Steve Biko

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Steve Biko
Steve Biko on a stained glass window in a church in Heerlen , the Netherlands

Stephen Bantu Biko , mostly abbreviated to Steve Biko (born December 18, 1946 in Tarkastad or Tylden , South African Union , † September 12, 1977 in Pretoria ), was a well-known civil rights activist in South Africa . He is considered a founder of the Black Consciousness movement .

Life

Studies and early years

Stephen Bantu Biko was the third of the four children of Mathew Mzingaye Biko and Alice Nokuzola Biko. His place of birth is Tarkastad or Tylden; both located in the present province of Eastern Cape (Eastern Cape). The family soon moved to Ginsberg Location near King William's Town . His father died when he was four years old. Steve Biko attended Charles Morgan Higher Primary School in Ginsberg Location from around 1952 , where he skipped several classes. In 1960 he became a student of the Forbes Grant . Already in his school days he showed himself to be a vehement opponent of apartheid politics. In 1962 he came to the Lovedale Missionary Institute , where his brother Khaya was trained. Khaya Biko, who was affiliated with the Pan Africanist Congress , was suspected by police of belonging to its underground organization Poqo and sentenced to imprisonment. Steve Biko also had to leave school as a result. After his release reached Khaya Biko that his brother from June 1964 his schooling in by Catholic missionaries led St. Francis College in Mariannhill near Durban could finish.

In 1966 he began to study medicine in Durban at the Medical School of the University of Natal Non European section , where he met his future friend and mentor Joshua Mboya Dada. He initially belonged to the United Christian Movement student movement . However, his growing political commitment, from 1968 in the South African Students' Organization (SASO) he founded, led to a decline in study activity. In 1973 he was forcibly de-registered again.

In 1972, Biko helped found the grassroots Black Community Programs (BCP), a nationwide network of community-based organizations, and performed at large public gatherings. In 1973 the apartheid government imposed a ban on him that was subject to strict conditions: he was monitored, he was not allowed to leave his hometown and was not allowed to speak to more than one person at the same time. Due to these conditions, Biko, who was increasingly interested in legal issues, was only able to take up a correspondence course in law .

During this time, Biko took part in specific political activities, for example he was involved in the establishment of the Zimele Trust Fund . This was a community-oriented institution with the support of South African churches, which contributed by means of individual support measures to the creation of livelihoods for families of political prisoners or for them even after their release from prison.

Arrest and death

Biko's grave in King William's Town, Ginsberg Location

At the same time he intensified his activities in the BCP. This once again called the state apparatus onto the scene, with the result that from 1975 onwards it was no longer allowed to be politically active at all. In the following years Biko was arrested several times, most recently on August 18, 1977 outside of King William's Town, when the security police picked him up and arrested him for violating his conditions. He was interned in a prison in the nearby city of Port Elizabeth . During the days of interrogation in "Police Room 6-1-9" that followed, he suffered severe head injuries as a result of torture .

On September 11th, Biko was transported naked and unconscious in a police van more than 1,000 kilometers to Pretoria. There he died of his injuries in the prison hospital the following night. His death was announced on September 13, 1977, and Justice Secretary James Kruger initially alleged that the death was the result of a hunger strike . After a court-ordered investigation, a court denied on December 2, 1977 that Biko had died as a result of the injuries inflicted on him in Port Elizabeth. The autopsy was conducted by the then state chief pathologist of South Africa, Johan Loubser . Jonathan Gluckman, also a pathologist, was present as the family doctor. Sydney Kentridge , a lawyer known for his tough cross-examination , represented Biko's family on legal issues. He succeeded in ensuring that the numerous journalists, including those from abroad, were able to get a precise picture of Biko's death. Earlier, a report by journalist Helen Zille in the Rand Daily Mail had clarified the public about Biko's death. However, there was no charge of murder or manslaughter.

In early 1997, five former South African Police officers admitted to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that they had been involved in Biko's killing, which the German-speaking media classified as murder . No amnesty was granted following the intervention of the Bikos family .

Steve Biko's funeral took place in King William's Town on September 25, 1977 and was a major event. An enormous number of mourners traveled to this ceremony at the Victoria Ground sports stadium on the outskirts of the city. Guests included foreign diplomats and domestic political figures, including Helen Suzman , Alex Boraine and Zach de Beer from the Progressive Federal Party .

Reactions

The violent killing of Biko led to an international scandal. Biko became a symbol of the resistance movement against the apartheid regime. The South African government banned a number of people and organizations as a result of the events, including all organizations of the Black Consciousness Movement and the journalist Donald Woods , who had exposed the circumstances of Biko's death with Helen Zille. The UN Security Council responded with an arms embargo against South Africa.

family

Biko married Montsikelelo (Ntsiki) Mashalaba from Umtata in 1970 , with whom he had two children. He had two other children with the activist Mamphela Ramphele , including Hlumelo Biko , who was born in 1978 and is now a well-known entrepreneur. A fifth child was born in 1977 from another extramarital relationship.

reception

Biko's statue in front of East London City Hall

Donald Woods informed about the fate of Biko in his book Steve Biko - Voice of Humanity . Richard Attenborough made the film Freedom Scream in 1987 based on this book .

Peter Gabriel wrote the highly acclaimed song Biko , which appeared on his third studio album Peter Gabriel (Melt) in 1980. It has been interpreted in various ways by other artists such as Joan Baez , Robert Wyatt , Simple Minds , Ray Wilson , Manu Dibango , Paul Simon and BAP . The version of this third studio album , published in German under the name Ein deutsches Album , also contains a version by Biko in a translation by Horst Königstein .

Christy Moore covers the subject in his song Biko Drum . The English roots reggae band Steel Pulse commemorated the unjust death of the civil rights activist as early as 1979 with the song Biko's Kindred Lament . On their album Hebron Gate , the Californian reggae band Groundation honored him in the song Silver Tongue Show in a row with Marcus Garvey and Mohandas Gandhi .

Steve Biko is also mentioned in the song Revolution by the funk band Earth, Wind & Fire and in Diallo , a song by Wyclef Jean about the Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo who was shot in New York .

In 1985 the painter Helga Ginevra created the picture Biko, oh Biko in homage to Steve Biko. In 2000 the film The Color of Friendship was released based on the short story Simunye by Piper Dellums , in which apartheid and the death of Steve Biko play a key role.

In addition, the band A Tribe Called Quest dedicated the song Steve Biko (Stir It Up) to him on their album Midnight Marauders in 1993 .

Honors

  • In 1998 the Steve Biko Foundation was founded in South Africa .
  • In 1999 he was posthumously awarded the South African Order of Meritorious Service in gold.
  • 2008 Renaming of the Pretoria Academic Hospital ( HF Verwoerd Hospital 1967–1997) to Steve Biko Academic Hospital

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Steve Biko  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c portrait at sahistory.org.za (English), accessed on August 10, 2018
  2. ↑ Steve Biko Foundation website , accessed August 12, 2018
  3. ↑ Johannes Woywodt: Black consciousness. The life of Steven Biko . Past Publishing, Berlin 2012, p. 11 .
  4. ^ South African Democracy Education Trust (ed.): The Road to Democracy in South Africa . tape 2 (1970-1980) . University of South Africa 2006, p. 121 .
  5. ^ South African History Online: Stephen Bantu Biko. University and NUSAS . on www.sahistory.org.za (English)
  6. ^ South African History Online: Black Community Programs (BCP) . on www.sahistory.org.za (English)
  7. ^ Report of December 2, 1977 . bbc.co.uk (English), accessed April 30, 2016
  8. ^ SAIRR : A Survey of Race Relations in South Africa . Johannesburg 1978, p. 160.
  9. ↑ Report on Helen Zille , accessed June 30, 2011.
  10. ↑ RW Johnson: Saint Steve Biko - South Africa's Longing for a Leadership Figure of Integrity , Le Monde diplomatique , October 12, 2012
  11. ^ Afrikaner police admit to killing Stephen Biko . (English).
  12. ↑ Daniel Jaggi. The South African law for the promotion of national unity and reconciliation in the area of ​​tension between conflict resolution, rule of law and democratization . Peter Lang, 2004, ISBN 978-3-03910-483-3 . P. 299.
  13. ↑ Portraits of victims and perpetrators at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (English, PDF), accessed on October 26, 2014.
  14. ↑ Amanda Nano: Anger brewing over plans to redevelop Victoria Grounds . In: Daily Dispatch of November 12, 2020 at www.pressreader.com (English).
  15. ↑ Helen Suzman : In No Uncertain Terms . Mandarin Paperbacks, London 1994. pp. 225-226.
  16. ↑ Donald Woods : Steve Biko. Cry for freedom . Stuttgart / Munich 1988, p. 76.
  17. ^ Foundation website . (English), accessed October 24, 2014
  18. ↑ List of recipients of the medal 1999 . (English), accessed on August 24, 2018
  19. ^ Steve Biko Academic Hospital: Background . on www.sbah.org.za (English)
personal data
SURNAME Biko, Steve
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Biko, Stephen Bantu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African civil rights activist
BIRTH DATE December 18, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH Tarkastad or Tylden , Cape Province
DATE OF DEATH September 12, 1977
PLACE OF DEATH Pretoria