*-YES, THERE'S YET ANOTHER FOOTNOTE I WILL OPEN AS SOON AS I CAN.by whites. Culture is largely a social product which is imposed on each individual by the socializing process to which he is subjected in his particular society. Culture is a living tradition, a collection of ideas and beliefs which represent a people's collective way of life. The culture orientation of the black people is influenced by their life style in the black ghettos! They have had to generate a "soul force" which would enable them to remain human beings in these camps. I view the government's attempts at developing the cultures of the various ethnic groups as an "arrested image of culture." Government policy aims at breaking down the life thread; and Black Consciousness is determined to build a new culture and value-orientation which, though influenced by other forces, will articulate the priorities and needs of the black people and act in terms of these needs.
The fact that a concerted delving into our roots and a rewriting of our history is considered necessary to ignite a consciousness should not be stretched to absurd proportions. I would not like to exalt the past at the expense of the present and the future. It may, however, be necessary for both the present and the future because a correct interpretation of events, that is of history, will be obtained by understanding both the opposing tendencies and the result of their conflict. This is our theory of history: past events can shape the present and the future.*
To hope that change might come through the existing political parties in South Africa is a pipedream, because a political party that appeals to white voters alone invariably makes their claims the touchstone of policy, plays on their racial antagonisms and consolidates them into a hegemonic block in opposition to the voteless majority. This means that black people must build themselves into a position of nondependence upon whites. They must work towards a self-sufficient political, social and economic unit. In this manner they will help themselves towards a deeper realization of their potential and worth as self-respecting people. The confidence thus generated will give them a sense of pride
(copyright 1978 by Donald Woods)
*-YES, THERE'S YET ANOTHER FOOTNOTE I WILL OPEN AS SOON AS I CAN.