Tegen het vergeten, against forgetting

For the victims of the liberation struggle of South Africa/Azania and prejudiced western white solidarity. On the significance of solidarity, decolonization and liberation struggle in the past and their impact on the present.

As a privileged white woman I learnt from people in exile and members of the liberation movements. Till this day I benefit from their understanding and the views of the present generation to understand the impact of being black in this white dominated world, to understand the importance of who says what on behalf of who,

demonstration Rotterdam Juni 1979

to understand the position of power (or lack of) that dominates your outlook on the world. The inevitable consequence is that white people should not hesitate to acknowledge their part, repair damages (in past and present) and do not behave in a patronizing manner regarding the liberation and anti-racism struggle. In conclusion, white people should not be an obstacle in stopping white supremacy (See ‘White Allies: a blessing or a curse?’).

In the 80s I was unexpectedly introduced to Stokely Carmichael/Kwame Ture. We shook hands and he asked me his famous question: are you ready for revolution? I cannot remember my answer, I was blown away by the meeting and the question, but that question has always stuck at the back of my mind. Are white people prepared for revolution? Or are we ‘more for law and order than justice?’, as Martin Luther King remarked.