist, wey na sam African racial nationalists no like de way he join forces plus Coloureds den Indians. Buh still still, Biko turn one of de first strong faces for de fight against apartheid. People dey call am “Father of Black Consciousness” den dey see am like political martyr. Even till now, sam people still dey argue about ein political legacy e no be matter wey everybody dey agree on.

## Biography
### Early life: 1946–1966
Na dem born Bantu Stephen Biko on 18 December 1946, at ein grandmommie ein house insyd Tarkastad, Eastern Cape. De third kiddie of Mzingaye Mathew Biko den Alice 'Mamcete' Biko, na he get an older sisto, Bukelwa, an older brotho, Khaya, den a younger sisto, Nobandile. Na ein parents marry insyd Whittlesea, wer na ein poppie work as a police officer. Na dem transfer Mzingaye to Queenstown, Port Elizabeth, Fort Cox, den finally King William's Town, wer na he den Alice settle insyd Ginsberg township. Na dis be a settlement of around 800 families, plus every four families dey share a water supply den toilet. Na both Africans den Coloured people live insyd de township, wer na dem dey speak Xhosa, Afrikaans, den English all. After he resign from de police force, na Mzingaye work as a clerk insyd de King William's Town Native Affairs Office, while he dey study for a law degree by correspondence from de University of South Africa. Na dem employ Alice first insyd domestic work for local white households, then as a cook at Grey Hospital insyd King William's Town. According to ein sisto, na e be dis observation of ein mommie ein difficult working conditions wey na e result insyd Biko ein earliest politicisation.

Na Biko ein given name "Bantu" dey mean "people" insyd IsiXhosa; na Biko interprete dis in terms of de saying *"Umntu ngumntu ngabantu"* ("a person be a person by means of oda people"). As a kiddie na dem nickname am "Goofy" den "Xwaku-Xwaku", de latter a reference to ein unkempt appearance. Na dem raise am insyd ein family ein Anglican Christian faith. Insyd 1950, wen na Biko be four, ein poppie fall ill, wey na dem hospitalise am insyd St. Matthew's Hospital, Keiskammahoek, wey he die, wey make de family dependent on ein mommie ein income.

Na Biko spend two years at St. Andrews Primary School den four at Charles Morgan Higher Primary School, both insyd Ginsberg. Na dem regard am as a particularly intelligent pupil, na dem allow am make he skip a year. Insyd 1963 na he transfer to de Forbes Grant Secondary School insyd de township. Na Biko excel at maths den English wey he top de class insyd ein exams. Insyd 1964 na de Ginsberg community offer am a bursary to join ein bro Khaya as a student at Lovedale, a prestigious boarding school insyd Alice, Eastern Cape. Within three months of Steve ein arrival, na dem accuse Khaya of having connections to Poqo, de armed wing of de Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), an African nationalist group wich na de government ban. Na dem arrest both Khaya den Steve wey na de police interrogate dem; na dem convict de former, wey then dem acquit on appeal. Na dem no present any clear evidence of Steve ein connection to Poqo, buh na dem expel am from Lovedale. Dey comment later on dis situation, na he state: "Na I begin to develop an attitude wich be much more directed at authority dan at anything else. Na I hate authority like hell.

From 1964 to 1965, na Biko study at St. Francis College, a Catholic boarding school insyd Mariannhill, Natal. Na de college get a liberal political culture, wey na Biko develop ein political consciousness dere. He particularly cam be interested insyd de replacement of South Africa ein white minority government plus an administration wey represent de country ein black majority. Among de anti-colonialist leaders who cam be Biko ein heroes at dis time be Algeria ein Ahmed Ben Bella den Kenya ein Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Na he later say dat na chaw of de "politicos" insyd ein family be sympathetic to de PAC, wich na e get anti-communist den African racialist ideas. Na Biko admire wat na he describe as de PAC ein "terribly good organisation" den de courage of chaw of ein members, buh na he remain unconvinced by ein racially exclusionary approach, dey believe dat members of all racial groups for unite against de government. Insyd December 1964, na he travel to Zwelitsha for de ulwaluko circumcision ceremony, symbolically dey mark ein transition from boyhood to manhood.

## Ideology

The Black Consciousness Movement no be only Biko ein brain work; e come out from plenty long talk-talk between black students wey dey reject white man liberal ideas [52]. Biko get sense from books wey e read from people like Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X, Léopold Sédar Senghor, James Cone, and Paulo Freire [52].

Fanon, wey come from Martinique, na one big influence for how Biko reason freedom and liberation matters [175]. But Biko ein biographer, Xolela Mangcu, talk say make nobody try reduce all Biko ein thinking just to Fanon ein level; e say make people respect the role wey "the political and intellectual history of the Eastern Cape" play inside Biko ein mind too [176].

Black Power movement from the US [53], plus some kind Christianity like black theology wey dey push activism [177], all also influence the Black Consciousness Movement.

### Black Consciousness den empowerment
Biko no gree for the apartheid government dem way of dividing people into "whites" and "non-whites", wey dem mark everywhere with signs and on buildings across South Africa [178]. Biko build ein idea on top Fanon ein work, say the word "non-white" no get better meaning e just talk say the person no be white. E see am as negative label. So instead, Biko change the word "non-white" to "black", wey e see as word wey no dey come from white people dem mouth, and e no carry negative energy [179].

Biko talk say blackness no be just about skin colour e say e be "mental attitude". E define "blacks" as "those who by law or tradition dey suffer political, economic and social discrimination as a group for South African society", and who see themselves as one people wey dey fight together for their dreams and freedom [180].

So the Black Consciousness Movement take "black" to mean not only Bantu-speaking Africans, but also Coloureds and Indians too [57] all these people together make almost 90% of South Africa ein population for the 1970s [181].

Biko no be Marxist. E believe say for South Africa, the real wahala be about race, not class. E talk say some of the "white left" people dey push class struggle talk as one kind "defence mechanism... because dem no wan make the race matter bounce back affect dem, since dem be white" [182][183].

Biko see white racism for South Africa as the whole power system wey white people build take hold everything [56]. E talk say for the apartheid time, white people no just dey oppress black people, dem too be the main voices wey dey fight the same oppression [55].

So e talk say because dem dey control both the apartheid government and the anti-apartheid fight, white people come dey run all the political show, wey black people just dey sidelines [55].

E believe say white people fit take over the movement sake of say dem get better access to things like money, books, and better life chances. But still, Biko reason say white South Africans no really fit lead that fight well, 'cause dem no dey feel the suffering and oppression the same way as black people dey go through am [185].

## Ideology
### On a post-apartheid society
Biko dey hope say future South Africa go turn socialist country wey no go get any wahala based on skin colour everybody, no matter where dem come from, go live together in peace inside one "joint culture" wey go carry the best from all the different groups. E no believe say make dem give special rights to minority groups, 'cause that one still dey divide people based on race. Instead, Biko support make everybody get equal voting power one person, one vote.

Before, e think say one-party system fit work well for Africa, but after e discuss with Donald Woods, ein mindset change small and e begin see the good side of multi-party democracy. For Biko, freedom be good thing, but e believe say food, work, and social support be more important pass personal liberty.

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## External links

* The Steve Biko Foundation
*  at IMDb