..."Violence, necessity and virtue," expounded
Raymond Suttner,
head of the Walter and Albertina Sisulu Knowledge and Heritage Centre,
professor at the University of South Africa and former ANC National
Executive Committee member. This was the "choice with responsibility"
that the ANC made in the 1960s, with the founding of MK.
Suttner explained that Gandhi had advocated non violence, but acknowledged the necessity of violence.
In the ANC, violence was always considered a "temporary
aberration". Suttner cited black academic ZK Matthews as saying that he
was pleased that the ANC's armed struggle was led by men committed to
non violence.
Former President Nelson Mandela had claimed that the armed struggle was meant to bring parties to negotiations, not to power.
Violence was "unjustified in principle" and "no longer socially
desirable". It was part of South Africa's liberation history but not
part of democracy, Suttner said, bringing up current day issues
surrounding the singing of violent struggle songs.
"Songs that encourage violence were not a constructive recourse to history,' he said.
Suttner explained the meaning of the "kill the boer" song that had been made infamous recently by ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema.
He said that the current refrain was "disembodied" from the song of the
1980s. In the original song, there was no "glorification of the gun",
but rather a "response to necessity". Suttner emphasised that, in the
song, a young man wanted the blessing of his mother before going to
fight in a war that was necessary. While the original song involved
"violence with reluctance", violence was now glorified, he said.
In the past, violence was seen as a "tragic necessity". The
"kill the boer" song had become a "debased means of drawing on struggle
history", he said.
In writing history, people should act with care by providing a
context. Suttner explained that songs of war in a time of peace,
indicated a "recklessness with life"...
This extended quote comes from an interesting report on a round-table discussion entitled ‘Writing histories of political
violence' on Wednesday, explored the history of violence in the
parallel and interlinked political histories of South Africa and India. Link to full report by: Amy Witherden
From Polity.org.za
