Africa, Listen To This!

By Sello Lebaka

This book is a depiction of my life experiences and how over the years, I have come to understand the world around me as you would hopefully know it. As stated in the blockquote in the book cover and introduction herein, I venture into the past only because it would be almost impossible for post-colonial and post-apartheid individuals to understand the current demographics, let alone predict their own future. With this book, I am hoping to remind or retell the African story and how Africa became as wretched as it is today and with that in mind, it is worth noting to the reader that as I inscribed this book, I had at the back of my mind these words "lest we forget - in case you did not know". I may be stating the obvious in most of my arguments herein, but it is the possible solutions that I bring about that might trigger different reactions from different folks, depending on the side of privileges one might be perspectival from. One major aspect I am concerned about is the age-old indoctrination that continues today; either from schools, home or the general public; hence I am serving the purpose of reawakening amongst Africans through my writing herein, their seemingly dying consciousness; with the hope of what Fanon calls "to set afoot a new man". While the world swiftly moves on with its everyday life, Africa continues to strive for equity and equality amongst its vast nations; this is a direct opposite of what the former colonial powers were about. Radicalism, patriotism and fearlessness, are what is lacking in our post-independence heads of States; except for a few heads who were/are silenced by either death or character assassinations. The age-old divide and conquer approach of the colonial era is what causes self-loath among tribes in Africa - hence Xenophobia in more extreme cases.

 

Revolutions are never televised. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sello Lebaka
• Release date: Mar 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393938064

Book preview

Front cover:   Back cover:  

Che Guevara  Mam’ Winnie Madikizela - Mandela

Thomas Sankara  Mam’ Lillian Ngoyi

Chris Hani    Helen Joseph

Pixley ka Isaka Seme  Helen Suzman

Colonel Fidel Castro  Ruth First

Colonel Muamar El Gaddafi  Kwame Nkrumah

His Excellency J.G Zuma  Patrice Lumumba

His Excellency Robert Mugabe  Julius Nyerere

Joe Slovo  Sekou Toure

Steve Biko

Solomon Mahlangu

Malcom X

Julius Malema

Andile Mngxitama

Mcebo Dlamini

Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba

Fatima Meer

Wangari Maathai

Book cover by: Canva designs.

Imagery: South African History Online. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the author

Dedication

Synopsis

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: The supposedly rational human being........................................................... 1

Chapter 2: Europeans in Africa................................................................................ 4

Chapter 3: It is a jungle out there..............................................................................6

Chapter 4: Lies and betrayal inflicted on the desperate and destitute Africans..........................8

Sub-chapter (I): The land debates

Chapter 5: Racism: taught or innate?..................................................................................................14

Chapter 6: It is just tolerance amongst the two races for peace’s sake....................................19

Chapter 7: The education system is product prone.......................................................... 22

Chapter 8: The coming of real freedom...................................................................... 26

Chapter 9: Ubuntu: the black man’s downfall................................................................31

Chapter 10: Black Presidents....................................................................................40

Chapter 11: 300+-year-old colonialism skeletons haunting the black nation.............................44

Sub-chapter (I): Crime

Sub-chapter (II): Post-colonial/apartheid-era white people

Chapter 12: Brutally framed and misunderstood: the defeated anti-West nationalists..................58

Sub-chapter (I): My viewpoints    

(i)  Apartheid apologists

(ii)  The Rainbow nation illusion

(iii)  The sports culture in our societies

Chapter 13: Closets housing the skeletons that are haunting (South) Africa............................76 

Chapter 14: Running south: addressing xenophobia........................................................91

Chapter 15: Why is the black society so angry?................................................................................106    

Chapter 16: It may take bloodshed to reverse the effects of colonialism in Africa.....................122

Chapter 17: Dissecting the Freedom Charter.................................................................126

Notes .............................................................................................................................i

Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................iv

References .....................................................................................................................v

"...If we wish to live up to our peoples’ expectations, we must seek the response elsewhere than in Europe.

Moreover, if we wish to reply to the expectations of the people of Europe, it is no good sending them back a reflection, even an ideal reflection, of their society and their thought with which from time to time they feel immeasurably sickened.

For Europe, for ourselves, and for humanity, comrades, we must turn over a new leaf, we must

work out new concepts, and try to set afoot a new man." – Frantz Fanon (Philosopher, Author; 1925-1961)

_____________________________________________________

"...If we leave the natives beyond our border as ignorant barbarians, they will remain a race of troublesome marauders. We should try to make them a part of ourselves, with common faith and common interests, useful servants, consumers of our goods, contributors to our revenue.

Therefore, I propose that we make unremitting efforts to raise the natives in Christianity and civilization, by establishing among them missions connected with industrial schools, benefiting

by our trade would not make wars on our frontiers"

– Sir George Grey (Governor of the Cape, 1854)

__________________________________________________________

About the author 

Sello Lebaka (Gqiba). 

Sello is the son of Africa. Born in a small town called Venterstad, Nozizwe (apartheid) location in the Eastern Cape - on one beautiful Tuesday morning of the 22nd of December 1981. He grew up on a small farm called Delville (Kwa-Dogtire - no idea why it was called that). An ambitious Capricorn, an introverted extrovert, well-spoken, and a good listener. He spends most of his time solving crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and other mind-boggling trivia. Likes watching all sorts of sports on television, current affairs, reality shows, and animal channels to mention but these.

A father of three children, a boy and two girls. He started writing this hard-hitting, non-sugarcoating book in October of 2018 doing his undergraduate 2nd year Bachelor of Education studies at Wits University in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa. A late privilege to further his education; this was after finishing his matric 16 years prior, in 2002 - thanks to motivation and advice from the woman he smiled with daily - a Wits graduate herself, his then girlfriend Nomawonga. This is advice he gladly accepted and used because his love mate was worried that he kept leaving jobs at what he calls the exploitative, capitalist retail industry that continues to exploit poor school leavers and non-white people generally. We all meet people in our lives, some leave you with scars, and some leave you with good moments to cherish for a brief lifetime. 

Sello too, like many black brothers and sisters, elders alike, who had to start life from scratch, had no inheritance (wealth) from previous generations. Started his schooling aged 9 at Khayamnandi Public School in Venterstad. His parents (mother and late father) were never married nor educated in Western ways except from indigenously attained life lessons that he was unapologetically and primarily raised with too, thanks to his late maternal grandmother - May her soul continue resting in peace. Moved to the City of Gold (Johannesburg) in 1993 where he continued his junior studies in standard 1 (grade 3) at Umsobomvu Primary school, Kwa-Thema,

Springs; this was after missing out on the whole of 1992’s year of study due to a neuro-related ailment. Against all odds, he graduated to Tlakula Senior Secondary School in Kwa-Thema being one of the best learners leaving primary and later high school. He passed his matric in 2002 with a university entrance exemption or a bachelor’s pass it is called today. It was after matric that he realised life is happening and due to lack of funding then, he decided to find piece jobs. A Familiar life story for a typical black school leaver in South Africa.

Never had a well-paying job, if working to survive was anything to go by. Always strove to make a living for himself and his significant others, including an attempt at soccer refereeing, let alone a failed soccer career attempt. 

In 2016, after leaving several jobs, due to a certain inborn vigour and lack of understanding in

taking nonsensical instructions from his bosses, he was advised to go and apply for a teacher’s degree by his partner. This is where his love for writing (poetry mostly in younger years) was given a boost and a test through ample academic assignments and he thought ‘in case I further my studies in future, where I will be required to write profusely, why not write something right now, something that goes deep within me, something which includes, that which I have come to learn, as I lived my life thus far’. 

The decision to go back to school was taken by forces also within himself, forces that could also have easily led him to become part of the statistics of men, of whose internal struggles and forces, create an externally spine-shivering looking man; whose ultimate ending would be behind the high walls of a prison. But he chose to write about what he thinks are the root causes of all that you read about, hear of and watch on the 7 o’clock early-evening news bulletin, day in, day out. An attempt at addressing our sombre past, with the hope of redressing our future. If ‘all was well’, trust me, there would no need for writing books as this one.

___________________________________________________________

Dedication

This short chaptered, non-romanticised book is in dedication and honour of all the sung, unsung, passed on, living heroes and heroines - Africans in the continent and in Diaspora; who on a daily, basis fought and still fight, the unjust world systems that have come to enslave Africans pre and post-slavery years, pre and post-colonisation. To you, the martyrs who still seek to awaken an African from the illusions and lullabies that come with neo-colonialists who continue to divide and conquer Africans. Decolonisation-minded Africans in Africa and the Diaspora have spoken, some might have departed this earth, but their voices will remain alive and well in each one of us who remain awaken and alive. A special note to our rare Caucasian brothers and sisters who have heard the black cries of agony; heeded the call and decided to fight arm-in-arm alongside their black counterparts for a just cause. Thanks for viewing things away from the position of privilege.

To my fellow black species, know your history, be curious enough to want to understand why it is only a few that are living the ‘good life’ and I hope you will take a leaf or two out of this short writing and have emancipatory conversations thereafter. The time is now to fight back intellectually, but allow me to teach you first. The times of burning structures and vandalism are so yesterday. 

___________________________________________________________

Synopsis

This book is a depiction of my life experiences and how over the years, I have come to understand the world around me, as you would hopefully know it too. As stated in the block quote on the book cover and introduction herein; I venture into the past only because it would be almost impossible for post-colonial and post-apartheid individuals to understand the current demographics, let alone predict their own future. With this book, I am hoping to remind or retell the African story and how Africa became as wretched as it is today and with that in mind, it is worth noting to the reader that as I inscribed this book, I had at the back of my mind these words – lest we forget – in case you did not know. I may be stating the obvious in most of my arguments herein, but it is the possible solutions that I bring about that might trigger different reactions from different folks, depending on the side of privileges one might be perspectival from. One major aspect I am deeply concerned about is the age-old indoctrination that continues up to this day; either from schools, home or the general public – hence I am serving the purpose of reawakening amongst Africans through my writing herein, their seemingly dying consciousness. This, with the hope of unleashing what Fanon calls to set afoot a new man. While the world swiftly moves on with its everyday life, Africa remains disunited, still strives for equity and equality amongst its vast nations; this is a direct opposite of what the former colonial powers were about. Radicalism, patriotism and fearlessness, are what is lacking in our post-independence heads of States; except for a few heads who were/are silenced by either death or character assassinations. The age-old divide and conquer approach of the colonial era is what causes self-loathing amongst African tribes – hence xenophobia in more extreme cases. 

Revolutions are never televised.

Preface 

Since I reached my age of reason aged 10, I grew curious about all that was taking place around me. By age 16, I had grown enough to start questioning myself about the meaning of life. Was it a big accident that resulted in all forms of life known today? Were other creatures meant to rule over others by any means necessary? From the beginning of life and everything in existence. All mammalians; the crawling and maritime. All insects; the flying and crawling. All birds; the flying and the flightless. All the vast, wild species of the world - to the curious and seemingly greedy [hu]mankind - who has animosities worse than those of the hyena; who just want their bellies full by any means necessary. Who created all this...phenomenon if creation is the right term to use in defining existence? This is an age-old question which humans have been asking themselves since the dawn of [hu]mankind and enlightenment, thousands of years ago. To try and find answers to the above questions, scientists, of whom some are atheists, have resorted to studying life and finding the origins of existence. Theories have been tested, put in place for studying, some have been disapproved, some have survived up to this day and like all ecclesiastical works, writings and beliefs, science too has an assumption of how life began on earth or how even the universe, as endless as it seems, was created. The bible, on the other hand, writes in the book of genesis like this; it says that god, created the heavens, earth, and all that lives in it, all in six days, then he rested on the seventh (day). Man, it says, was created from soil and a stroke of magical divine breath into their nostrils, and poof, there was man! Back to the soil we shall return it further reads (Bible Gateway). Now some of us, (maybe you too) have asked ourselves as to what if all this life never existed, all that you see, hear or feel, never was; would it be all quiet and doomed? Now that’s a mind boggler right there, angst if you ask me. I question things, it is in my nature, something that my parents seem to have never done (looking at foreign religions in Africa still practiced without any qualms it seems, which will possibly be my next field of research and addressing; religion), to question things, their parents too, or maybe they did. Oh well. Who can blame them though? Western and European indoctrinations turned them into soft-hearted, poor, wretched, submissive, holy and subservient creatures. I shall not keep quiet when Africans are in dire need of a rude awakening. This is no time to write about cute novels and fictional characters, but the time to discuss this harsh, black situation.

"This book derives from a concern with the contemporary African situation. It delves into the past only because otherwise it would be impossible to understand how the present came into

being and what the trends are for the near future" – W. Rodney, 1972.

Introduction

I am 36 years, 10 months and 14 days today, 14 October 2018. I have seen enough, hence the writing of this book.

In the preface of this book, I spoke of how vast the species of creatures are, with different and innate abilities, either through how one looks, moves, or where they habitat. Now let us look at the natural settings of how all these species of creatures (man included) live on a day to day basis. Like all that is alive, one must eat, drink and excrete; and when that cycle is broken, sickness and death are imminent. For one creature out there in the wild to eat and drink, it must go out and leave its comfort and safe zone, leave its family in some instances, to find something to eat for itself and its family. With different forms of communication through innate sounds made by the food collector, the message would reach the rest of the family to come out because food is available and ready - but if the family is that of hapless, flightless, immobile and nested babies, the food is brought home or to their hiding place. Why hide though? Your guess is as good as mine, it is a dog-eat-dog out there and if you are a Chihuahua...well, good luck!

The sad reality about our nature, in the wild especially, (not so different in some sort from that of humans but very similar I will continuously make relations) is that for one to eat, happens in two ways, cliché as it may sound; EAT OR BE EATEN! This harsh reality is defined by zoologists as a predator and prey relationship, yes, relation-ship; not so cuddly huh? Size and speed sometimes saves one from being eaten, sometimes alive! The bigger you are, the more unwelcoming and intimidating you appear, safety right there - unless times are calling for desperation from the predators and they join forces numerically to bring down the bigger prey. Cats of the wild like lions, cheetahs and leopards are strangers to each other yet they all belong to a ‘family of cats’. Big cats precisely and crossing paths is at times bloody and deadly - even among the same breed of cats - thanks to territoriality. Sometimes again, ill-health, starvation or injury can make the

‘biggest boys in town’ like elephants, giraffes and hippopotamuses fall prey. By now, you would be forgiven for assuming that this book is about life in the wild – well, it is not. The bottom line to the picture I painted above is that life in the wild is a brutal food chain, one creature could be found right on top of the food chain and the not so fortunate ones are right at the bottom of the food chain. I won’t dwell much into that because this is not a biology or wildlife article, but just a foundation and context to my main reason I wrote this hard-hitting book you will later learn. Controversial if you like and I will, from time to time, make references or comparisons to how nature, as intended by fate/destiny; made life in human habitats, as wild and inhospitable as it is today. Hence, I gave no detailed examples because I am assuming, we all have watched at least one episode depicting life in the wild on the National Geographic channel or any other nature venturing program for that matter and by now, I am hoping you do get