THE CHALLENGE OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS TO THE APARTHEID STATE

Flashcards on the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa

What were the main factors contributing to the decline of resistance to apartheid in South Africa in the late 1960s?

In the late 1960s, resistance to apartheid was declining due to government suppression, key leaders being imprisoned, and resistance groups being banned or exiled.

Who introduced the Black Consciousness philosophy in 1968?

Steve Biko

What was the main goal of Black Consciousness?

Black Consciousness advocated black self-respect and confidence to free black South Africans from the mindset of white superiority and black inferiority.

What did Black Consciousness proponents want black people to do?

To nurture their black identity rather than be assimilated into white culture

Where was Steve Biko a medical student in the late 1960s?

University of Natal’s Pietermaritzburg campus

Why did Biko and Pityana establish SASO?

They became disillusioned with NUSAS, and established a blacks-only student organisation called the South African Students Organisation (SASO) in 1968.

What did Biko want black people to work towards?

economic, political and social self-sufficiency

What pen name did Biko use when writing in the SASO newsletter?

Frank Talk

What factors encouraged Biko?

The ongoing decolonisation of Africa and the growing international criticism of apartheid.

According to Frantz Fanon, what was necessary for colonised people to overcome inferiority complexes?

Violent uprisings was necessary for colonised people to overcome the inferiority complexes that they had developed under colonialism.

Where was Biko supposed to stay after the government banned him in 1973?

King William’s Town

Why was Biko arrested in 1977?

He was arrested in the Eastern Cape for ‘inciting unrest’

What was the result of Biko's arrest?

He died of his injuries on 12 September 1977.

What organisation ran medical and educational centers that were not part of the public sector?

Black Community Programmes (BCP)

What event in 1972 triggered a widespread student strike at black universities?

SASO member Onkgopotse Tiro was expelled from the University of the North after making a political speech causing a student strike.

What umbrella organization was formed at the end of 1972 to include SASO members leaving university?

Black People’s Convention (BPC)

After Biko was banned in 1973, which town became the center of the Black Consciousness Movement?

King William’s Town

What clinic did Ramphele establish near King William’s Town in 1975?

The Zanempilo Community Health Clinic

When were all Black Consciousness organisations banned?

19 October 1977

How did the apartheid regime try to suppress the Black Consciousness Movement?

the banning of Black Consciousness publications, the expulsion of members from universities, the arrest, detention, prosecution and imprisonment of its leaders

What language policy was introduced in 1975 that sparked resistance in Black schools?

In 1975 the government announced that Afrikaans would become the medium of instruction for three academic subjects (Mathematics, Geography and History) in Black schools.

What was the involvement of SAM in the Soweto Uprising.

SASM formed an action committee to organise a peaceful protest by school students who marched on 16 June 1976.

What was the result of the police response to the peaceful protest against Afrikaans?

In June 1976, the Soweto Uprising

Which organization was formed out of the BPC in 1978?

Azanian People’s Organisation (AZAPO)