Although my country of research is Botswana, I cannot deny the huge overcast that Mighty South Africa has on little Botswana. Many revolutionary events that occurred in South Africa paved the way for freedom from colonization for many African nations located in or sounded by South Africa. That being said, it is only fair to choose a revolutionary activist from South Africa for my blog this week. One of the most important notes that I took from the presentation by Mr. Ronnie Burrage was that there are different approaches to activism. As we all know, the media is a very powerful tool to use to spread a message. An activist from South Africa who skillfully used the media to enlighten the people of South Africa was Percy Qoboza. Percy Qoboza, is revered as one of the most influential South African journalist. He was able to demonstrate the power of the pen through his “outspoken critique of the apartheid regime.” He used his writing as an outlet to bring awareness to oblivious white South Africans who had little knowledge of the brutality black South Africans faced during apartheid.
As I researched more about Percy Qoboza I found him to be very brave, strong willed, intellectual, and witty. He became a thorn in the side of the government, with his eloquent proclamations and stirring newspaper articles. He was quoted saying, ”If you sometimes get mad at me, because the sentiments I express keep you awake at night, then I am glad. I do not see why I should bear the brunt of insomnia worrying about what will happen tomorrow. If many of us can keep awake at night, then maybe we will do the sensible thing – talk together about our joint future.” This quote sums up Percy’s mission to wake up white South Africans who continually turned their eye away from the unfair circumstance that the black South Africans were dealing with. From this quote it is evident that Percy was not as radical as the government perceived him. He wanted to live in a country of equality where his people had the same advantages and opportunities as the foreign whites claiming their land.
Percy did not only write for whites but also for black South Africans who were settling for their current situations. Percy Qoboza admits to previously being an “Uncle Tom,” because of the way South Africa conditioned his mind. He did not realize this until he attended Harvard University in the United States. He states ”When I went down to Harvard Square for a meal I was tempted to look in the window of a place, to see if there were any blacks inside, before going in, The experience forced me to look at myself, and I was surprised to find that I was an Uncle Tom.” He was accustomed to being secluded from whites leading him to carry the fear of interacting with whites.
Percy Qoboza’s time at Harvard, exposed him to a less myopic point of view where apartheid was not a normal way of living. When he finally returned to South Africa he was a man with a new perspective on life and how society must truly be. He states, ”I found myself completely maladjusted, quite unable to accept the things that seemed quite normal before.” He understood that other black South Africans were not aware of the way things could be for them so he decided to do something about it. He became a vocal figure in South African newspapers, educating and enlightening both blacks, and whites while showcasing the power he had with his pen. Percy Qoboza’s drive to change his circumstance with journalism is exactly what Mr. Burrage spoke about. There are things that we as a generation must see and change. We are not conscious of what is truly going on in our society. We must step back and attain a different perceptive to truly grasp what is going on in our society so that we can make a change through our own outlet.
http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/percy-peter-qoboza
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/18/obituaries/percy-qoboza-50-a-black-journalist-from-south-africa.html
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