Steve Biko: The African Revolutionary, Why was he Killed?
Summary
TLDRThe video script chronicles the life of Bantu Steve Biko, a pivotal figure in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. Born in 1946, Biko's intelligence and charisma propelled him to leadership, founding organizations like SASO and BPC that championed black consciousness and self-determination. Despite facing government persecution, including a banning order and imprisonment, Biko's philosophy inspired the 1976 Soweto uprising and continues to resonate. Tragically, his fight for justice ended with his death in police custody in 1977, a martyr's legacy that galvanized international opposition to apartheid.
Takeaways
- 😀 Bantu Steve Biko was a prominent leader in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and a significant figure in black liberation.
- 🏠 Born in 1946, Biko's father, a policeman and clerk, passed away when he was young, leaving his mother to raise the family on her own.
- 🎓 Known for his intelligence, Biko excelled academically, skipping a grade and later attending Forbes Grant and Lovedale, where he was exposed to political activism.
- 🔍 Biko was involved in the establishment of SASO (South African Students' Organization) and BPC (Black People's Convention), which were pivotal in the Black Consciousness Movement.
- 🌟 The Black Consciousness Movement emphasized self-worth, dignity, and pride among black South Africans, countering the inferiority complex imposed by apartheid.
- 🚫 Apartheid laws enforced racial segregation and limited opportunities for black South Africans, including in education and skilled jobs.
- 📚 Biko's academic career suffered due to his political activism, leading to his expulsion from the University of Natal's medical school.
- 🛡 Biko was banned by the apartheid government, restricting his movement and activities, but he continued his work in defiance of these restrictions.
- 💔 Biko died in police custody in 1977 after being detained and tortured, becoming a symbol of the struggle against apartheid and state brutality.
- 🌍 His death sparked international outrage, leading to increased pressure on South Africa to end apartheid and a global call for justice.
- 🗣️ The Truth and Reconciliation Commission later denied amnesty to those involved in Biko's death, acknowledging the political nature of his assassination.
Q & A
Who was Bantu Steve Biko?
-Bantu Steve Biko was a prominent leader in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, known for his role in inspiring a generation of black South Africans to claim their identity and resist oppression.
When and where was Steve Biko born?
-Steve Biko was born in King William's Town in the Eastern Province, now Eastern Cape, South Africa, on 18th September 1946.
What significant event occurred during Biko's childhood that influenced his political views?
-The significant event was the arrest and subsequent expulsion of Biko from Lovedale, a prestigious boarding school, due to his brother's alleged involvement with a banned organization, which inculcated a strong resentment towards white authority.
What was the role of the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) in Biko's life?
-NUSAS was an organization that Biko was initially involved with, but he eventually became disillusioned due to its failure to represent the needs of black students, leading him to found the South African Students' Organization (SASO).
What was the Black Consciousness Movement and how did Steve Biko contribute to it?
-The Black Consciousness Movement was a philosophy and political stance that Biko helped develop, focusing on liberating the minds of black people from the inferior status imposed by apartheid, promoting self-worth, and recognizing the inherent dignity of black individuals.
What was the impact of the Black Consciousness Movement on South Africa's political landscape?
-The Black Consciousness Movement played a pivotal role in the 1976 Soweto Uprising and became a formidable political force, spreading across campuses and communities, advocating for self-determination and resistance against apartheid.
How did the apartheid government respond to the rise of the Black Consciousness Movement?
-The apartheid government responded with repression, banning leaders like Steve Biko and restricting their movements and activities, ultimately leading to Biko's arrest, torture, and death.
What was the significance of the Black People's Convention (BPC) founded by Biko?
-The BPC served as an umbrella organization for the Black Consciousness Movement, aiming to unite black South Africans under a common cause and address the broader issues of inequality and oppression beyond the university campuses.
What was the official explanation given by the South African government for Steve Biko's death?
-The South African government initially claimed that Biko died after a seven-day hunger strike, but this was later debunked during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings.
How did Steve Biko's death affect the international perception of apartheid South Africa?
-Biko's death highlighted the brutality of South Africa's security laws and led to international condemnation, prompting Western countries to support United Nations sanctions, including an arms embargo against the apartheid government.
What was the outcome of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's investigation into Steve Biko's death?
-The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that Biko was killed by police officers, but it refused to grant them amnesty because they failed to establish a political motive for their actions.
Outlines
🇿🇦 The Life and Tragedy of Steve Biko
The first paragraph introduces Steve Biko as a key figure in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, detailing his untimely death in police detention and his profound impact on the struggle for black liberation. Born in 1946, Biko's early life was marked by his father's pursuit of a law degree and his own academic excellence. Despite apartheid's oppressive policies, Biko emerged as a prominent leader, advocating for black identity and resistance against systemic oppression. His influence extended beyond university campuses, inspiring a generation to claim their identity and resist apartheid's dehumanizing effects.
📚 Steve Biko's Education and Political Awakening
This section delves into Biko's educational journey, from his expulsion from Lovedale for political activism to his matriculation at Saint Francis College and subsequent enrollment in medicine at the University of Natal. Biko's political consciousness was shaped by the racial segregation and discrimination he witnessed, leading him to challenge the multiracial approach of the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS). His disillusionment with NUSAS culminated in the founding of the South African Students' Organization (SASO), which aimed to empower black students and address their unique struggles within the apartheid regime.
🌟 The Rise of the Black Consciousness Movement
The third paragraph highlights the emergence of the Black Consciousness Movement, spearheaded by Steve Biko and SASO. The movement sought to instill pride and dignity in black South Africans, countering the inferiority complex imposed by apartheid. Biko's philosophy emphasized the importance of mental liberation as a precursor to broader social and political change. The movement gained momentum, extending its influence to various sectors of society, including the pivotal role it played in the 1976 Soweto Uprising, which further intensified the fight for liberation.
🚫 State Repression and Biko's Persecution
This paragraph discusses the apartheid government's response to the growing influence of the Black Consciousness Movement, particularly focusing on the state's repression of Steve Biko and other leaders. Biko was banned, restricting his movements and activities, which significantly impacted his personal life and work. Despite these restrictions, Biko continued his activism, leading to further state harassment and eventual imprisonment. The paragraph culminates in Biko's brutal death in police custody, which sparked international outrage and intensified the global call for justice in South Africa.
🕊️ Biko's Legacy and the Quest for Justice
The final paragraph reflects on Steve Biko's enduring legacy as a champion of resistance and self-determination in the face of apartheid. It recounts the aftermath of his death, including the official inquest, riots, and the global movement for justice. Biko's death became a symbol of the struggle against apartheid, influencing international policies and galvanizing the fight for freedom. The paragraph concludes with the revelation of the truth about Biko's death during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, highlighting the ongoing pursuit of justice and the indelible mark Biko left on history.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Apartheid
💡Steve Biko
💡Black Liberation
💡Black Consciousness Movement
💡Soweto Uprising
💡Bantu Homelands
💡NUSAS
💡SASO
💡BPC
💡Political Activism
💡Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Highlights
Bantu Steve Biko was a prominent leader in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
Biko's death on September 12, 1977, was a significant blow to the anti-apartheid movement.
Steve Biko was born in King William's Town, Eastern Cape, on September 18, 1946.
Biko's father was an intelligent man who aspired to be a lawyer but died when Biko was only four.
Steve Biko was known for his exceptional intelligence and was promoted to Standard 5 due to his academic abilities.
Biko attended Forbes Grant and excelled in mathematics and English, completing his Junior Certificate at the age of 16.
Apartheid laws limited education and opportunities for black South Africans, enforcing racial segregation and inequality.
Steve Biko was offered a bursary to attend Lovedale, a prestigious boarding school, where he was exposed to political activism.
Biko's experiences with racial segregation and the expulsion of his brother influenced his political views and activism.
After being expelled from Lovedale, Biko enrolled at Saint Francis College, where he continued to develop his political consciousness.
Biko was elected to the Student Representative Council at the University of Natal and became involved in the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS).
Biko and his colleagues founded the South African Students' Organization (SASO) in 1969, focusing on black consciousness and self-representation.
SASO addressed the inferiority complex among black students and became a formidable political force on campuses.
The Black Consciousness Movement, inspired by Biko, encouraged blacks to recognize their inherent dignity and self-worth.
Biko founded the Black People's Convention (BPC) in 1972 as an umbrella organization for the Black Consciousness Movement.
Steve Biko's philosophy of Black Consciousness focused on liberating the minds of black people from the inferior status imposed by apartheid.
Biko was banned by the apartheid government in 1973, restricting his movements and political activities.
Despite being banned, Biko continued his work with the Black Community Programs and founded the Zimeli Trust Fund in 1975.
Steve Biko was detained and tortured by the apartheid police in August 1977, leading to his death on September 12, 1977.
Biko's death sparked international outrage and led to a global movement demanding justice for him and other victims of apartheid.
The Truth and Reconciliation Committee in 1997 heard testimonies about Biko's death, but refused amnesty for his killers due to lack of political motive.
Transcripts
on 12 september 1977 the anti-apartheid
struggle in south africa was dealt a
heavy blow due to the death of bantu
steve biko a popular voice of black
liberation in south africa between the
mid-1960s until his death in police
detention in 1977.
biko was one of the most prominent
leaders in the anti-apartheid struggle
and in some quarters he was seen as the
most important black south african
leader of his generation
he was so important in fact that the
apartheid government was terrified of
him
bantu steve biko inspired a generation
of black south africans to claim their
true identity and refused to be part of
their own oppression
unfortunately steve bicol paid the
ultimate price with his life
in this episode of african biographics
we look at the life and legacy of steve
biko one of the stalwarts of the
anti-apartheid struggle in south africa
the man known to history as bantu steve
biko was born in thailand in the eastern
province now eastern cape on 18th
september 1946. he was the third child
of the late muzingania matthew and alice
nokuzola
worked as a policeman and later as a
clerk in the king williamstown native
affairs office
steve biko's father zingai was a very
intelligent man and he was enrolled at
the university of south africa the
distance learning university to get his
law degree
unfortunately he did not complete enough
courses to get his law degree before he
died
in 1948 when steve was just two years
old the family moved to ginsburg
township just outside of king
williamstown in today's eastern cape
the beakers eventually owned their house
in zahula street in the brownie section
of ginsburg this was despite nokuswala's
mega income as a domestic worker
steve's father zengaye died suddenly in
1950 when the boy was only four years
old and his mother subsequently raised
the children on her own working as a
cook at grace hospital as steve bieker
was growing up his friends knew him as a
joker his primary school teacher
remembered him as a naughty boy who was
always barefoot
this was the same teacher that
recommended that steve skip skipper
grade and be promoted to standard 5
because of his exceptional intelligence
although his friends never saw him study
he was one of the brightest kids in the
class and you would help the other kids
grasp complex concepts taught in class
steve passed standard 6 in 1959 and in
1960 he went on to forbes grant a school
through which many passed to become
prominent figures in post-apartheid
south africa
while at forbes grant steve excelled in
mathematics and english and in 1962 at
the age of 16 steve biko completed his
junior certificate
now here's the thing steve bico was
growing up in apartheid south africa and
life was difficult for black people
because of this system
apartheid officially became a way of
life in south africa in 1948 when the
africana national party came into power
after heavily promoting the racially
stratified system
under apartheid south africans were
categorized into four racial groups and
these were the bantus who were the south
african natives the colored group the
white people and then the asians
apartheid limited the education the
bantu received because apartheid laws
reserved skilled jobs for white people
exclusively black people were trained in
schools to perform manual and
agricultural labor but not for skilled
trades despite being natives of south
africa the black people in the country
were relegated to 10 bantu homelands
after the passage of the promotion of
bantu south government act of 1959.
the purpose of the law seemed to be
divide and rule by splitting up the
black population the bantu could not
form a single political unit in south
africa and wrestle control from the
white minority
from 1961 to 1994 more than 3.5 million
people were forcibly moved from their
homes and placed in the bantu stands
where they were plunged into poverty and
hopelessness
during apartheid black people were
required to carry past books at all
times to allow them entry into public
spaces reserved for white people this
was the overall context in which steve
biko was growing up and navigating life
as a young man
in 1964 young steve was offered a
bursary to join his brother kaya as a
student at lovedale a prestigious
boarding school in alice eastern cape
at the time political attention at
lovedale was rife steve arrived at the
school soon after tabon becky a future
south african president had been
expelled following strikes by students
the same fate of expulsion was going to
before steve later
in april of 1964 steve was taken into
custody by the police who came to the
school to arrest his brother kaya
kaya was suspected of being involved
with an organization called poco the
armed wing of the pan-african east
congress the pac an african nationalist
group which the government had banned
the police took both brothers to king
williamstown which was 60 kilometers
away and kaya biko was charged he was
given a sentence of two years with 15
months suspended and he served his term
at fort glamorgan jail near east london
steve biko was released and returned
home
despite there not being any clear
evidence of steve's connection to porco
he was expelled from lovedale
this incident inculcated in steve a
strong resentment towards white
authority which would shape his
political career
after being expelled from high school
for political activism steve biko
enrolled at saint francis college a
liberal boarding school in natal
province the college of the liberal
political culture and biko developed his
political consciousness there
while attending the school he became
particularly interested in the
replacement of south africa's white
minority colonial government with an
administration that represented the
country's black majority
after matriculating from saint francis
with very good grades steve biko went on
to register for a degree in medicine at
the black section of the medical school
of the university of natal in 1966.
steve lived in the allen taylor
residence the segregated living quarters
for black students at natal university
very early in his time at the university
he showed an expansive search for
knowledge that far exceeded his own
medicine degree ending up as one of the
most prominent student leaders on campus
the black section of this university had
its own students representative council
which was a member of the national union
of south african students nusas
steve was elected to the src in his
first year and he became involved in
nusa's politics attending the annual
news conference for the first time
but even before he went to the
conference he was engaging in debates
about the role of nurses
news had taken pains to cultivate a
multi-racial membership but it remained
quite dominant simply because the
majority of south africa's university
students were from the country's white
minority
steve biko felt that nusas failed to
represent the needs of black students
and the following is a glaring example
of this
in the news conference of 1967 after the
students arrived they found that
dormitory accommodation had been
arranged for the white and indian
delegates but not for the black africans
who were told they could sleep in a
local church
so appalling were the conditions that it
showed the black students just how
valued they were in the organization the
students were indeed fed and housed
separately in accordance with the
separate amenities act the separate
amenities act enforced segregation on
all public facilities including
buildings and transport in order to
limit contact between the different
races in south africa
this act also stated that the facilities
for different races did not need to be
equal in practice then the best
facilities were reserved for the white
population while those for the other
races were inferior
at this particular nusas conference the
black students including steve biko were
aggrieved at this treatment
steve biko later related that this event
forced him to rethink his belief in the
multiracial approach to political
activism
deeply dissatisfied with nuisance the
now disillusioned steve bico along with
several of his colleagues founded the
south african students organization
sasel
steve biko was elected the first
president of this organization in its
inaugural congress held at teflop in
1969.
sasso was born out of the frustrations
of black students encountered within the
liberal and multiracial organization
nusas
sasso's clarion core was for black
students to refrain from being
spectators in a game in which they were
ought to be participants
sasso's primary engagement was to
address the inferiority complex that was
the mainstay of passiveness within the
ranks of black students
it was not long before sasso became the
most formidable political force
spreading to campuses around the country
and beyond
sasha was involved in providing legal
aid and medical clinics as well as
helping to develop cottage industries
for disadvantaged black communities
inspired by steve biko's growing legacy
the youth of the country at high school
level also mobilized themselves into a
movement that became known as the south
african students movement this movement
would play a pivotal role in the 1976
soweto uprising which accelerated the
course of the liberation struggle
during this period steve biko and sasso
started sowing the seeds of the black
consciousness movement this philosophy
encouraged blacks to recognize their
inherent dignity and self-worth but our
touch on the black consciousness
movement in just a bit
from around 1970 sasso's leaders were
beginning to consider the limitations of
organizations that were confined to just
student members following these
considerations the idea of a broader
community formation took root one which
would result in the launch of the black
people's convention the bpc
so in 1972 steve biko founded the bpc as
an umbrella organization for the black
consciousness movement which had begun
sweeping through universities across the
nation
steve bico was instrumental in the
development and formation of a core saso
project the black workers project which
was co-sponsored by the black community
programs for which steve biko worked at
the time
the black community programs addressed
the problems of black workers whose
unions were not yet recognized by the
law
as all of this was happening on the
academic side steve biko initially did
well in his university studies but his
grades gradually declined as he devoted
increasing time to political activism
six years after starting his degree he
found himself repeating his third year
of studies so in 1972 as a result of his
poor academic performance the university
of natal barred him from further study
after being excluded from medical school
in 1972 steve bicol joined the bcp at
their durban offices the bcp engaged in
a number of community-based projects and
published a yearly journal called the
back review which provided an analysis
of political trends in the country
having given up on the idea of becoming
a doctor steve bico enrolled for various
courses at the distance learning
university unisa and in 1973 he began
studying law and political science
subjects that were more relevant to his
political involvement
bantu steve because political activism
and engagement was underpinned by a
philosophy which was to be known as the
black consciousness movement
steve becker's experiences under
apartheid drove his philosophy and
political activism growing up he had
witnessed political raids during his
childhood and lived through the
brutality and intimidation the apartheid
government was known for and so his
philosophy of black consciousness
focused primarily on liberating the
minds of black people who had been
relegated to an inferior status by white
power structures
the black consciousness movement viewed
the liberation of the mind as a primary
weapon in the fight for freedom in south
africa defining black consciousness as
first being an inward looking process
where black people regain the pride
stripped away from them by the apartheid
system
in one of his many famous quotes steve
biko said the first step therefore is to
make the black man to come to himself to
pump back life into his empty shell to
infuse him with pride and dignity to
remind him of his complicity in the
crime of allowing himself to be misused
and therefore letting evil reign supreme
in the country of his birth this is the
definition of black consciousness
according to steve biko a necessary step
towards restoring dignity to black
people entailed elevating the heroes of
african history and promoting african
heritage to deconstruct the idea of
africa being the dark continent
black consciousness sought to extract
the positive values within indigenous
african cultures and make them a
standard with which black people judge
themselves
this would then be the first form of
resistance towards imperialism and
apartheid
in apartheid south africa black
consciousness aimed to unite citizens
under the main cause of their operation
steve biko's charisma flowed outside of
the university campuses and the black
consciousness movement became a
phenomenon throughout the country of
south africa
the black consciousness movement was
becoming a presence in the country and
not only at tertiary institutions it was
visible in the media at schools and at
community theaters
now as you can probably imagine this
movement did not go down well with the
apartheid government and so they
retaliated
initially the apartheid government did
not see black consciousness as a real
threat rather the appointed state
believed that this philosophy of black
people working on their own fitted well
with his own philosophy of separate
development which was embedded in his
policy of apartheid
however as sasso's membership swelled
and other black consciousness
organization grew in support the
apartheid state began to crack down on
steve biko and other leaders of the
black consciousness movement
in 1973 eight black consciousness
leaders including steve biko were banned
this meant that for five years they were
restricted to the area in which they
lived and could not speak to or meet
with more than one person at a time this
prevented them from attending political
meetings and rallies the government gave
no reason for these bannings but it was
clear that they hoped to crush the black
consciousness movement by the end of
1973 more leaders had been banned and
some placed under house arrest
steve biko was confined to the district
of king williamstown and he returned to
ginsberg and moved for a while into his
mother's house the address to which he
was restricted by his banning order
with steve working for the black
community programs earning a stipend the
family relied on the income of his wife
in sikhi who had been the main bread
winner for some time but with the
family's move to ginsburg the apartheid
authorities ensured that ninsiki would
not easily find a job and the family
struggled to make ends meet it was not
long before his burning order was
amended to restrict him from any
association with the bcp and the office
that he had established in ginsburg
despite his banning the bcp office that
he established did well managing amongst
other achievements to build a clinic and
the crash both of which were very
popular with the people
steve biko was also instrumental in the
founding of the zimeli trust fund in
1975 which was set to assist political
prisoners and their families
however the state security operators
repeatedly sought to intimidate him
steve biko used to receive anonymous
threatening phone calls and gunshots
were regularly fired at his house as a
result a group of young men calling
themselves the cubans began guarding him
from these attacks
the security services detained him four
times once for more than a hundred days
unfortunately for bantu steve biko his
days were numbered and he was about to
meet a brutal death at the hands of the
apartheid regime
black consciousness inspired many
students in soweto to take decisive
action against their own oppression
after the soweto uprising of 1976 which
began as a protest against the
government's insistence that the
afrikaans language be used as the medium
of instruction in soweto's high schools
black consciousness was systematically
targeted
steve biko being considered as the
father of the black consciousness
movement exacerbated this situation as
you often ignore these banning orders in
order to address crowds and to continue
his work in the movement
on 17 august 1977 steve biko left port
elizabeth and traveled with a man by the
name peter jones to the western cape to
attend a meeting on their way back they
were stopped at a rod block and were
detained this happened on the 21st of
august 1977.
steve biko was held at the eastern city
of port elizabeth where he was violently
tortured and interrogated he was
imprisoned on charges of terrorism
by the 11th of september he was found
naked and chained to a prison cell door
he died in a hospital cell the following
day as a result of brain injuries
sustained at the hands of the police
bantu steve biko was only 30 years old
the south african minister of police
announced that he died after a seven-day
hunger strike
an official inquest into beaker's death
despite evidence to the contrary stated
that his death could not have been
brought about by any act or omission
involving an offence by any person
riots ensued in the aftermath of this
statement and a few students were killed
in the protest
15 000 people showed up to biko's
funeral including foreign dignitaries
african diplomats and about 13 western
diplomats
the governments of ghana and lesotho
released official statements of outrage
the south african police had clearly
underestimated the potential
consequences of steve bicker's death and
a global movement emerged demanding
justice for steve biekel
following his death in detention biko
became officially the 46th victim of
torture and death under the state
security laws his death helped highlight
the brutality of the south african
security laws to the international
community and the general plight of
black south africans
it led directly to the decision by
western countries to support the united
nations security council vote to ban
arms sales to the south african
apartheid government
it was only many years later at the
truth and reconciliation committee that
the truth of steve biko's death was
revealed
in early 1997 four former police
officers including police kennel gideon
newfound appeared before the commission
and admitted to killing steve bico two
decades earlier
the commission agreed to hear their
requests for political amnesty but in
1999 refused to grant them amnesty
because the men failed to establish a
political motive for the brutal killing
of steve biekel
bantu steve biko was a giant of the
struggle against south africa's white
minority rule and arguably its most
famous mata
black consciousness was beyond the
movement and steve pico's legacy remains
one that is deeply relevant to this day
a legacy of resistance and
self-determination in the face of
widespread oppression
don't forget to like and share the video
if you enjoyed it thank you all for
tuning in this has been tachenda for
african biographics until next time
cheers
have a good one
[Music]
浏览更多相关视频
Trevor Goes Home and Tours His Grandma’s Home “MTV Cribs” Style | The Daily Show Throwback
Nelson Mandela, The Apartheid Fighter Leaving Prison to Be The President of South Africa Documentary
Nelson Mandela: an 'icon of reconciliation and forgiveness'
Nelson Mandela, Anti-Apartheid Activist and World Leader | Biography
Malcolm X and the Rise of Black Power: Crash Course Black American History #38
Nelson Mandela: The man who changed the world
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)