Kaunda, Kenneth D.

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Howard University: Digital Howard

New DirectionsVolume 15 | Issue 1 Article 41-1-1988The Struggle in South AfricaKenneth D. KaundaFollow this and additional works at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirectionsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Howard @ Howard University. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Directions byan authorized administrator of Digital Howard @ Howard University. For more information, please contact lopez.matthews@howard.edu.Recommended CitationKaunda, Kenneth D. (1988) "The Struggle in South Africa," New Directions: Vol. 15: Iss. 1, Article 4.Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol15/iss1/4COMMENTARYThe Struggle In South AfricaBy Kenneth D. KaundaThe United States is founded on lofty ideals. Your founding fathers declared in their wisdom that certain truths were self- evident; that all men were created equal; and that they were endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which were life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Very pointedly, they made the important observation that to ensure that these rights were not violated, “ Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.’ ’These are lofty ideals indeed. But ideals have been seen to be easier to declare than to put into practice. No sooner had these ideals been declared than racists began to twist the meaning of these ideals to serve their prejudiced and privileged positions. Thus, as Abra­ham Lincoln observed, the issue of equality of all men was qualified by the racists to mean, in practice, that all men (were) created equal except Negroes.The fight for equality, freedom and lib­erty will always be there until justice for all prevails.While discrimination on the basis of color is becoming a thing of the past in the United States, it is becoming more viciously entrenched in South Africa. The ideology and practice of apartheid by the racist regime of South Africa is aimed at denying the Black man his fundamen­tal rights in the country of his birth for no reason other than that he is Black.In fighting for liberty, equality and other basic human rights, the Black peo­ple of South Africa are being met with in­tensified repression and brutal violence. The killings and mass arrests of pro­testors against apartheid, even children, occur almost daily in South Africa. Black people are denied freedom of move­ment. They cannot legally exercise theirpolitical rights. They suffer discrimination in employment and cannot live in places of their own choice.The apartheid regime of South Africa is morally bankrupt in its philosophy and practices. It certainly does not derive its power from the majority of the governed. Meanwhile, the untold atrocities being committed against the Black people are being concealed from the international community by the imposition of a draco­nian state of emergency and suffocating press censorship.In the face of such a situation, there­fore, the international community should not stand by and watch without showing a deep sense of moral outrage and tak­ing positive action to end the politically and morally obnoxious apartheid system.What is happening in South Africa is not only evil but also a crime against hu­manity. Given political will, the United States, as the strongest power in the Western world, can do much to force the apartheid regime to abandon its racist policies and practices.The United States, Great Britain, West Germany and France have huge invest­ments in South Africa. The wealth which these investments have created is the economic backbone which bolsters theThe argument that economic sanctions will hurt Black people is neither true nor convincing. . .racist apartheid regime. These powerful countries have thus very strong political, economic, and moral leverage which can be used to force South Africa to abandon apartheid.The most effective way of using this leverage is to withdraw the economic support they give to the racist regime through the application of comprehen­sive and mandatory economic sanctions against South Africa. The argument that the application of comprehensive and mandatory economic sanctions will hurt Black people is neither true nor con­vincing, because the Black people in South Africa are already suffering in the extreme.No price is too high to pay for free­dom. In this regard, the Black people of South Africa are prepared to suffer any consequences, including death, to rid themselves of the scourge of apartheid. Lest it be forgotten, protagonists of slav­ery in the United States, in answering ab­olitionists, advanced the argument that emancipation would hurt the slaves.The Black people of South Africa have been patient, but their patience is fast running out. The consequence of this will be bloody mass violence which will engulf the whole of the southern African region. Indeed, a civil war in South Africa will, I am afraid, seriously affect interna­tional relations between Africa and the Western world.The United States has vast influence and power. It must have the courage toNEW DIRECTIONS JANUARY 19881Kaunda: The Struggle in South AfricaPublished by Digital Howard @ Howard University,give moral leadership by doing what is right about apartheid. As Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”Indeed, injustice in South Africa is a definite threat to peace not only in south­ern Africa, but also in the world as a whole.Howard University can play its part in helping get rid of apartheid in South Africa. It has long experience in the fight against prejudice and racism. Indeed, a practical search for freedom and equality has been part of Howard’s experience over the 120 years of its existence.Big multinational corporations and even some American universities have invested heavily in South Africa. These investors can help end apartheid by dis- investing from that country. In this re­gard, Howard can do much in using its influence to persuade other universities to disinvest.Some universities and some corpora­tions have already disinvested, or, are in the process of doing so. This is a very welcome contribution to the solution of the South African problem.Howard is an educational institution. Therefore, one of its important missions on the international scene must be to tirelessly educate the American public on the reality of the African situation.Indeed, Howard’s long established Af­rican studies program which, inter alia, provides courses in a number of African languages, clearly shows the serious­ness Howard attaches to the aspirations and culture of Africa. Its professors and scholars are, thus, well placed to show to the American people the true nature of the African continent.This is important. We are often dis­mayed by the misreporting and outright distortion of African affairs by some jour­nalists and scholars from the United States. This is a very serious state of af­fairs, especially in that decisions by pol­icy makers on Africa are often based on these distorted views. But if scholars andWe are often dismayed by the misreporting and outright distortion of African affairs by some journalists and scholars. . .journalists are to write dispassionately, and with a proper sympathetic under­standing, it is important that visiting professorship and other exchange pro­grams with African universities be encouraged.If this is done on a large scale, the possibility is that political relations will be less frequently based on lack of knowl­edge and confidence. Howard University is not new to Zambia. In fact, a good number of its graduates are serving our country in key positions. This is a clear indication of the contribution of Howard to our development effort, for which Zambia is most appreciative. As chan­cellor of my country’s two universities, I wish to urge the establishment of an effective exchange program of students between our respective universities.Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Howard for confer­ring on me the degree of doctor of laws honoris causa. It is an honor I shall al­ways treasure because I take this to be an honor not only to me but, more impor­tantly, to the people of Zambia.I also would like to share this honor with the peoples of Africa whose organi­zation, the Organization of African Unity,I am currently privileged to lead for the second time. □The above was excerpted from Zambian Presi­dent Kenneth Kaunda's address at a special con­vocation at Howard University last October.2New Directions, Vol. 15 [], Iss. 1, Art. 4http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol15/iss1/4

The Struggle in South Africa

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The Struggle in South Africa

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