Let me state upfront that I believe Julius Malema deviates from what three-and-a-half centuries of colonization, apartheid and imperialist control has thought us to be "civilization". And I like it!
The arrival of Jan van Riebeck in 1652 brought with it the concept of civilization, which defined how "civilized people" should think, behave and act. These prescriptions remain a set standard of "desirable" human conduct even beyond the dawn of South Africa's democratic dispensation.
In comes Julius Malema: he shouts and screams when he makes his point; he looks people in the eye and tells them what they would rather not hear. It is no wonder the "civilized liberals" find him rude, unsophisticated and impolite etc.
But that is precisely the problem: we were thought to be polite and civilized even when the oppressors themselves were acting against these very same values. Demanding freedom was a barbaric act, and pleading for it was more acceptable.
Sadly, we were lulled into this "civilized thinking" when we went through the doors of CODESA and "politely begged" the white minority to give us our freedom. Along the process we made compromises; some very good (abandoning the arm struggle), some fair (agreeing to the removal of economic sanctions) and some extremely disastrous (agreeing to a sunset clause on the white minority's general grip on power in the economy and public sector).
Throughout the process, Thabo Mbeki - the ANC lead negotiator in CODESA and probably the best example of a "civilized African" - continued to accede to the National Party's demands, if only to avoid offending them. According to Mbeki's sophisticated and modern but narrow (if not naïve) Sussex logic, the oppressed had to compromise or there would be a civil war. Such was Mbeki's determination not to upset the cart, that he kept insisting that "we had put ourselves in the shoes of the other party".
The fear of offending the minority remains with us still today. And so does the structurally exclusive economy and cultural dominance. Thus we are expected to be "civil" (read: apologetic) about Affirmative Action, Employment Equity and Black Economic Empowerment. We are also expected to practice democracy the way the "civilized world" has done it, and not according to the dictates of our most pressing and immediate needs.
The twist in the tale is that the minority is no longer exclusively white, but includes the newly found "minute" black middle class. After reaping the fruits of freedom, the black middle class has suddenly engaged in an offensive against the ideals of black liberation. This recent conviction to defend the status quo is succinctly captured by the impending merger between DA, COPE and ID.
Maybe we need to understand that when Steve Biko spoke about "liberation of the mind", he was referring to a conscious effort by blacks not to think, act and behave according a programmed historical perspective, but according to the demands of their own social reality. I'm convinced that Julius Malema is holding the torch of total African liberation very high. There could be no better approach to African Renaissance. That much can't be said for those who continue to crucify the liberation under the banner of "civilization".
Setumo Stone is a writer, social commentator and youth activist
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