Black consciousness & Soweto Uprising

THE SOWETO UPRISING, ITS SIGNIFICANCE AND SUPRESSION
1. CAUSES
  1. 1974 the Transvaal Bantu Education Department decided to expand teaching in Afrikaans - Afrikaans & english compulsory. learn other subjects in Afrikaans
  2. Afrikaans seen as the language of the oppressor - lan of racism
  3. African children had to master 2 langs in addition to their 1st african lang
  4. Lang policy was enforced by deputy PM Andries Treurnicht
  5. SASM organised a rally on 16th June in which 2,000 pupils marched on Orlando stadium which led to few people killed by police - who released dogs & fired
2. INSTABILITY CAUSED
  1. 138 killed over the first few days of protest, after 16th june pupils attacked gov buildings & threw up barricades
  2. 17th june - 300 wits uni students marched & turfloop students burnt down the Afrikaans department in campus
  3. 18th june - official buildings, shops, liquor stores attacked in Alexandra township
  4. Soweto Students representative Council formed in august led by Tsietsi Mashinini
  5. boycotted white-owned shops
  6. Winnie Mandela helped form a Black Parents' Association to help organise 'political' funerals which became politicised occasions
3. AFTERMATH
  1. 575 died in Soweto uprising & aftermath
  2. single most important episode of state repression since Sharpeville & similarly attracted global attention
  3. students increasingly prepared to use violence which became a key theme of opposition with sabotage
  4. to avoid arrest; 4,000 youths fled SA 1976-7 with many joining the MK in Zambia - ANC HQ
  5. many student leaders imprisoned on Robben Island where they joined the ANC e.g. Terror Lakota
IMPACT OF THE DEATH OF STEVE BIKO, 1977
1. KEY EVENTS OF DEATH
  1. 1977 he left Kingwilliamstown, breaking banning order, was arrested, interrogated & severely beaten
  2. few weeks later close to death, was rushed 1000km to prison hospital in Pretoria - died
  3. serious brain damage/injured
2. IMPACT
  1. police claimed death was due to hunger strike, Woods challenged this& made allegations of police brutality, produced convincing evidence to contest police claims
  2. nature of death in police custody provoked international disapproval, particularly in western countries that maintained relations with SA
  3. funeral attended by 10,000+ including several foreign ambassadors, in a show of support for Biko & his ideals
  4. became leading martyr for opposition to apartheid, mobilised opposition
3. HIS STATUS BEFORE 1977
  1. 1973 gov banned Biko - his movements were restricted & not allowed to attend political meetings
    1. difficult to be involved in wider national bc activities, did remain involved in local ones. Kept strong profile through his writing
  2. profile raised in eastern cape as his ideas were taken up by Donald Woods - Cry Freedom

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Black consciousness & Soweto Uprising

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	Created by keannakempisty almost 9 years ago