September 2007 marked the 30th anniversary of the death of black consciousness leader Steve Bantu Biko.
Introduction
Up until 1976 South African Blacks’ disenchantment with the apartheid system had led to several conflicts and clashes with the government. The period after the Soweto riots ushered in an era of further confrontations between the state and the organisations that were fighting for liberation, which included the Black Consciousness Movement. The death of Steve Biko (leader of the Black Consciousness Movement) on 12 September 1977 significantly altered the political landscape in the country. Biko was imprisoned and beaten by unidentified security agents, they beat him until he lapsed into a coma and later died in Pretoria. A generation of young Blacks committed to the revolutionary struggle against apartheid under the catchphrase “Liberation before education” emerged. They were instrumental in ensuring that the Black communities were not only highly politicised but were also ready to fight.
Join us as we commemorate a man, a leader whose life was cut short by
the evil of apartheid.
